The Veggie Christmas Cookbook: 3 vegetarian festive recipes to make at home this Christmas

Butternut squash festive wreaths

Credit: Joff Lee

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The Veggie Christmas Cookbook: 3 vegetarian festive recipes to make at home this Christmas

By Alice Porter

3 years ago

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3 min read

Bored of the typical nut roast? Here are three vegetarian recipes to make this Christmas whether you’re looking for a dinner party centre piece or a dish that will help you make the most of leftovers.

If you’re a vegetarian, you might feel like the festive season has little to offer you when it comes to food. From pigs in blankets to Christmas Day turkey, some of the more traditional foods are very much catered towards meat-eaters. But this doesn’t have to be the case – there are a whole host of ways to make your favourite veggie foods December-appropriate, and we bet your friends and family will make room in the oven when they realise just how delicious they can be.

For show-stopping centrepieces, moreish side dishes and clever ways to reinvent your leftovers, we’re turning to The Veggie Christmas Cookbook this year. A nut roast is all well and good but there are countless different ways you can make Christmas dining more interesting as a vegetarian or a vegan, and this cookbook is a great place to start.

The Veggie Christmas Cookbook by Heather Thomas (HarperNonFiction, £12.99 Hardback)

Credit: Joff Lee

Whether you’re hosting a dinner party, bringing a dish to a friend’s house or you’re looking for the perfect, crowd-pleasing dish to make on the big day, here are three vegetarian festive recipes to try this Christmas…

Butternut squash festive wreaths

Butternut squash festive wreaths

Thomas says: “These colourful puff pastry wreaths are easier to assemble than they look and make a fabulous centrepiece for Christmas Day lunch or dinner. You could even roll out the puff pastry trimmings to make ‘stars’ and use them to decorate the top of the wreaths. (To make decorative pastry stars, roll out the pastry trimmings and stamp out some stars with a star-shaped pastry cutter. Attach to the pastry wreath with beaten egg before baking.)”

Serves 4-6

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 50-60 minutes

Ingredients

  • 900g (2lb) butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into small cubes
  • 2 red onions, thinly sliced 
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 4 unpeeled whole garlic cloves
  • 2 x 375g (13oz) packs of ready-rolled puff pastry
  • 100g (3½oz) baby spinach leaves 
  • 85g (3oz/scant ½ cup) shelled pistachios
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and diced 
  • 100g (3½oz/1 cup) grated cheddar cheese 
  • 4 tsp green pesto
  • 4 tsp cranberry sauce
  • 1 medium free-range egg, beaten 
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/400°F/gas 6. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment.

Place the squash and red onions on 2 other baking trays and drizzle with the olive oil and maple syrup. Tuck the garlic cloves in between, season lightly with salt and pepper and roast in the preheated oven for 30–40 minutes, or until tender and starting to caramelize.

Meanwhile, roll out the pastry sheets, if needed, until they are about 6mm (1⁄4 inch) thick and big enough to cut a large round from. Place each one on a lined baking tray. Using a 27cm (11 inch) flan tin or dinner plate as a guide, place it on top of each puff pastry sheet and cut round it to make a large circle. Set aside the pastry trimmings. Next, use a smaller plate to lightly score out an inner circle in the centre of each round. Use a sharp knife to cut through the pastry of the inner circle, first lengthways, then widthways, and again through the quarters to create 8 sections.

Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and stir into the hot roasted squash and onion mixture. Add the spinach and leave it to wilt slightly and soften. Place spoonfuls of the mixture in a ring around each pastry disc, avoiding the outer edge and the central star. Sprinkle with the pistachios, chilli and grated cheese. Drizzle alternately with pesto and cranberry sauce around the ring on top.

Work your way round each disc, raising the outer edge a little and pulling the point of each cut inner section over the filling towards the pastry edge. Pinch them together with your fingers to seal.

Lightly brush the pastry with beaten egg and, if using, attach some pastry stars (see opposite). Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until puffed up, crisp and golden brown.


Parsnip tarte tatin

Parsnip tarte tatin

Thomas says: “This caramelized parsnip and shallot tart is much easier to make than it looks. Using a packet of ready-rolled vegan puff pastry takes all the hard work out of it. You will need a non-stick frying pan (skillet) with an ovenproof handle to make this dish. Serve with a crisp chicory or radicchio winter salad in a mustardy dressing.”

Serves 4

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 450g (1lb) small to medium parsnips, peeled and cut into long wedges
  • 200g (7oz) whole shallots, peeled
  • 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp good-quality balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 100g (31⁄2oz/3⁄4 cup) vacuum- packed or cooked chestnuts, chopped
  • 375g (13oz) pack of ready-rolled vegan puff pastry
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/400°F/gas 6.

Heat the oil in a 23cm (9 inch) non-stick ovenproof frying pan (skillet) set over a medium heat. Add the parsnips and shallots and cook for 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are tender and golden brown. Remove the parsnips and set aside.

Add the sugar and vinegar to the shallots, along with the water, and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, or until they start to caramelize. Remove from the heat and return the parsnips to the pan, arranging them in an attractive pattern if liked. Season lightly with salt and pepper and scatter the chestnuts over the top.

Roll out the pastry if needed to be able to cut out a circle that’s a little larger than the pan. Lay it loosely over the top of the pan and tuck in the edges.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown and the caramel juices are bubbling at the edges.

Remove from the oven and let the tart cool a little for 5 minutes, then, using an oven cloth to prevent you from getting burnt, place a plate upside down on top of the tart and carefully invert the pan to turn out the tart onto the plate. Serve hot.

Variatons

  • Use squash or sweet potatoes instead of parsnips.
  • Spice it up with garam masala and some black mustard or nigella (kalonji) seeds.
  • Add some thyme leaves or a diced red chilli.

Sprouts and sweet potato mac 'n cheese

Sprouts and sweet potato mac 'n cheese

Thomas says: “Adding sweet potatoes and leftover sprouts to a macaroni cheese not only makes it very colourful but also transforms it into the ultimate comfort food. Instead of the usual Cheddar, we’ve used grated Parmesan to give it a real Italian flavour.”

Serves 4

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 40-45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 450g (1lb) sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 225g (8oz/21⁄4 cups) macaroni (dry weight)
  • 350g (12oz) cooked Brussels sprouts, halved or quartered
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cheese sauce:

  • 75g (3oz/scant 1⁄2 cup) butter
  • 50g (2oz/1⁄2 cup) plain (all- purpose) flour
  • 500ml (17fl oz/generous 2 cups) milk
  • 2 tsp English or Dijon mustard
  • 200g (7oz/2 cups) grated vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/375°F/gas 5.

Cook the sweet potatoes in a pan of salted boiling water for 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain and then transfer to a bowl and crush them with a fork. Don’t mash them to a purée – you want them to retain some texture.

Meanwhile, cook the macaroni according to the instructions on the packet. Drain well and transfer to a bowl or return to the warm pan. Gently stir in the sweet potatoes.

Make the cheese sauce: melt the butter in a pan set over a low heat. Add the flour and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until you have a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the milk, beating until it’s all added and free of lumps. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil, stirring all the time, until thickened, smooth and glossy. Reduce the heat and cook for 2–3 minutes, then stir in the mustard and most of the Parmesan. Season to taste.

Off the heat, gently stir the macaroni mixture and the sprouts into the sauce. Transfer to a large ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes, or until bubbling and crisp and golden brown on top. Serve with a salad.

Variations

  • Use grated mature Cheddar instead of Parmesan.
  • Use pumpkin or butternut squash instead of sweet potato.

The Veggie Christmas Cookbook by Heather Thomas (HarperNonFiction, £12.99 Hardback) is out now.

Photography: Joff Lee

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