Festive Quorn Wellington

I remember someone once saying to me "oh Christmas must be so boring for you as you're vegetarian", as if turkey is the only exciting thing about the festive season! 

I love dreaming up a tasty and attractive centrepiece for the Christmas dinner table, and something wrapped up in pastry always impresses. I'm happy with a nut roast or something similar for Christmas, but this Quorn roast smothered in apricot and mushroom paté and wrapped in pastry will wow any meat-eating relatives! It's also good cold.

I should dedicate an entry to mushroom patés as I make lots of versions, and they're particularly good for parties. You can either buy mushroom paté (it tends to be higher in fat than mushrooms) or use this BBC recipe, and add chopped dried apricots for festive colour and sweetness. Use shop-bought puff pastry, or make it yourself if you're not busy enough already this Christmas!

• 500 g Mushroom paté
• 1 Quorn family roast (defrosted and removed from wrapping)
• 1 sheet pre-rolled puff pastry

1. Roll out the pastry and cut into a big circle with a diameter about 1.5 times the length of the Quorn roast.
2. Spoon some paté in a line along the centre of the pastry, then place the Quorn on top. Spoon more pate over the top of the Quorn, smoothing down the sides until it's snugly encased in a paté layer about 1 cm thick.
3. Take the two flaps of pastry lying against the long side of the Quorn, and bring them together over the top of the Quorn, making the shape of a giant Cornish pasty.
4. Press the pastry so together so it's tightly wrapped around the Quorn, crimping the join with thumb and forefinger all the way across the top.
5. Trim any excess pastry. With the leftover pastry scraps, cut various shapes like holly leaves, stars, trees - go crazy, be creative!
6. Beat an egg, stick the pastry decorations on with the egg wash, then glaze the whole thing. Cut a few holes in the top of the pastry to let steam escape.
7. Bake in the oven at 200C for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden and the Quorn heated through. Leave for a few minutes to rest, take to the table, slice, and wow your guests!

Variations

Shortcrust pastry will also work here, previously I've made a walnut shortcrust pastry for Christmas, which tastes delicious and smells heavenly in the oven. Puréed chestnuts are also good as a paté alternative, buy canned or pouch chestnuts but make sure they're not too wet.

Quorn and Mushroom Strudel

Believe it or not, the Viennese strudel was originally made with turnips, so they have fine tradition in savoury veggie cuisine! I fancied a pie, and with a pack of puff pastry on hand this is a variation on the ubiquitous chicken and mushroom pie. I've made a large one here for simplicity, but it's also great to make individual pies for lunches or picnics.

Serves 4

• 4 carrots, cut into sticks
• 1 onion, halved lengthways
• 300g (one bag) Quorn chunks
• 300g chestnut mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp thyme
• 500g puff pastry (or pre-rolled sheet)

For the white sauce:

• 3 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp vegetable stock
• 500 ml milk (or water/milk)
• seasoning

1. Toss the vegetables and Quorn in oil, and roast in a hot oven for about 20 minutes.
2. Leave to cool a little, then chop the mushrooms and vegetables into rough chunks.
3. Make the white sauce either in a microwave or saucepan. (I've covered white sauces before so I won't repeat.)
4. In a bowl, mix chopped vegetables, mushrooms and Quorn with the white sauce, and leave to cool
5. Roll out your pastry into a large rectangle, about twice as wide as long. I'd suggest making it as wide as your baking sheet, for easy oven handling.
6. Preheat your oven to 220C.
7. Spoon the filling onto one long half of your rolled pastry, leaving about an inch/2 cm gap around the edge for sealing.
8. Wet the edges of the pastry with a finger, then fold over the other side of the pastry to cover, 
9. Crimp the edge with your fingers to make a seal.
10. With a sharp knife, slash across the pastry, trying not to cut quite all the way through. This allows the pastry to expand and leave a pretty pattern on top.
11. Brush with either egg or milk, and bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes until the pastry is risen and golden brown.

Bhindi Masala (Curried Okra)

It's been a while since I made anything Indian but in the supermarket I spotted frozen okra, and decided to experiment with something spicy to chase away the winter chill!

I've hardly every cooked okra, or bhindi as it's called in the Subcontinent. Bhindi Masala is a classic Punjabi dish that's flavoursome but without much heat. Apologies to purists but I added Quorn to give it texture and protein: leave it out if it offends you! I used frozen okra/bhindi which seems quite widely available and is simpler to deal with for novices like myself.

Either make the spice paste with dry spices, or substitute a mild curry paste like a Rogan Josh - it will say on the jar how much to use. Don't overcook okra as they can get a slimy if overdone.

• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small thumb gingeer
• 2 tsp paprika or medium chilli powder
• 3 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tsp ground coriander or whole seeds
• 300g frozen chopped okra/bhindi
• 4 Quorn fillets, defrosted (omit for a vegan version)

1. Put all the ingredients except the okra and Quorn in a blender with a splash of vegetable oil and whiz till a smooth paste.
2. Fry the Quorn fillets on both sides in a frying pan for a few minutes until browned. Remove and chop into chunks.
3. In the hot pan, fry the spice mixture for five minutes or so until the onions have lost their pungency. I recommend turning your extractor fan to maximum!
4. Add the frozen okra along with the chopped Quorn and stir in, making sure everything is well coated. Add about a cupful of water to make a thick sauce.
5. Cook for about ten minutes on a moderate heat until the okra cooks through and everything comes together, 
6. At the end, take off the heat and stir in a tablespoon of natural yoghurt. Serve on a plate with a spoon of yoghurt on top and a sprinkle of paprika for garnish.

Serve with rice and/or flatbreads - my next post will show you how simple it is to make quick flatbreads from scratch!

Curry Night! Quorn Tomato and Spinach Curry with Green Bean Fritters

Friday night is curry night! When the weather's hot, a spicy curry and a cold beer go down a treat. Here's my takeaway alternative: quorn palak with green been fritters and a refreshing raita.

Quorn Palak (Curry with tomato and spinach)

Clarified butter or ghee gives it that rich flavour, restaurants generally use far too much which makes them greasy and fattening! Alternatively use creamed coconut, or just fry things in oil then add a knob of butter into the sauce later as a cheat.

This serves 2, scale up for more.

• 4 Quorn fillets (or equivalent chunks)
• 2 tbsp curry paste (Madras or whichever you prefer)
• 2 medium onions or 1 large
• 4 chunks frozen spinach or equivalent fresh, wilted
• 2 tbsp coconut butter or ghee
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes

1. Slice the quorn fillets into thick slices of assorted sizes.
2. Chop the onions in half, and then into thin slices.
3. Chop the spinach.
4. Add ghee or oil to a pan and fry them together til the quorn slightly browns and the onions go translucent.
5. Add the curry paste (how much really depends on how strong you like it!). Mix with the onion and quorn til everything is coated.
6. Add the spinach, then the chopped tomatoes.
7. Cook on a medium heat til the sauce reduces and thickens.
8. Season with salt to taste at the end.
9. Serve with rice or flatbreads!

Variations

This also works well with chickpeas or paneer.

Green bean fritters

2 handfuls of French beans (imprecise but it depends how big the beans are!)

5 tbsp self-raising flour

1 tsp turmeric

1 egg

Trim the beans. If using frozen, defrost them then press them dry with a tea towel.

Mix the flour, turmeric, egg and a pinch of salt into a sticky batter.

In a large bowl, mix the batter with the beans. Make sure each bean is coated with a thin sticky layer.

Form the beans into about 4 lumps, or 6 if you prefer smaller.

Heat a pan, wok or deep-fat fryer. Drop the fritters into the oil for a few minutes each side. They should puff up a little. Cook til golden.

Drain them on kitchen towel then serve hot.

Raita

Raita makes a lovely cool side dish if you're having something spicy. Mix chopped cucumber and mint with thick yoghurt and a pinch of salt. Enjoy!

Pies pies pies!

On a Sunday I often hanker for something really English and old-fashioned, like my gran used to make. Something wholesome with cabbage and potatoes. It's not fancy, it's not trendy, but what can be more English than a pie?

This savoury pie uses a quick and easy pastry that takes me right back to my childhood: suet crust. It's quick enough to have it ready on the table in under an hour. There's no messy rubbing in, just mix it up, roll out and go. Today I'll show you two great pie fillings: Quorn Chicken and Mushroom Pie and a Fake Duck and Ale Pie.

For my meat-eating readers, these recipes work great with meat too!

Suet Crust Pastry

This makes just the right quantity for my 8-inch pie tin.

• 200g self raising flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 100g vegetable suet
• or: 50g vegetable suet, 50g frozen butter, grated
• 5-6 tbsps very cold water

1. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl. Tip the suet into the flour and stir. If using butter, freeze your block of butter and grate it straight into the dry flour.
2. Spoon 5 tbsps cold water into the mixture and mix with a fork until it forms into a uniform lump. Add another tbsp if it's still dry.
3. Remove from the ball and gently form it into a smooth ball, making sure all the flour is incorporated.
4. You can use it straight away, or wrap and leave for ten minutes in the fridge while you work on the pie filling.

Quorn Chicken and Mushroom Pie Filling

For chicken-type recipes I often use my fingers to shred up a Quorn roast, it's more chunky and substantial than fillets or pieces, and also slightly cheaper by weight. The tarragon and yoghurt make this tasty and tangy so it's good eaten cold as well as hot.

• 200 g Quorn (roughly shredded Quorn Roast, chopped fillets)
• 250 g mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 large celery stick, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp dried tarragon (or a few chopped fresh leaves)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• Slosh of white vermouth or white wine (roughly a small glass)
• 1 tsp Swiss Marigold stock powder
• 4 heaped tbsp thick set yoghurt

1. Heat the oil in a pan on a medium heat. Gently fry the onion and celery til the onion loses its pungency
2. Add the mushrooms and stir until they're slightly browned and start releasing their juices.
3. Add the crushed garlic and stir for a minute.
4. Sprinkle in the stock powder and tarragon, then pour in the wine. 
5. Stir thoroughly to deglaze the pan and let it reduce for a few minutes.
6. Take off the heat and leave to a little, then stir in the yoghurt.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Taste the mixture - if your yoghurt is particularly sour it might need a sprinkling of sugar just to balance the flavour.

Variation

Tarragon adds an original note to this pie, it's a classic combination with chicken type recipes. If you're not keen on tarragon, thyme is also great; lemon thyme is even better if you can get it.

For more luxury use double cream instead of yoghurt! For a more saucey pie make a small amount of white sauce. This is great but just takes more time, I'm all for quick and simple recipes but sometimes it's worth it.

Fake Duck and Ale Pie

There are all kinds of beefy meat alternatives available but since I discovered mock duck in a can in my local Asian supermarket, I absolutely love it. It's made with seitan, a surprisingly savoury and meaty form of wheat gluten.

• 1 can of mock duck (approx 250g shredded seitan)
• 200g button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1 large stick celery
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 heaped tsp Marmite (optional)
• ½ pint dark brown ale
• 1 tsp plain flour

1. If using canned seitan, drain off the liquid and dry the seitan on a tea towel. If it's in large pieces, shred it with your fingers into bite-sized chunks.
2. Dice the onion, carrot and celery.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan on a moderate to high heat and fry the seitan until it starts to brown.
4. Add the vegetables and cook off the onions til slightly translucent.
5. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes.
6. Sprinkle in the flour and stir til everything is coat, then add the brown ale and spoonful of Marmite.
7. Mix thoroughly and reduce on a gentle heat until the sauce becomes thick and savoury.
8. Season with salt and pepper. If the beer and Marmite leave it tasting a little bit sharp, soften with half a tsp of sugar.

Variations

Use whatever kind of ale you like, but the darker and richer the ale, the tastier the pie will be. I didn't use herbs this time but thyme is a good addition.

Filling and baking your pie

I generally use an 8" loose-bottomed sandwich tin for my pies.

1. Preheat your oven to 200C and leave your pie filling to cool.
2. Retrieve your pastry from the fridge and cut off roughly a third of it to save for the top.
3. Sprinkle flour on your surface and roll out the pastry into a circle wide enough to cover the bottom and sides of your tin, plus a little bit more.
4. When rolled out, sprinkle with flour. Gently fold the pastry in half, then fold it in half again into a pie-wedge shape.
5. Centre the point of your pie wedge in the middle of your tin, unfold it, then unfold it again. I find this the best way of getting pastry into a tin.
6. Gently press the pastry into the corners of the tin. Using a spare lump of pastry helps with this.
7. Roll out the remainder of the pastry for the top, roughly an 8-9" circle.
8. Spoon your cooled filling into the pie and press down so it has an even surface.
9. Roll up the pastry top onto your rolling pin, then unroll it onto the top of the pie.
10. Press the pastry lid down onto the pie. I usually crimp it by pressing my thumb into the pastry but use whatever style you prefer, my gran used a fork!
11. With a sharp knife, trim off the excess pastry. I do this at a 45 degree angle but the pastry doesn't shrink much so this is mainly cosmetic.
12. For a shiny finish glaze the top with beaten egg. Pastry trimmings make a nice decoration too.
13. Cut a hole or cross in the middle to allow steam to escape.
14. Pop into the middle of your hot oven and bake at 200C for 30 minutes, until well browned.

Eat and enjoy!