A very rich roast packed with nuts that makes a lovely festive centrepiece served with all the festive trimmings. It can be made in advance and frozen. For a gluten free roast make it with gluten-free oats.

Hazelnut Festive Roast

Prep Time: 40 minutes | Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Dietary: Vegan, Gluten free option | Serves 8

Ingredients

• 100g green lentils
• 2 bay leaves
• 500ml vegetable stock or water with 1 tsp vegetable bouillon
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 large red onion, finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 carrots, grated (200g)
• 2 parsnips, grated (200g)
• 100g oatmeal or porridge oats ground to a course flour
• 100g chopped cashews
• 50g whole hazelnuts
• 50g sunflower seeds, toasted
• 50g pumpkin seeds, toasted
• 50g sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 tbsp tamari
• 15g fresh parsley, chopped
• Lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160Fan. You will need a 900g/2lb bread tin lined with baking parchment.
2. Wash the green lentils, put them in a small saucepan with the stock and bay leaves, bring to the boil, simmer until the lentils are very tender and soft. Drain, remove the bay leaves and set aside.
3. Mix the sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds together on a baking sheet and place in the pre-heated oven for 5-8 minutes. Toast them until they just begin to colour, but make sure they don’t burn.
4. Lightly break the hazelnuts into rough halves.
5. In a large frying pan fry the onion in the sunflower oil until translucent, add the garlic, spices and tomato puree and fry for a minute until fragrant.
6. Add the grated carrots and parsnips, fry for 5 minutes, remove from the heat, stir in the cooked lentils, oatmeal, cashews,hazelnuts, seeds, tamari and parsley. Add lemon juice and salt and black pepper to taste.
7. Press into the lined bread tin, press down firmly, cover the top with baking parchment and bake in the middle of the pre-heated oven for 45 minutes.
8. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on to a serving dish and slicing. Serve with griddled Tenderstem broccoli, baby carrots and leeks and your favourite gravy.

Delicious food photography by Rob Wicks of Eat Pictures.

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