Rich and decadent, this is a nut roast for special occasions! Filled with savoury umami flavours and the most divine vegan gravy you will ever find, this would make a showstopping gluten-free and vegan centrepiece for your Christmas lunch.
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C and line a 500g/1lb loaf tin with baking paper.
Soak the dried mushrooms in 500ml boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain and sieve the soaking water into a jug. Cut the mushrooms into small pieces. Set aside the mushrooms and the sieved mushroom water.
25 g dried porcini mushrooms
Mix the chopped butternut squash and carrots with a little olive oil and salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring half way through.
135 g butternut squash, 1 carrot, 1 tablespoon olive oil
Mix the flax seeds with double the quantity of water in a cup (so 2 tablespoon ground flax with 4 tablespoon water). Set aside until later.
2 tablespoon ground flax seeds
Either air fry the mixed nuts and chestnuts for 5 minutes @ 180°C or add them to one end of the roasting tin with the butternut squash and carrots for the final 10 minutes of roasting time. (Air frying gives a better result)
50 g mixed nuts, 100 g chestnuts (pre-cooked and peeled)
Sauté the onion and celery over a medium heat until browned (about 5 minutes). Then add the garlic and the chopped pre-soaked mushrooms. Sauté for another 2 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together over the heat until the liquid has cooked off.
100 ml vegetable stock, 50 g chestnut flour, 40 g beluga lentils (cooked), 1 tablespoon dried sage, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon gluten-free yeast extract (optional), 1 teaspoon ground allspice, ½ teaspoon ground mace
Add the flax seed mixture and the butternut squash, carrots and nuts. Mix well to thoroughly combine and evenly distribute all of the ingredients. It should be quite thick and difficult to mix at this point – you almost have to kind of fold it over with a wooden spoon!
Empty the contents of the pan into the loaf tin. Lay some bay leaves on top. Then roast in the oven at 200°C for 40-50 minutes. (Cover with foil if it starts to brown a little too much). Test whether it is done by gently pressing the top with your fingers. It should feel spongy and bounce back a little not feel liquidy and soft inside.
Meanwhile, make the jus. Add enough water to the sieved mushroom soaking water to top it up to 500ml. Pour it into a pan with the red wine, fresh thyme sprigs, vegetable stock powder, tamari, and brown rice syrup. Bring to the boil and then turn the heat down and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Taste. If it has boiled down a little too much, it might become too salty so top up with some more water.
500 ml mushroom soaking water, 100 ml red wine, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder, 1 teaspoon brown rice syrup, 1 teaspoon tamari
Mix the cornstarch with a little bit of water in a cup until it is a smooth thin liquid. Bring the gravy pan off the heat and whisk in the cornstarch liquid. Put back on the heat and simmer gently over a medium-low heat, while stirring, until the gravy thickens to your liking (about 5 minutes). Taste and adjust the seasoning with a little more syrup or salt as necessary. Remove the thyme sprigs and pour into a gravy boat.
2 teaspoon cornstarch
After taking the nut roast out of the oven, leave it to rest for 15 minutes before serving (to set the texture). Then serve garnished with some seasonal redcurrants and some sprigs of thyme or rosemary.
Notes
For mixed nuts, I like to use pistachios, walnuts, almonds and cashews but you can choose whichever nuts you like best!
If you mash the chestnuts and carrots and squash a little with a wooden spoon after cooking, it will help to give a firmer texture.
When you make the cornflour slurry, you need to add cold water NOT hot water otherwise it will go all lumpy rather than turning into a thin liquid.
The gravy could go lumpy if you don’t whisk it enough after adding the cornstarch slurry. Don’t worry about this, just strain it to get the lumps out (and add a little more cornstarch slurry if it needs to thicken more). It’s fine.