VEGETARIAN ROASTS- tasty lentil and nut roast recipe

Lentils and herbs

We love our roasts here and with autumn creeping in I really enjoy a good Sunday lunch. This week was no exception as we had friends coming.

As we seem to have had rather a lot of fish over the summer, see previous posts from North Uist, and below for a little reminder of those Sicilian markets and the gorgeous light...sigh...that seems a million miles away now.

Fish market, Sicily.

Fish market, Sicily

Sword fish

 I opted for a nut roast, with a mixture of nuts, lentils and cheese with a generous amount of Italian seasoning as well as fresh spinach. 

Unlike some nut roasts this one doesn’t look anaemic as it has a great mix of colours from the lentils and veg in it.

Appetizing food is always a bonus!

So here is my recipe for Lentil and nut roast... perfect on its own, or with roast chicken. 

Puy lentils

 LENTIL AND NUT ROAST

Preparation time 20 minutes

Cooking time 40 minutes

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

¼ Red pepper

3 oz chopped mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic

1 small onion

5oz puy lentils

4oz mixed chopped nuts

2 tsp Italian herbs

1 egg beaten

2oz cheddar cheese

1 courgette chopped

2oz spinach

Slug of olive oil

350 ml /12fl oz Vegetable stock

WHAT TO DO:

1.     Put the olive oil in a large saucepan with the chopped pepper, onion, courgette, mushrooms and garlic and fry for a minute or two until slightly soft.

2.     Add the Italian herbs, then

3.    Tip the dry lentils into the pan and stir so they are coated in the oil and herb mixture.

4.     Once coated pour over half the stock and bring to the boil. When it boils turn the heat down and let it simmer until the lentils are soft. You will need to keep adding extra stock until you have used it all. Be careful not to add too much though as you don’t want the lentils cooked with too much spare water left. This should be about 15 minutes

5.     Remove the pan from the heat and add the mixed nuts, beaten egg and spinach.

6.     Line a loaf tin with baking paper, tip the mixture into it and press down, then put in a preheated oven at 190 degrees for 40 minutes until it is slightly golden and crispy looking.

Lentil and nut roast

The good thing is that it can be made in advance, put in the fridge and then reheated and is delicious hot or cold as a snack or with salad...