Hearty, savoury, nutty flavours wrapped in fluffy puff pastry with that sweet glaze. Perfect for autumn, winter, Thanksgiving, Christmas or any special occasion! This will make about 10-12 thick slices like pictured.
I was very inspired be Gaz Oakley and his recipe from Avantgarde Vegan on Youtube. He inspired me to use both chestnuts, leeks and how to beatifully braid the dough ! I chose to make my own version, but big thanks to him for the inspiration, and if you wish to see his version of the recipe please click here.
Edit: I do not use textured vegetable protein (TVP), you dont need to soak anything in this recipe. Please use ready made soy mince fx"Gardein beefless ground", it´s frozen and can be thawed and used. Alternatively you can use TVP, then soak them, drain them and squeeze a bit og the liquid out, and use the same amount in weight as in the recipe.
Ingredients
Roast
- 230g ready made vegan puff pastry (8-9 oz)
- 400g vacuum packed chestnuts (14 oz)
- 180g unmarinated soy mince / vegan beefless ground (6.5 oz)
- 2.5 – 3.5 dl bread crumbs (1 – 1.5 cups)
- 2 leeks
- 3 medium / small onions
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2.5 dl unsweetened plant milk of choice (1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dried vegetable stock
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Pinch of freshly grind nutmeg
Glaze
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon plant milk
Garnish (optional)
- Fried sage leaves
What you will need
- Cutting board and knife
- 1 big pan
- 1 spoon to stir
- Spoons to measure
- 1 blender
- 1 big bowl
- 1 little bowl
- 1 brush
Instructions
- Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Add to the pan with the soy granules, plant milk, oil, ketchup, soy sauce, dried vegetable stock, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and nutmeg. Turn the heat on high and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally.
- Wash the leeks and take the first outer layer off. Chop of both ends off and discard. Chop it down the long side, then finely chop the leek all the way down. Add to the pan when its simmering. Turn the heat to medium and continue to cook. Stir on occasion.
- Put the chestnuts in the blender and pulse until it has a texture similar to that of bulgur. Then add to the pan. Let simmer for 5 minutes while stirring. The texture should be quite thick in the end before putting in the bowl.
- Add to a bowl. Add in the breadcrumbs as needed, you might not use everything, it depends on how watery the mixture is from the leeks, use a spoon to mix it as much as possible.Refrigerate for 30 minutes or even overnight.
- When the mixture is safe to handle and not hot, knead it with clean hands on a clean tabletop. Form a longer breadshaped mass with rounded edges.
- Put the puff pastry in the freezer, but not for too long. Take out before assembly. The cold dough is easier to cut and braid, if its warm it will be messy. Therefore the filling needs to be cold as well. It will make everything much easier.
- Preheat the oven to 180c (350 F). Roll out the puff pastry. The one I use is round and 33cm (13 inches) in diameter. Place the roast in the middle.
- Cut 14-15 straight lines from where the roast starts. Do the same on the other side. Fold in the outer part. The take one strand and fold over the roast, then one from the other side. Continue until the roast is fully braided. Transfer to a baking paper or baking sheet on an oven rack.
- Mix the marinade in a small bowl and brush it onto the roast. Bake in the middle of the oven at 180c (350 F) or as per the package instructions, for as long as the package instructs. I baked min for about 45 minutes until golden brown on top.
- (optional) Frying the fresh sage leaves: take the leaves of the sprigs. Put in a pan with a generous amount of oil and salt. Fry until crisp. Lay on a plate with paper towels to soak up excess oil.
- Take the roast out of the oven when golden and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Can be garnished with fried sage leaves.
Enjoy !
