I started making this back in the naughties so I could cook a roast dinner for the fabulous Jimbino Vegan when he came to play. I was veggie through the 90's and had the horrible experience of a lot of grey, dry, breadcrumb-and-egg based but roasts that tasted a lot like cardboard. This is the opposite - colour and flavour in abundance, perfect for a celebratory winter meal.
Thanks Catherine for the nudge to write it down and share it.
Wish I could cook it for you all, but since cooking for everyone is impractical, please enjoy it and share how you get on.
INGREDIENTS
Cranberries
Oil of choice - I use coconut for this normally
Leeks - 1 large (or 2 small)
- fresh ideally for maximum pop of flavour and colour
Dried fruit - about a cup of
Raisins / mixed peel or other dried fruit, I’m using apricots this year
All the nuts - couple of cups
Thyme
Pumpkin seeds (if you like)
Cinnamon (optional)
Orange zest (optional)
METHOD
- Bake the sweet potatoes whole til soft, then squish out the innards when they are cool enough to handle. I often bung them in when I'm cooking something else, they can be put in the fridge or even frozen.
- Finely slice and gently fry the leek a little in some oil to soften
- Chop up some/all the nuts depending on your texture preference. I don’t have a food processor so I hit them a bit with a can. Rargh!
- Chop any fruit if it’s bigger like apricots or dates
- Prep your flavours, zest orange if you’re using it (recommended if using dried cranberries)
Mix it all up and put into a lightly oiled loaf tin. If you wanted to attempt to take it out, you might want to line the inside with greaseproof paper. You can fridge or freeze at this point if preferred. Cook at 180 for about 25 mins (though my oven is temperamental) .
I'm going to bosh it in an air fryer next time I make it and will report back on results and timings.
image of my messy lockdown xmas table
SERVE
With whatever you normally have - roasted spuds, spouts or other greens, red cabbage and all that good stuff.
Emilie x
PS Let me know if you make it and what flavour combinations work for you.