Veggie Christmas

[breakingbadaddict]

Hello,
This is the first year I will be a strict vegetarian at Christmas-time. (I can already feel MIL rolling her eyes! Lol!)
We go to them most years and this year I'd like to bring my own main/gravy so that its not any extra trouble to anyone.
Can anyone share their favourites? I'm thinking of giving it a test run and making sure it's extra delicious so others might be tempted to at least give it a go!
I was looking a nut roasts, but unsure if they are dry (a bit gross?) Never tried one in my life!

[CrowmarshGibbon]

You could do a mushroom gravy to accompany it...?

[Onykahonie]

Hi,

I love home made nut roast (not bought ones as they contain peanuts and taste pretty horrid). If you don't fancy a nut roast, you could go for some sort of puff pastry thing or even a veggie toad in the hole.

I serve mine with either Bisto gravy (made with the Bisto powder) or Oxo veggie granules.

[WilsonFrickett]

I used to be veggie. I did a veggie stuffing wellington, a big one, which then went on to the table as stuffing for the meat eaters. I got the recipe from an Australian Woman and Home mag I nicked from the doctor's surgery in 1987 (!) now long gone, but I will try to summarise from memory.

Make veggie stuffing: finely chop whatever you like really, onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms, peppers - whatever you have/like. Chestnuts would be a good add.
Sweat this down with butter and lots of chopped sage.
Add breadcrumbs and beaten egg to bind - you shouldn't need a lot, it needs to hold its shape but not be wet.

Trim some savoy cabbage leaves, blanch, refresh, dry very well.

Get a sheet of puffpastry.

Down the middle long-ways put a layer of stuffing. Top with a layer of trimmed cabbage leaves. Add a thin spreading of philadelphia cheese. Another layer of cabbage. Then another layer of stuffing.

Roll the whole thing up, flip it over so it's sitting on the fold of the pastry, egg glaze then bake.

It's dead easy and looks amazing. It goes brilliantly with all the other Christmas trimmings, really all you need to add is veggie gravy.

I've also made an individual parcel just for me, and it works well without the cabbage and cheese layers too, they do make it look lovely though.

[StillNoFuckingEyeDeer]

Not a suggestion for your main, but just to say you need to ask what the roast potatoes are cooked in. My mum always uses goose fat, but won't be this year because DB is bringing his vegetarian GF.

[Tommy]

I usually do a puff pastry pie of some sort. Loads of ideas on BBCGoodFood. They always look impressive and you can make them the day before

[tethersend]

Delia's Cheese and Parsnip roulade would be ideal for Christmas- it's utterly delicious.

[twolemonsinthefruitbowl]

I have a chestnut bourginoun (sp) pie that I roll out every year. it is DELICIOUS! chestnuts, shallots, red wine etc.

[breakingbadaddict]

Wow thanks! Everything sounds lush I might just have to have a go at all of them! Good call on the roasts, I might ask for mash FIL loves mash so I'm sure he'll make it so! :) Thanks everyone :)

[OldBeanbagz]

I make these for the vegetarians in the family. They've gone down well, are relatively easy to make and can be cooked in advance.

[sonlypuppyfat]

I couldn't face a meal without meat but the veggie wellington sounds amazing I'm definatly giving that a go.

[WilsonFrickett]

sonly you can serve it with meat as a stuffing/accompaniment type of thing. You don't need potatoes with it though as it's very filling.

[milk]

I think a good vegetarian Christmas main uses ingredients you wouldn't necessarily use during the rest of the year.

Definitely roast Chestnuts, maybe a globe artichoke. Luxury cheese is a must!