Spiced Roasted Vegetable Wreath Loaf Recipe

Packed with delicious flavours and textures, this Spiced Roasted Vegetable Wreath Loaf with Spinach and Lentils makes for a Christmas vegetarian appetiser that’s equally pretty as a picture.

Middle Eastern 30 Mins 2.5 Hours Medium Serves 8+

Ingredients

1 butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled and roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves
5 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of chilli flakes
2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
400g chestnut mushrooms
100g spinach
300g cooked lentils
1 packet of whole chestnuts, roughly chopped
50g dried cranberries
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tbsp fresh thyme
2 rosemary sprigs, leaves only, chopped
5 sage leaves, chopped
75g breadcrumbs*

For the topping: It is best to use a mandoline slicer to get nice thin slices. You’re looking for a thickness of 2mm.

2 large beetroots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 parsnip, thinly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and milled pepper

Method

You will need a large Bundt tin roughly 25cm across and lightly greased with olive oil.
Pre-heat your oven to 160°C / 140°C Fan /gas 2.
Start by tossing the sliced beetroot in ½ tbsp of the olive oil and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer, season with a little salt. Repeat with the sliced parsnips and cook in the oven for about 1 hour until crisp. You could make these the day before and leave them in a sealed Tupperware container.
Place the butternut squash onto a roasting tray, sprinkle over the chilli flakes, drizzle over 2tbsp of the olive oil, and nestle in the garlic cloves and roast for about 30 minutes until soft and slightly roasted. Leave to cool.
Meanwhile, place the red onion, celery, carrot and mushrooms into a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan, add the blended onion, mix and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach and once wilted, remove the heat and leave to cool.
Take a large mixing bowl, add the onion mixture and roasted butternut, and mix well. Stir in the cooked lentils, chopped chestnuts and herbs. Season with salt and milled pepper.
Now add the cranberries, orange zest and juice, and finally, the breadcrumbs and give it all one last stir.
Pack the wreath mixture into the Bundt tin, pressing firmly and ensuring it’s level all the way around. Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 20 minutes. Leave to cool slightly.
Loosen the wreath around the edge with a butter knife. This should, hopefully, make it easier to remove the Bundt. Place a serving plate upturned over the wreath, then invert and carefully lift the Bundt tin off.
Arrange the beetroot and parsnip crisps on top of the wreath, scatter over some fresh herbs and serve.

Spiced Roasted Vegetable Wreath Loaf Recipe

Recipe notes

Packed with delicious flavours and textures, this Spiced Roasted Vegetable Wreath Loaf with Spinach and Lentils makes for a Christmas vegetarian appetiser that’s equally pretty as a picture.

The truly stunning serving bowl featured in this recipe is the Studio Blue Chalk Round Platter from Denby Pottery. Handcrafted from high-quality, locally-sourced clay and expertly glazed to enhance durability, it is perfect for serving salads, vegetables, chilli, curry or pasta dishes, rice, crisps or tortillas. It can also be used as a fruit bowl or as a decorative display item.

*Use Panko Breadcrumbs for a Vegan option.

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