Jamie Oliver's Vegan Christmas Feast

By ruthg

We’re going to make vegan mushroom rolls to have as a canapé, followed by a vegan nut roast and a whole roasted cauliflower, and finished with vegan chocolate brownies.

Ingredients

• For the spinach topping:
• VEGAN MUSHROOM ROLLS - serves 16
• 1 onion
• 2 stalks of celery
• olive oil
• 500 g (17.6oz) chestnut mushrooms
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 100 ml (3.4oz or 1/2 cup) white wine
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 80 g (1 1/3 cup) fresh white breadcrumbs
• 1/2 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 sheets of ready-rolled puff pastry, (640g or 22 ouncces) (we used Jus Rol)
• almond milk
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• VEGAN NUT ROAST: serves 4
• 50 g pine nuts (1.7oz or 1/3 cup), plus extra for decorating
• 50 g (1.7oz) linseed
• 50 g (1/3 cup) sunflower seeds
• 100 g (3.5 oz) unsweetened chestnut purée
• 50 g (1/3 cup) gluten-free vegetarian suet
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• gluten-flour for dusting
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 300 g (10.5 oz) chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 260 g (9.2 oz) baby leaf spinach, or frozen chopped spinach
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 ripe avocado
• 100 g (3.5 oz) silken tofu
• 1 pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 squeeze of lemon juice
• 1/4 sweet potato
• Olive oil
• VEGAN GRAVY: makes 500 ml (17oz)
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks of celery
• olive oil
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 large sprig of fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 teaspoon Marmite
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 liter (34 oz) vegetable stock, preferably organic
• WHOLE ROASTED CAULIFLOWER:
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 a small bunch of fresh thyme
• olive oil
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 large cauliflower, (1kg, or 2.2#) with outer leaves left on
• 4 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 x 400 g (14.1oz) tin of plum tomatoes
• 40 g (1/3 cup) flaked almonds
• 1/2 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• extra virgin olive oil
• VEGAN BROWNIES: makes 16
• 5 tablespoons sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
• 200 g (7oz, 1 1/3 cups) dairy-free dark chocolate
• 170 g (6 oz, 1 1/2 cups)self-raising flour
• 3 heaped teaspoons cocoa powder
• 180 g (3/4 cup + 3 Tbsp) golden caster sugar
• sea salt
• 1 vanilla pod
• 230 ml (7.8oz) unsweetened soya milk
• 200 g (1 1/3 cups) pecan nuts
• Read more at http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chocolate-recipes/vegan-chocolate-brownies/#k4HlTjImfhxCa6gE.99

Details

Adapted from buzzfeed.com

Preparation

Step 1

VEGAN MUSHROOM ROLLS:
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Peel and finely chop the onion, then trim and finely chop the celery. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, then add the chopped veg. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Meanwhile, finely chop the mushrooms.

Peel and crush in the garlic, then add the chopped mushrooms. Cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms start to soften. Add the mustard and wine, season with salt and pepper, then reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until all the liquid has boiled and bubbled away. Set aside to cool.

Add the cooled mushroom mixture and breadcrumbs to a large bowl. Pick, finely chop and add the parsley leaves, then pick in the thyme leaves. Stir well to combine, then season to taste.

Cut the sheets of puff pastry in half lengthways so you have four equal-sized pieces. Spoon a quarter of the mushroom mixture along the middle of one length of pastry, moulding it into a long sausage shape with the back of a spoon.

Brush the almond milk along the pastry edges, then carefully fold one of the long sides of the pastry up over the filling. Press the edges to seal, then crimp with a fork. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have four long rolls, then cut each length into four pieces.

Place the rolls on the prepared baking tray, brush with the almond milk and sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Pop on the bottom shelf of the hot oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden, then serve.

VEGAN NUT ROAST:
Tofu gives this nut roast a creaminess that makes it seem decadent. You can make individual portions or 1 big tart.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Spread out the nuts and seeds on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 5–6 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, along with the chestnut purée, suet and maple syrup, and blitz until it comes together into a ball. It will be sticky to begin with, so stop and scrape the sides as you go.

2. Place a large sheet of baking parchment on a work surface and sit the dough on it. Then, with lots of gluten-free flour on your hands and rolling pin, roll out the dough as thinly as possible (less than 5mm).

3. If you're making individual tartlets, oil and flour four 10cm loose-bottomed tart tins, then cut the pastry to size. For 1 large tart, roll out the dough and cut to the size of a large, shallow baking tin, and transfer to the tin using a fish slice. Prick the pastry all over with a fork, cover with baking parchment, fill with baking beans or rice and bake blind for 12–15 minutes. Leave to cool in the tray, and keep the oven on.

4. Meanwhile, make the topping. Heat 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a pan over a medium heat, then sauté the mushrooms for 6–8 minutes, until golden. Remove and set aside.

5. In the same pan, heat the rest of the oil and wilt the spinach (or heat through if frozen) along with the pepper. Blitz the spinach, avocado flesh, tofu, nutmeg and lemon juice in a food processor until smooth.

6. Thinly slice the sweet potato using a vegetable peeler or mandolin, creating a pile of peelings. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a small pan, then fry the peelings over a high heat, turning occasionally, for 4–5 minutes, until just turning crisp.

7. Assemble the tart by spreading the spinach mixture over the baked and cooled tart base. Lay the mushrooms on top, and decorate with the sweet potato slivers and a scattering of toasted pine nuts. Eat heated or at room temperature, with potatoes and vegetables.

VEGAN GRAVY:
Peel the onions, then roughly chop along with the carrots and celery. Add to a large pan over a medium heat with a splash of olive oil and the herbs. Fry for around 15 minutes, or until turning golden.

Add the sugar and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes, or until sticky and caramelised. Stir in the flour, then add the Marmite, tomato purée and vinegar. Pour in the stock, then bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer for around 10 minutes, or until thickened and reduced. Pass it through a sieve into another large pan, using a spoon to squeeze out all those lovely flavours. Serve with vegan nut roast.

WHOLE ROASTED CAULIFLOWER:
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.

Peel the garlic, then add to a pestle and mortar with the paprika and half the thyme leaves. Bash well to a rough paste, then muddle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season. Zest the lemon into a separate bowl and set aside.

Trim the outer cauliflower leaves. Trim away and discard the stalk so the cauliflower can sit flat, then cut a cross into the base. Rub all over with the paprika paste, then place in a medium casserole pan. Drizzle over the sherry and squeeze the lemon juice on top. Cover and pop in the hot oven for around 1 hour 20 minutes, or until tender, removing the lid for the final 20 minutes.

Take the pan out of the oven, then pour in the plum tomatoes, tearing or slicing them up into chunks. Sprinkle over the lemon zest and pick over the remaining thyme leaves. Return the pan to the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower is golden.

Meanwhile, place a medium frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the almonds and toast gently for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden, then leave to cool. Once ready, take the pan out of the oven. Scrunch over the toasted almonds, then pick, roughly chop and scatter the parsley leaves on top. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, then carve up and serve with pilaff rice and steamed greens, or as part of a big spread.
Nutritional Information Amount per serving:

VEGAN BROWNIES:
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Grease a square baking tin (roughly 20cm) with a little oil, then line with greaseproof paper.

Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the base doesn't touch the water. Break 150g of chocolate into the bowl and allow it to melt, then set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, sieve the flour and cocoa powder into a large bowl, then stir in the sugar and a pinch of salt. Halve the vanilla pod lengthways, scrape out the seeds, then add them to the bowl. Stir in the oil, soya milk and melted chocolate until combined.

Roughly chop and stir in the remaining chocolate and most of the pecans, reserving a few for the top. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle over the remaining pecans, then place into the hot oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked on the outside, but still gooey in the middle.

Leave to cool for around 5 minutes, turn out onto a wire cooling rack, then serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if you're feeling extra indulgent.


Read more at http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chocolate-recipes/vegan-chocolate-brownies/#k4HlTjImfhxCa6gE.99