The Times Magazine - UK (2021-11-20)

The Times Magazine 49

VEGGIE CROWN

SLOW-ROASTED VEG,

CHEDDAR & CHESTNUTS

Serves 8

I have to say, I’m pretty proud of

this one – it’s a fantastic veggie

main inspired by the textures of

a Scottish clootie dumpling, and

it also makes a tasty alternative to

stuffing if any meat eaters fancy

a little slice with their meal.

• A quarter of a butternut
  squash (300g)


• 2 carrots


• 200g raw beetroot


• 2 red onions


• 1 bunch of thyme (20g)


• Olive oil


• Sea salt and black pepper


• 10g dried porcini mushrooms


• 400g self-raising flour


• 1 tsp baking powder


• 100g vegetable suet


• 250g pouch of cooked
  mixed grains


• 180g vac-packed chestnuts or
  shelled unsalted walnut halves


• 50g cheddar


• 1 whole nutmeg, for grating


• 6 sun-dried tomatoes


• 1 large free-range egg


• 150ml semi-skimmed milk


• Unsalted butter

GET AHEAD Preheat the oven to

180C. Scrub the squash, carrots

and beets and chop into 3cm

chunks. Peel and quarter the

onions. Place it all in a roasting

tray, keeping each veg separate.

Strip over the thyme leaves,

drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and

add a pinch of sea salt and black

pepper, jiggling the tray to coat.

Roast for 1 hour, then remove

and leave to cool.

Soak the porcini in 100ml

boiling kettle water. Place the

flour, baking powder, suet and

grains in a large bowl, crumble

in the chestnuts or walnut halves

and add a pinch of salt and

pepper. Coarsely grate in the

cheddar and finely grate in half

the nutmeg.

Scoop out the porcini, finely

chop with the sun-dried tomatoes

and add to the mix, then pour

in the porcini soaking water,

discarding just the last gritty bit.

Beat the egg into the milk and

stir it all together. Mix in the cool

roasted veg, taking care not to

break them up and adding an

extra splash of milk to bring it

together, if needed. Generously

grease a 2-litre nonstick bundt

tin, pudding basin or 23cm

spring-form cake tin with butter,

pack in the mixture, cover with

greaseproof paper and a tight

double layer of tin foil, then

refrigerate overnight.

TO SERVE Preheat the oven to

190C. Roast the veggie crown

above the meat for 1 hour

15 minutes, or until crisp at the

edges, then turn out, slice and

serve. It will sit happily, covered,

for up to 40 minutes before

serving, if needed.

AMAZING HASSELBACK

POTATOES

SPECIAL PIGS IN BLANKETS,

WALNUT & POLENTA SPRINKLE

Serves 8 as a side

• 2kg Maris Piper potatoes
  (choose the smallest ones)


• Olive oil


• Sea salt and black pepper


• 4 large higher-welfare
  sausages (400g total)


• Optional sausage stuffers:
  dates, dried cranberries,
  mustard, chilli, sage, cheese,
  pickled onions


• 4 rashers of higher-welfare
  smoked streaky bacon


• Optional: small sprigs
  of rosemary


• 2 cloves of garlic


• 1 tbsp polenta


• 4 shelled unsalted
  walnut halves

GET AHEAD Preheat the oven to

180C. Give the potatoes a wash

and if you have any larger ones,

cut them in half and use the flat

side as a base. Carefully slice at

just under ½cm intervals all the

way along, without going all the

way through. Repeat with all the

potatoes, placing them in a large

roasting tray as you go. Drizzle

with 2 tbsp olive oil, season with

sea salt and black pepper and

roast for 1 hour, or until the

potatoes are golden and tender.

Remove and leave to cool.

Twist each sausage in the

middle so you can cut each one

in half. Now, for a bit of fun,

I like to use a small sharp knife

to make an incision into each

one, creating a little hole ready

to stuff with whatever will elevate

your sausages to an even higher

level of joy. Cut the bacon rashers

in half, then, working one at a

time, press the side of your knife

across each mini rasher to stretch

it out. Place a sausage on each,

wrap it up, then skewer with a

cocktail stick or a sharpened sprig

of rosemary. Nestle the wrapped

sausages in among the cool

potatoes, then cover and

refrigerate overnight.

TO SERVE Preheat the oven to

190C. Peel the garlic and pound

up using a pestle and mortar with

a small pinch of salt, then mix in

the polenta and finely grate in

the walnuts. Sprinkle over the

potatoes, then drizzle with 1 tbsp

oil. When the Epic mixed roast

(page 43) comes out, roast the

potatoes for 1 hour, or until hot

and crisp and the sausages are

golden and cooked through.

VEGGIE LOVE

Swap the pigs in blankets for

halved veggie sausages. Add

for just 20 minutes, grating

over melty cheese for the

last 5 minutes. n

Extracted

from Together:

Memorable Meals

Made Easy by

Jamie Oliver,

published by

Penguin Michael

Joseph (£26)

• ENERGY 378kcal • FAT 15g • SAT FAT 3.8g


• PROTEIN 13.8g • CARBS 49.2g • SUGARS
  2.2g • SALT 1.2g • FIBRE 3.4g


• ENERGY 532kcal • FAT 24.8g • SAT FAT 9.4g


• PROTEIN 12.8g • CARBS 67.8g • SUGARS
  © JAMIE OLIVER ENTERPRISES LIMITED (2021 TOGETHER). PHOTOGRAPHY © DAVID LOFTUS10.8g • SALT 1.3g • FIBRE 5.8g

Eat!

JAMIE OLIVER