Vegan Christmas Recipes

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 x 200g packet whole chestnuts roasted and ready to use (e.g. Merchant Gourmet)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon soya sauce (e.g. Kikkoman)
• 2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil for roasting
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Fry the onion, celery and garlic over a gentle heat in a covered pan for 10–15 minutes, until tender.
2. Put into a food processor with the chestnuts, lemon juice, soya sauce and some salt and pepper to taste and whiz until mixture is fairly finely-chopped and holds together in a ball.
3. Turn out onto a board sprinkled with the dried breadcrumbs and form into a loaf shape, pressing it together firmly.
4. It can be frozen at this stage, or cooked straight away. Heat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4. Pour a thin layer of vegetable oil into a small roasting tin and heat in the oven until smoking. Put in the chestnut loaf and turn it to coat all sides with the oil. Then cook, uncovered, for 30–45 minutes, turning once or twice, until crisp all over.

Serve in thick slices with onion gravy and all the Christmas trimmings.

Ingredients:

Poached Pears

• 1½ litres/generous 3 pints water
• 55g caster sugar
• a few pieces of orange rind
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 cardamom pods, cracked
• ¼ tsp ground ginger (or 1 tsp freshly grated ginger)
• 4 smooth pears
• juice from ½ lemon

Maple Soft Cheese

• 240g/8½ oz vegan soft cheese
• 2–3 tbsp maple syrup
• a good pinch of ground cardamom
• sliced almonds
• cinnamon powder, to dust

Method

1. In a large saucepan, combine water, sugar, orange rind and spices. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring to ensure the sugar fully dissolves. Allow to simmer for around 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, peel the pears from the top downwards, and slice a thin piece from the bottom to help them stand upright. Use a sharp knife to core the pears from the bottom, removing the seeds and any hard parts. Coating each pear with lemon juice will prevent browning.
3. Add the prepared pears to the simmering liquid. Let them cook gently, turning occasionally to ensure even cooking. The pears are done when they are tender enough to be easily pierced with a spoon or fork – neither too firm nor too soft.
4. Cooking time will vary depending on the type and ripeness of the pears; approximately 30 minutes should suffice.
5. Once cooked, turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and allow the pears to cool in the liquid for 1–2 hours.
6. When ready to serve, mix cheese, maple syrup, and cardamom in a bowl. Spoon some of the mixture onto a plate, place a poached pear on top, and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Drizzle with extra poaching liquid and maple syrup, then dust with cinnamon powder.
7. Store any leftovers in an airtight container with some of the syrup to keep them from drying out.

Serve in thick slices with onion gravy and all the Christmas trimmings.