Natural Health
About the Recipe
A layered loaf full of savoury delights and surprises. It is much easier to make than it looks and it will astound friends and family when you unveil it.
Ingredients
Ingredients
For the Squash Layer
500 g butternut squash peeled and deseeded, cut into bite sized chunks
1.5 tbsp olive oil
10 fresh sage leaves
1 small red onion peeled and dicedsalt and pepper to taste
For the Spinach Layer
400 g frozen whole leaf spinach defrosted and thoroughly drained
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 tsp vegan red wine
1 tsp vegan butter
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
salt and pepper to taste
For the Beetroot Layer
400 g cooked beetroot
150 g ground almonds
salt and pepper to taste
For the Nut Layers
800 g mixed nuts, I used 200g each of walnuts, Brazils, cashews and almonds
400 g onion peeled and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp vegan red wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
a generous grinding of fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp tahini
100 g breadcrumbs
Preparation
Instructions
To Make The Squash LayerPreheat oven to 200C/350F
Toss the squash chunks in 1 tbsp of the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Lay in a single layer on a baking tray. Scatter with the sage leaves and roast for 30 mins or until soft and beginning to brown. Meanwhile fry the chopped onion in 1/2 tbsp olive oil for about 5 minutes until soft and beginning to brown. Blend or mash the cooked squash to a lumpy puree and stir in the cooked onions. Leave to cool. To Make The Spinach Layer. Press the defrosted spinach in a fine mesh sieve to remove as much water as possible. Heat the butter gently in a saucepan, add the garlic and drained spinach and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add the wine, nutmeg, cloves, a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper and cook for a further minute until the liquid has evaporated. Leave to cool.
To Make the Beetroot Layer.
Blend or mash the cooked beetroot to a lumpy puree. Stir in the ground almonds and add salt and pepper to taste.
To Make the Nut Layer
Fry the chopped onion in 2 tbsp of olive oil until soft. Pulse the nuts in a food processor until finely chopped but not ground to a powder. Place nuts and cooked onion into a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.The nut mixture should hold together when you squeeze a bit in your hand. If it doesn't, add a little more tahini and soy sauce until it does.
To Assemble and Cook The Layered Nut Roast
Preheat oven to 150C/300F. Grease and line a 24cm/10 inch spring form cake tin. Divide the nut mixture into 4 equal parts. Add 1/4 of the nut mixture to the base of the tin and press into place. Add the squash mixture and spread to cover the nut layer. Add the next 1/4 of the nut mixture and press into place to cover the squash. Add the spinach and spread to cover the nut layer. Add the next 1/4 of the nut mixture and press into place to cover the spinach layer. Add the beetroot mixture and spread to cover the nut mixture. Add the final 1/4 of the nut mixture and press into place. Cover with a circle of baking parchment. Roast in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove the paper circle after 30 minutes to allow the top to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before unclipping, removing the baking parchment and revealing your creation!
Serve, hot, cold or at room temperature.