The Lemon Fool

Any recipe suggestions please? Thinking about Christmas lunch. My son will be with us for Christmas lunch and is now vegetarian. Preferably something chestnut based as I have these in the store cupboard. If it's something that could be served cold or reheated next day so much the better.

Have you asked your son about this?

As a non-meat-eater of about 25 years, nut roast is one of those meat-substitute dishes that makes my heart sink. It's not necessarily bad, but usually it's a meat-eaters idea of veggie food: dull, no pleasure, and a very good reason to go back to the dead animals. I neither cook nor buy it for myself.

If you do make it, it tends to dryness and wants lubricating. You'd better think of something that avoids gravy-substitute, which is truly revolting. Non-savoury flavours like mint sauce or cranberry sauce can be no more than part of that lubrication without becoming a bit too dominant. An olive-oil-based infusion could work up to a point; ditto a dairy-based sauce if he's not a real veggie.

I concur. My first vegetarian Christmases involved a Nut Roast. They are dry and heavy and have long since disappeared from our menu. Nut Roast does go well with all the other usual items, stuffing, roast potatoes etc which for me is really important. A home made tart / pie is a good option. Lentil loaf is an alternative which I enjoy cold. You can also buy vegetarian haggis which is easy to cook and comes in manageable portions so you won't have to eat it for the next week. Having said that I expect your son will appreciate his "Old Man" cooking something vegetarian and enjoy whatever you provide.

Pendrainllwyn

cavebat wrote:Any recipe suggestions please? Thinking about Christmas lunch. My son will be with us for Christmas lunch and is now vegetarian. Preferably something chestnut based as I have these in the store cupboard. If it's something that could be served cold or reheated next day so much the better.

I see that you are being warned off the idea, but this one is actually quite good, and not dry at all.

http://thinlyspread.co.uk/chestnut-cash ... mas-roast/

genou wrote:

cavebat wrote:Any recipe suggestions please? Thinking about Christmas lunch. My son will be with us for Christmas lunch and is now vegetarian. Preferably something chestnut based as I have these in the store cupboard. If it's something that could be served cold or reheated next day so much the better.

I see that you are being warned off the idea, but this one is actually quite good, and not dry at all.

http://thinlyspread.co.uk/chestnut-cash ... mas-roast/

Thank you so much for this recipe. Went down really well. I halved the proportions and baked it in a 1lb loaf tin. My son ate a third of it for lunch yesterday and reheated the remainder to eat with his girlfriend today.

cavebat