Vegetarian coming for Christmas

[PeppermintCream]

I know that this has been done before... but, my brother's veggie girlfriend is coming for Christmas - she is veggie. I really want to make her feel welcome and not just chuck a few vegetables on a plate. So, I was thinking for main course doing Rose Elliott's baked onions which also have a veggie gravy, and serve with dauphinoise potatoes, parsnips, baked leeks, sprouts in nutmeg, carrots, mashed sweded and brocolli.

Do you think this will will feel special enough? We will have turkey, pork, pigs in blankets, sausages, roast potatoes and stuffing in addition to the veg. Yes, we are greedy! Any suggestions? She eats everything apart from animals...

Just don't do what one MNer did last year and roast the potatoes in goose fat! :o

The onion recipe looks yummy to me and everything else looks great too. Could you perhaps make some sage & onion-type stuffing too?

Sounds delicious

I'd be very happy with that.

Thanks, good idea about making a veggie stuffing.

AKMD I am roasting potatoes in goose fat, which is why she can't have any, hence the dauphinoise. Do you think it would be better to just do roast a few potatoes in vegetable oil - I'm worried that they'll get mixed up when I'm drinking in the kitchen the table is being set.

The recipe you have suggested looks lovely. If you want it to be more similar to what others are eating I did this recipe when I had a vegetarian for Christmas. I swapped the brioche for yorkshire pudding and redcurrant jelly for cranberry sauce. It went down well but if you make it I would make more than you need as all the meat-eaters wanted to have it too!

Looks lovely. Check she isn't nut allergic though!

(I get very sad when people make things with chestnuts in as a special thing for Christmas, I often forget to mention it as an allergy because at other times of year they are so uncommon.)

I have a recipe for a chestnut & mushroom Wellington if you want me to pm it to you? Really yummy and dh vegetarian loves it. Can be made in advance & frozen so no gagging on the day. Also provides a bit of stodge so the vegetarian gets full too!

Faffing....gagging would be very bad!

I've been asked for the recipe - I figured it's easy to post on here rather than everyone having to PM me. It's an easy recipe from Morrisons own magazine!

Chestnut, mushroom & Leek Wellington

Makes 6, prep 35mins, cook 40 mins (depending on how big you make the Wellingtons). 1 serving 428 calories

Ingredients:
2tbsp sunflower oil
200g chestnut mushrooms finely chopped
300g leeks, trimmed & thinly sliced
200g cooked chestnuts, peeled & roughly mashed
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp tarragon
3tbs[ crème fraiche
450g puff pastry
beaten egg to glaze

1. Preheat oven to 200c/400 F/Gas 6 so is nice & hot for when pastry goes in
2. You can use ready to use vacuum packed chestnuts or to roast chestnuts cutt across the skin and bake at 200c/400F/gas 6 for 30 mins. Peel skin prior to use
3. Heat oil in pan then add mushrooms and leeks. Fry until softened.
4. Add the mashed chestnuts, garlic and tarragon and mix well. Cook for a further 2 minutes then removed from the heat and mix in the crème fraiche and season
5. Roll out the pastry on lightly floured surface and stamp out 12*9cm disc. Dampen the edges of 6 pastry discs with a little beaten egg then spoon equal amounts of filling into each one
6. Press a pastry disc over the top of each filled disc and press the edges down well to seat. Using a small sharp knife make a pattern around each top and lift the pies onto a baking sheet.
7. Brush the pies with a beaten egg and bake for 30 mins until the pastry is well risen and golden.

This can be made before and kept in fridge or even frozen. I freeze portions of the filling and then just roll out the pastry fresh each time (although I use frozen puff pastry that I cut into portions and keep in the freezer).

Sounds lovely! Don't forget Yorkshire puddings and mash if you don't want to do roasts though. For the record, both DP and I are veggie and what you are making is much nicer than what we are having!