Cashew nut roast with herb stuffing

Yesterday being Sunday, we had a roast dinner (not that we have one every Sunday, but yesterday we did).

Instead of serving a faux meaty thing to go with all the veggies, I decided to try a nut roast. Cashew nut roast from Rose Elliot’s Vegetarian Christmas, to be precise.

It was awesome, really really delicious, with a perfectly moist yet firm texture. This would be so good for Thanksgiving (and what a coincidence… American Thanksgiving is right around the corner) or Christmas or really anytime you are hankering for a roast dinner and don’t want to do the whole fake turkey thing.

We served it with rosemary roasted potatoes, agave-mustard roasted parsnips & carrots, peas and gravy.

Note when you are assembling the roast that it looks like there is no way that it will fit into a 1-pound loaf tin, but it does (just) if you pack it in. The stuffing was a bit crumbly, so next time I’ll probably moisten it with some vegetable stock. I might further tinker with the recipe as it is quite high in fat, probably by adding some mushrooms for moisture and reducing the margarine. But it is delicious just the way it is.




Cashew nut roast with herb stuffing

British				American
For the roast
50g		vegan margarine		4 tablespoons
1 large		onion, peeled and sliced		1 large
2 large		cloves garlic, minced		2 large
225g		raw cashew nuts		1-3/4 cups
125g		fresh white or wholemeal bread		4 ounces
200 ml		prepared vegetable bouillon		7 ounces
1 tablespoon		nutritional yeast (optional)		1 tablespoon
to taste		minced fresh or dried sage		to taste
to taste		sea salt, freshly ground pepper		to taste
For the herb stuffing
1 small		onion		1 small
125g		white or wholemeal fresh breadcrumbs		2 cups
50g		vegan margarine, melted		4 tablespoons
to taste		minced fresh or dried sage, rosemary, thyme		to taste
to taste		sea salt, freshly ground pepper		to taste

For the roast:

1. Prepare a 450g/1lb loaf pan. Put a long strip of baking paper across the bottom and up the two narrow sides, then use some of the margarine to grease the pan and paper well.

2. Melt most of the remaining margarine in a medium-sized saucepan, add the onion and fry for about 10 minutes until tender but not browned. Add the garlic cloves and continue to cook for one minute. Remove from the heat.

3. Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

4. Grind the cashew nuts in a food processor until they look like breadcrumbs, then remove to a large mixing bowl. Process the bread into crumbs in the food processor and add to the bowl.

5. Add the onion/garlic, bouillon, nutritional yeast and seasonings to the crumb/cashew mixture and combine well.

6. Prepare the herb stuffing (see below).

7. Put half the cashew mixture into the prepared pan, top with all of the herb stuffing and pack down. Then spoon the rest of the nut mixture on top. Dot with the remaining margarine. Stand the pan in another pan to catch any margarine which may ooze out, then bake for about 30 minutes or until firm and lightly browned. Cover the roast with foil if it gets too brown before then.

8. Cool for a minute or two in the pan, then slip a knife around the sides, turn the nut roast out and strip off the paper.

For the herb stuffing:

Peel & grate the onion. Place it in a bowl and add the margarine and seasonings. Add the breadcrumbs and mix it together well.

Makes six servings.