Jill's Nut Roast Recipe - not just for Christmas!

I can vouch for the yumminess of this nut roast and can see this becoming a regular dish in our household!

This quantity makes enough for a 1lb loaf tin.

2 banana shallots finely chopped

½ medium aubergine cut into small cubes

½ small butternut squash cut into small cubes

½ large courgette grated (or whole smaller one)

2 sticks of celery finely chopped

½ red pepper cut into small pieces about same size as cubes above

Handful of green beans finely chopped

Couple of tablespoons olive oil

1 flat tsp veg stock powder

50g brown breadcrumbs

70g mixed nuts (almond/brazil/pecan) blitzed to breadcrumb size

4 soft apricots finely chopped

50g pine nuts - whole

50g pistachios – whole

Salt and pepper

1 egg

Sage, parsely and thyme finely chopped

Or

1 tsp ground coriander and 1 tsp ground cumin plus handful fresh chopped coriander

1.         Fry onion and celery for a couple of minutes until onion softens then add rest of chopped veg, turn down heat, put lid on and ‘sweat’ for about 5 – 10 minutes.   Sprinkle over veg stock powder, mix well and leave to cool.

2.         In a large bowl combine breadcrumbs, blitzed mixed nuts, chopped apricots, pine nuts and pistachios.  Add salt and pepper to taste (remember veg stock powder has salt in it too).

3.         Once veg have cooled, add to dry mix and add egg.   Mix well.

4.         Depending on whether you want a herby roast or a ‘curry’ flavour roast, add your choice now and mix well.   You could halve the mix and make two smaller ½ lb roasts.   If you do this halve the herbs and/or spices. Grease your tin (s) and line with a strip of baking parchment.   Press mix down firmly.

Cook in oven at 175 for 45 minutes to 1 hour

For Christmas I topped it with a mixture of fresh cranberries which I had rolled in rice malt syrup and whole pecans.

You could use any mixture of vegetables and/or nuts but you do need the breadcrumbs and egg to ‘bind’ the mixture.

Jill's Walnut Pesto

Ingredients

Good handful of basil leaves (or rocket)
1/2 cup of walnuts
Glug of olive oil
1/2 cup finely grated Manchego cheese (it’s a hard sheep’s cheese)
1 clove garlic (if using)
Salt and ground black pepper

I use my mini mixer to make it, but you have to pack the basil down and whizz it a couple of times. The olive oil ‘loosens’ the mix. I guess it’s probably 1 to 2 tablespoons. Start with less and add if necessary.

Jill's green curry paste recipe without heat

Here is Jill’s version of the green curry paste she made in Chang Mai, Thailand on a cookery course, but without the heat, so is better for those who react to, or don’t like, chilli, or are on a Pitta-reducing diet.

Ingredients - for the paste

2 small shallots - chopped
A piece of fresh ginger (about thumb size) - chopped
2 or 3 lemongrass stalks - chopped
Fresh coriander - a handful including stalks
1 Kaffir lime - skin only (difficult to find in UK)
1 teaspoon roasted coriander seeds
1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds
Twist of pepper
A large pinch of salt

You could add garlic but Jill chooses not to.

Put all ingredients into either a mini food processor or a pestle and mortar and grind until it looks like this :-

It is a rough paste.

To make the actual green curry

Use with a tin or two of coconut milk. Add chopped veg and chopped chicken (leave out chicken obviously if you are vegetarian or vegan), along with about 6 kaffir lime leaves that you have scrunched in your hand. Leave to simmer until veg/chicken are cooked, then add a shake of fish sauce and a small amount of palm sugar (or light brown sugar - 1/4 of teaspoon). Check seasoning and adjust as necessary. Add Thai basil just before serving if you can get hold of some.

It is very moorish!

Jill's Basil Pesto recipe

It’s that time of the year when, if you grow basil, it is prolific. Pesto time!
This year I grew two types of basil, one of which was labeled for pesto on the seed packet.

On the left is the type of basil you would buy in a pack sold by Guernsey herbs. On the right is the ‘pesto’ one. The obvious differences are shape of leaf and leaf size. The ‘pesto’ one is a little coarser too.

So, I tend to make largish batches for the freezer. To get a nice green pesto you need to blanch the leaves (and refresh in icy water), then get as much water out as possible - a little like spinach. This is a bit of a faff, let alone time consuming. So, if you are not bothered that your frozen pesto looks grey, just use raw leaves.

The recipe I use is:-

1 large clove of garlic (more if like). I don’t like garlic to take over the taste so am abstemious in my use of it.
4 cups of fresh basil leaves (blanched if fussy like me!)
1 cup grated Parmesan (or Manchego for anyone with cow intolerances)
2/3 cup pinenuts (which is a small packet) or walnuts etc.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 cup of olive oil (I don’t use extra virgin as I find the taste overtakes in pesto)

I tend to get everything ready like pulling the leaves off the stems and washing. Grating the cheese, peeling the garlic etc.

Once ready it all goes in the food processor. I start with half a cup of oil and add more if necessary. The consistency should be soft but not runny. A little like cake mixture falling off the spoon. Once it is the right consistency, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

I freeze in trays I got from Lakeland but any ice cube type trays work too. I prefer to freeze like this and I can get out as many or as few as I need.

Bon appetito!

Jill's Veggie Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

• 1tbsp olive oil

• 1 large onion, halved and sliced

• 2 large carrots, diced

• 4 large mushrooms, sliced

• 2 tbsp thyme, chopped

• 100ml red wine

• 400g tin chopped tomatoes

• 420g tin green lentils

• 3 large potatoes

• 2 vegetable stock cubes

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion

2. Add the diced carrot, mushrooms and thyme

3. Pour in the wine, 100ml water and tomatoes, then sprinkle in the stock cubes and simmer for 10 mins

4. Tip in the tin of lentils, including the juice, and simmer for another 10 mins

5. Meanwhile, make the mash

6. Transfer vegetable mixture to an oven proof dish, top with the mash and cook in the oven for 30 mins