Stuff the turkey
Turkey and ham? Check. Roast potatoes? Check.
Brussels sprouts? Check.
But spare a thought for vegetarians who, afraid of making a fuss, will quietly munch their way through an indecent pile of vegetables and roasties on December 25.
To spice things up on the day, ARLENE HARRIS asked some of the nation’s top chefs to put together a menu — and not a quiche in sight — that will ensure a delicious festive feast for vegetarians and anyone wanting to try a meat-free Christmas
Rachel Allen of Ballymaloe House is renowned for her easy-to-cook, family friendly dishes. She has suggested an intensely coloured soup to start off the Christmas proceedings.
500g cherry tomatoes, halved
110g cucumber, left unpeeled and roughly chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 spring onions, trimmed and roughly chopped
300g raw beetroot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 small cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or finely grated
4 tbsp olive oil
2–4 tsp sherry vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place all the vegetables and the garlic in a food processor and whiz for at least 3 minutes, or until the mixture is completely smooth.
Pour the puréed ingredients into a fine sieve set over a bowl and press down against the mixture with the back of a spoon to help push the liquid through.
Discard the pulp left in the sieve. Stir in the olive oil and season to taste with the sherry vinegar, salt and pepper.
Serve at room temperature or chilled from the fridge with a grinding of black pepper and some crusty bread.
* For more of Rachel’s recipes visit www.rachelallen.co.uk
Her new book Easy Meals costs €19.99 and is available in bookshops nationwide.
Kevin Dundon of Dunbrody House Hotel says this is a delicious recipe which would work either as a starter or main course.
Use one mushroom per person to start or two as a main dish.
4 Portabello mushrooms
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 clove garlic, finely diced
300g spinach
150g goats cheese
1 sheet puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
Salt & pepper to season
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.
Drizzle the frying pan with 2 tbsp olive oil and cook the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden.
Lift the mushrooms out onto kitchen paper and press lightly to remove any excess oil.
Season with a little salt and ground black pepper.
Place the same pan back on the heat and add the remaining oil.
Add the garlic, sunflower seeds and spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes until completely wilted.
Remove from the pan and drain thoroughly through a sieve to remove any excess moisture.
On a lightly floured surface roll the pastry into an oblong and, using half the pastry, place the spinach mixture in the centre.
Place the mushrooms on top.
Brush the pastry edges with the egg wash, and seal the pastry completely.
Fold over the remaining pastry and cut away any excess which can be used for decoration.
Brush the remaining egg wash over the entire Wellington and place in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden.
Serve immediately.
* For more of Kevin’s recipes visit www.dunbrodyhouse.com
Denis Cotter of Café Paradiso is Ireland’s premier vegetarian chef.
His version of the classic nut loaf has been modernised and spiced up with delicious ingredients but can still be served with the traditional roast potatoes and obligatory sprouts.
250g squash or pumpkin, peeled and diced
1 small leek, finely chopped
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
½ lemon, juice and finely grated zest
100g parsnip
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
500g cashew nut, lightly toasted and finely ground
1 tblsp fresh sage, finely chopped
1 spring thyme, leaves only
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
100mls white wine
100g fine breadcrumbs
1 large egg
Preheat the oven to 210C.
Toss the squash with a little olive oil in an oven dish and roast in the oven until tender and well coloured.
Reduce the oven temperature to 190C. In a wide pan, heap a tablespoon of olive oil and fry the leek over medium heat for five minutes.
Add the ginger and the roast squash, and cook for two minutes more, stirring to break up the squash into a coarse mash.
Add the lemon juice and zest, season with salt and pepper, and leave to cool.
Steam or boil the parsnip and blend to a puree in a food processor. Put in a bowl with the ground cashews.
Heat the sunflower oil in a small saucepan, add the onion and cook over medium heat until transparent.
Add the garlic, celery, sage, thyme, cumin and cayenne, and cook for two minutes more, then add the wine and bring to a boil for 30 seconds. Add this mixture and 80g of the breadcrumbs to the cashews and stir to get a firm but moist consistency. If necessary add a little more white wine or water.
Season well with salt, then stir in the egg.
Add the remaining breadcrumbs to the squash.
Line a 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper. Press in half the cashew mixture, followed by the squash, and finished with the remaining cashew mixture.
Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes until the firm and lightly coloured on top. Leave the loaf for 5-10 minutes in the tin before turning it out onto a chopping board to slice.
2 tblspoons olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
½ red pepper, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped
1 chipotle chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsps ground cumin
2 tsps ground coriander
1 tsp allspice
1x400g tin tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato purée
200mls red wine
500mls vegetable stock
25g dark chocolate, finely chopped
40g butter, diced
Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion, pepper, celery, garlic and chillies for ten minutes until soft.
Add the spices and cook for two minutes more, then add the tin of tomatoes, purée, wine and stock. Simmer very slowly for 40-50 minutes.
Blend the sauce to a fine purée and pass it through a medium sieve.
Return to the pan and whisk in the chocolate and butter.
Season with salt.
Catherine Fulvio of Ballyknocken House is well known for her desserts and says this meringue creation will certainly have the ‘wow’ factor to finish off your vegetarian Christmas on a high.
For the meringue:
6 egg whites
360g caster sugar
For the raspberries:
600ml red wine
4 tbsp honey
2 sprigs of thyme
700g raspberries
2 tsp arrowroot mixed with a little water, to thicken the sauce
For the filling:
300g dark chocolate
90g butter
150ml double cream, whipped
chocolate shavings (or a broken Flake bar) and thyme sprigs to decorate
Preheat the oven to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Draw large, medium and small heart shapes, measuring 24cm, 20cm and 16cm in length, on the underside of the parchment paper, ensuring that you can see the shape through the paper.
Place the egg whites in a spotlessly clean, dry bowl. With an electric hand mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry.
Gradually whisk in half of the caster sugar, a tablespoon at a time.
Fold in the remaining sugar.
Spoon the meringue mixture into a piping bag with a plain nozzle.
Secure the parchment paper to the baking sheet with a little of the meringue mixture to ensure the paper doesn’t lift in the oven.
Following the outline of the heart shapes, fill in the shapes and bake immediately for 90 minutes or until set.
When the meringues are done, leave them in the oven with the oven door slightly open so that the meringues can cool.
Meanwhile, place the red wine, honey and thyme in a saucepan and warm through. Remove from the heat and pour over the raspberries.
Cool and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
To make the filling, melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Allow to cool, then fold in the whipped cream.
To make the sauce, gently remove the raspberries from the liquid with a slotted spoon, taking care not to break them, and set aside.
Strain the liquid through a sieve and return it to the saucepan. Add the arrowroot mixture and heat the liquid to thicken it to a light sauce consistency.
Spread the large and medium meringue hearts with some of the chocolate mixture and top with raspberries.
Starting with the largest heart at the bottom, pile the meringues on top of each other.
Decorate with chocolate shavings and sprigs of thyme. Drizzle generously with the raspberry thyme sauce.
*For more of Catherine’s recipes or to order a copy of Catherine’s Family Kitchen (€22.95 plus p&p) visit www.ballyknocken.com
