VEGETARIAN XMAS RECIPES

1. Season the beef with black pepper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the beef, and cook over a high heat until browned all over.

2. Put the beef fillet in a roasting tin and cook in a preheated oven at 220C (200C fan, Gas 7) for 25 minutes for rare beef, 35 minutes for medium, or 40 minutes for well-done. Leave to cool completely.

3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in the frying pan, add the onion and the mushrooms, and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Increase the heat to high, and cook until the excess moisture has evaporated. Turn into a bowl and leave to cool completely.

4. Add the liver pâté to the mushroom and onion mixture, season with salt and pepper, and stir well to combine.

5. To wrap the beef and pâté mixture in the pastry, roll out 300g (10 oz) of the pastry to a 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 in) rectangle. Spread half of the pate mixture down the middle, leaving a 10 cm (4 in) border on each side. 

Then, remove the string from the beef and place the beef on the pâté mixture. Cover the beef with the remaining pâté mixture.

Brush the pastry border with beaten egg. Fold the short sides of the pastry over the beef.

Fold over the long ends and turn the pastry over. Brush with beaten egg. Roll out the remaining pastry, and cut into strips, 5 mm (¼ in) wide. Arrange in a lattice pattern on top of the pastry, then glaze the strips with the beaten egg.

6. Bake at 220C (200C fan, Gas 7) for 45 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden. Cover with foil after 30 minutes to prevent the pastry becoming too brown. Leave to stand for about 10 minutes, then slice and serve with gravy.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Scrunch up a wet sheet of greaseproof paper, then use it to line all sides of an oiled 1.5 litre loaf tin, leaving a bit of overhang at the ends to help you lift out your nut roast later.

Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions, drain, tip into a mixing bowl and leave to cool. Meanwhile, wash and deseed the squash, peel the onions, trim the celery and chop it all into 2cm chunks. Place in a large roasting tray, crumble in the chestnuts, strip in the rosemary, add the paprika, oregano, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of oil, then toss well. Roast for 40 minutes, roughly chopping the mushrooms and adding for the last 10 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven and tip everything into the quinoa bowl. Finely grate in half the lemon zest, add the breadcrumbs, then chop and add the apricots and nuts. Crack in the eggs and mixwell, then transfer to the lined loaf tin, piling it up high. Roast for 45 minutes, or until golden and gnarly.

With 30 minutes to go, make the sauce. On the hob, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a roasting tray on a medium heat. Leaving them joined at the stalk, halve the chillies lengthways, then add to the tray with the cinnamon for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Meanwhile, peel and slice the garlic. Scoop the chillies and cinnamon out of the tray and put aside, then add the garlic, strip in most of the thyme leaves and cook for 5 minutes. Drain, chop and add the peppers, pour in the tinned tomatoes and 1 tin’s worth of water, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, then add the balsamic and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, or until thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally.

Lift the nut roast out of its tin and sit it in the sauce, discarding the paper. Grate over the cheese, pop a chilli on top with the remaining thyme sprigs and drizzle with a little oil. Return the other chillies and cinnamon to the sauce. Roast for a final 15 minutes, then leave to sit for 5 minutes. Finely chop and stir as much of the chilli as you like into the sauce, slice up the nut roast and tuck in.

CALORIES 464kcal FAT 21.2g SAT FAT 4.4g PROTEIN 16.9g CARBS 55.5g SUGARS 23.8g SALT 0.9g FIBRE 7.9g