Let’s not talk turkey

If you think Christmas dinner is all about the turkey, you might want to think again. There are many vegetarian dishes which are so delicious, even the most carnivorous diner will be tempted to to be a ‘veggie’ for a day. Here are some of our top choices for a meatless festive meal.

Rose Elliot’s Pine Nut & Carrot Roast with Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

25g butter

1 onion, finely chopped

225g carrots, finely grated

2 celery sticks, finely chopped

225g pine nuts, grated

2 tbsp chopped parsley

squeeze of lemon juice

2 free range eggs

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

freshly grated nutmeg

For the Sauce:

7g dried mushrooms, rinsed

600ml water

25g butter

1 small onion, thinly sliced

2 tsp cornflour

2 tbsp vegetarian Madeira or fortified wine

2 tbsp shoyu or soy sauce

Method:

* Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 500g loaf tin.

* Melt the butter in a large pan and fry the onion, without browning, for 5 minutes, then add the carrot and celery and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

* Remove from heat and add the pine nuts, parsley, lemon juice and eggs.

* Season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

* Pour into the tin and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and firm in the centre.

To prepare the sauce:

* Put the mushrooms and water in a saucepan, bring to the boil then remove from heat and leave to soak for 40 minutes, then drain, reserving the liquid. Chop the mushrooms.

* Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and fry for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and gently cook for 30 minutes until tender.

* Mix the cornflour with the reserved liquid, Madeira and shoyu or soy, then add to the mushroom mixture. Bring to the boil, stirring until slightly thickened. Season to taste.

To serve:

Turn the roast out onto a plate, slice thickly and drizzle with the mushroom sauce. Serve with roast potatoes, sprouts, carrots and all the trimmings for a classic vegetarian Christmas feast that will be a sure-fire hit year after year. Recipe from The Vegetarian Society 2004

Herby cheese roulade

For the roulade:

Vegetable oil, for greasing

50g butter

3 garlic cloves, crushed

50g plain flour

300ml milk

75g Parmesan cheese, finely grated

4 medium eggs, separated

15g pack flatleaf parsley, chopped

For the filling:

1 tbsp olive oil

25g butter

225g spring greens, shredded

1 garlic clove, crushed

Method:

* Heat oven to 190C.

* Oil a 23 x 33cm Swiss roll tin. Cut a rectangle of baking parchment 4cm larger all round than the tin. Fold in a 2cm strip all round, making a diagonal cut into each corner.

* For the roulade, melt the butter in a large pan. Add the garlic and fry for 1 min.

* Add the flour and cook for 1 min, stirring constantly. Gradually beat in the milk.

* Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in half the cheese. Season, then allow to cool slightly.

* Beat in the egg yolks and parsley.

* Whisk the egg whites to stiff, but not dry peaks, then gently fold into the cheese sauce. Pour into the tin, tipping the tin so that the mixture fills all the corners.

* Bake for 15 mins until risen and golden.

* Heat the oil and butter in a large wok or frying pan and stir-fry the spring greens and garlic for 4-5 mins until tender. Season.

* Sprinkle the remaining cheese over a sheet of baking parchment just larger than the tin. Turn the roulade out onto the parchment, then peel off the lining paper. Trim the crispy edges off the roulade.

* Use a slotted spoon to remove the spring greens from the garlicky butter, then spread over the roulade leaving a 2.5cm space at one short end uncovered.

* Roll up the roulade from the short end with no filling on it, using the paper to help.

* Serve the roulade immediately, drizzled with any remaining garlicky butter. Recipe from Good Food Vegetarian Christmas magazine, December 2006

Brinjal Lasagne

Ingredients:

3 aubergines

3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

a few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked

1 dried red chilli, crumbled

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2×400 g organic tinned plum tomatoes

1 splash balsamic vinegar

1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked and stalks chopped

150 g Cheddar cheese, grated

2 handfuls Parmesan cheese, grated

6-8 fresh lasagne sheets

Method:

* Preheat the oven to 200°C.

* Steam the whole aubergines over a pan of simmering water for 30 minutes, then scoop out the flesh and cut it up roughly.

* Slowly fry the aubergine, garlic, thyme and chilli in the olive oil for around 10 minutes.

* Add the tins of tomatoes, chopping them up roughly with a wooden spoon, then add the balsamic vinegar and most of the basil leaves.

* Bring to the boil and simmer for around 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened.

* Spread a layer of aubergine sauce in a large, shallow dish. Sprinkle over some Cheddar and a handful of Parmesan, then spread over a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat once or twice more, until your dish is full.

* Finish with a final sprinkling of Parmesan, a scattering of basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

* Place in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbling and golden. Recipe from www.jamieoliver.com