Mushroom Nut Roast in Puff Pastry

Mushroom Nut Roast in Puff Pastry

Never having even eaten nut loaf before, let alone having made it, I was a little hesitant to make something for Johanna's roundup of nut roast recipes. I'm a beans and grains kind of vegetarian, preferring my dinners to resemble meat as little as possible. I'm also not accustomed to thinking of nuts as a main dinner feature. But I didn't want to let Johanna down and so turned my attention to coming up with something for her event. Mushrooms were a must, I knew that much, but where to go from there? After browsing through a few recipes, I drafted an idea that incorporated puff pastry. If I was going to try something new, I was going for the total experience this time around.

Mushroom Nut Roast in Puff Pastry

The result was a wonderful surprise! The mild nuttiness of the quinoa complemented the nuts perfectly, without overpowering the earthy flavor of the mushrooms. I may have used a bit too much puff pastry, but the added flaky crunch was a nice addition. I served it with salad and my simple salsa sauce. A very satisfying meal it was that was very much enjoyed by my sweetie and myself. While nut roast is not likely to become regular fare at Lisa's Kitchen, I do thank Johanna for the occasion to try something I likely would otherwise have avoided.

Mushroom Nut Roast in Puff Pastry

Mushroom Nut Roast in Puff PastryMushroom Nut Roast in Puff Pastry
Recipe by
Published on April 11, 2008

A seasoned mushroom, quinoa and nut roast wrapped in a golden puff pastry — a beautiful, nourishing and filling centerpiece for vegetarians on special occasions

Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

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Ingredients:
  • 1/3 cup dried quinoa (1 cyo ciijed)
  • 2 cups nuts, finely chopped (cashews, walnuts, pecans, Brazil, or any preferred combination)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 2/3 to 3/4 cup dried wild mushrooms (porcini, portabello, oyster)
  • 4 to 5 sun-dried tomatoes
  • 14 oz (400 g) package puff pastry
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 6 fresh cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • juice of 1 lemon (3 tablespoons)
  • 3 eggs, beaten + 1 for brushing the pastry
  • sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions:
  • Soak the quinoa overnight in 2/3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.

  • Soak the dried mushrooms and the sun-dried tomatoes in two small bowls of hot water for roughly 20 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid, finely chop and set aside.

  • Meanwhile, in an unoiled frying pan, toast the nuts and sesame seeds over low heat for about 5 minutes or until they begin to darken a few shades. Transfer to a large bowl.

  • Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, garlic and celery to the pan. Stir and fry for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Now add the fresh and dried mushrooms to the pan, raise the heat and cook for another few minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the toasted nuts.

  • Now add the lemon juice to the bowl, along with the quinoa, paprika, cayenne, oregano and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir until well combined. Add the salt and pepper, stir and test for seasoning. Add the three beaten eggs, and stir well.

  • Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured board until very thin. Line a loaf pan with the rolled out pastry, leaving enough overlap to cover the top of the loaf pan. Spoon the nut mixture into the loaf pan, distributing evenly and pressing down firmly. Beat an egg in small bowl. Brush the puff pastry with the egg and cover loaf with the overlapping pastry. Place a baking sheet over the loaf pan, invert, and remove the loaf pan. Make small slits and holes in the pastry and brush the entire loaf with more of the beaten egg.

  • Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for another 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with a vegetable dish or salad.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Mushroom Nut Roast in Puff Pastry

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a fabulous idea to "kick it up a notch" and use puff pastry as a casing! Looks delicious. I am pretty much in love with nut roasts now, and I like your quinoa addition, so this looks like a good new recipe for me.

Neen said...

Oh, how, tht looks really good. Serve that with something green and light, like a simple salad or asparagus or something, and you're good to go. Oh, now I really do have to participate. Better get that thinking cap on!

Meeta K. Wolff said...

lisa you are rocking my wold with this. quinoa, nuts and mushroom wrapped in puff pastry - purely delish purely heaven!

Lucy said...

Lisa! I'm jumping for joy down here over this beautiful interpretation of the theme. Quinoa, sesame seeds (God, why didn't I think of that?), exotic 'shrooms and, joy of all joys, wrapped in puff pastry!

Beautiful.

I can see that the spring light is coming into your photos, too. The glint of sun on that glaze...wow.

DK said...

OMG Lisa! I dunno what else to say except 'Amazing'! It luks fabulous and so yummy. Your puff pastry is all glowing :)

Astra Libris said...

Oooh, such a splendidly grand dish! It sounds scrumptious! Your use of puff pastry is stunningly beautiful - this dish puts any non-veg main course to shame!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

My dad would love this I'm sure (I would too of course) I will have to email him the link:D

test it comm said...

Bread stuffed with nuts and mushrooms sounds so good. Just look at all of that mushroom goodness in those slices!

LisaRene said...

Elegant, fancy, classy, lavish nut roast!

Johanna GGG said...

Thanks for this Lisa - found your email in my spam folder! Argh!

This nut roast looks fantastic. I am definitely going to have to try a quinoa nut roast at some stage. I have had nut roast in pastry very rarely which I think is because it really does add to the richness (which can be a very good thing on the odd occasion).

I'm glad you like it - I agree it is too rich for every day fare but hope you might take the recipe out again sometime which you have a need for a special gourmet meal!

eatme_delicious said...

I love how you wrapped it in puff pastry! Looks delicious.

Anonymous said...

This almost could double (in look, obviously) for a pork pie! If you're a mushroom lover, like me, I bet you'd be in bliss!

ServesYouRight said...

OMG - This is lovely!

Smita

Maggie said...

That looks beautiful and yummy! I love walnuts and mushrooms together.

GS said...

Looks fantastic - a kind of nut-roast Wellington. Can't wait to try it.

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing the recipe.

I did it yesterday for sunday lunch. The only ingredient I didn't use was the cremini mushrooms. Even the non vegetarian came back for seconds..., I really liked the spicy kick to it.

:-)

Gillian said...

I had never heard of quinoa before. I live in Scotland. Would oats or rice substitute?
Looks gorgeous and I will try it for our xmas meal.

Lisa Turner said...

Thanks for your comment Gillian. I would think that white basmati rice would be an acceptable substitute. Let me know how it turns out for you. Merry Christmas.

Lisa Turner said...

Hi again Gillian;

I was thinking you might want to substitute millet if you could find that. It has a nice nutty flavour and would probably be a good match for the quinoa. That said, quinoa would be best if you can find it.

Gillian said...

thanks lisa
Now with rice I can see it! Similar to a vegetarian koulibiac but with more body.
I am pretty sure quinao is off the menu here! But I can find millet no problem, thanks.
And season's greetings to you too!

Gillian said...

Quinoa found!! in Tesco. Now soaking and the nut and mushroom mix ready. My son Stef, a head chef, has suggested keeping the liquid from the soaked dried mushrooms to make a tasty sauce/gravy. Yum, he's a clever guy! Also suggested to add some fresh herbs to the finished nut n mushroom mix, chives, parley .. I am getting very excited about the result. Thanks again Lisa!
This is great for the veggie traditionalists who like all the seasonal trimming.

Gillian said...

And last but not least my handy tip -
Instead of chasing the nuts about a chopping board, put them into a substantial poly bag and thump them with a rolling pin! The smaller the creamier.
Cheers.

Lisa Turner said...

Thanks for your helpful tips. I can't wait to hear how it turned out for you. Merry Christmas.

Matt @ FaveDiets said...

What a unique idea! Thanks for sharing this in my hop.

Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche said...

This looks delicious!

Essy said...

This looks wonderful. Thinking ahead to Christmas Day caos, how do you reckon this would do being made in the morning and either reheated come dinner or eaten cold?

Lisa Turner said...

I am sure you could reheat it at a low temperature wrapped in foil. It really is delicious. Hope you enjoy.

Ashlee said...

Looks great, im making this for christmas. Although 2 stalks of celery sounds like alot...especially because most people I know dislike the taste :/ Is it possible to substitute/leave out in this recipe, even just one of the stalks?
Im a little concerned the taste may be overpowering, or is it okay?
Thanks! :)

Lisa Turner said...

Two stalks of celery is not too much in this recipe, but one would be fine if you want to cut down on the amount. Hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by my space.

Sarah King said...

Made this last night - it was very tasty and a nice change of pace from what I normally eat. It came out looking just like the photo. :D It would make a great centrepiece on a special occasion!

I made a couple of changes:
-2.5 portabellos instead of the cremini (they were on sale ^_^)
-2 T of lemon instead of 3
-a grated carrot
-half the puff pastry
-ground nuts (they were cheaper, I used pecans and walnuts)

Next time I plan on using even less lemon juice (it was still too prominent), the full amount of puff pastry, and perhaps adding some rosemary.

The filling would be perfect for a vegetarian tourtière (with the addition of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg).

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious - am waiting, with bated breath, for it to cook right now. Didn't use the sun dried tomatoes as I didn't have any, but now realise I should have used apricots which I do have. I remember a (meat) stuffing with similar ingredients which my mother used to make, but with apricots, which was scrummy and a good mixture of sweet and savoury.

Lisa Turner said...

Let me know how it works out for you. It's one of my favorites.

Anonymous said...

It worked perfectly and was delicious. Thank you for your blog, am inspired to try other recipes of yours now. Will definitely make this again, but with not only apricots, but, I think, fresh rosemary! I served it with green vegges and a mushroom and horseradish gravy, yum yum. Have frozen other half - wonder how that'll work...

Lisa Turner said...

Excellent and thanks for your suggestions. Apparently, you enjoy mushrooms as much as I do :)

Sondra said...

I made this for a Christmas dinner one year and have made it a few time since. It is so good. I actually make two small loaves and freeze one (which I am using tonight). I serve it with cauliflower mash and a green veg with the mushroom gravy from 'Oh She Glows' cookbook. It is always a hit even with my 14 year old. No one feels they have not had a meal that really needed a meat dish. Thank you so much for sharing!
Sondra