“This robust and moist vegetarian loaf is in a class of its own and is a great meat dish substitute for any celebratory occasion. I actually made this dish for our Christmas dinner. Being gluten-intolerant, I used gluten-free breadcrumbs instead and pepped it up with a little Harissa . I can heartily recommend this dish.”

— Shauna S.

Enjoy with a little salad or go home-comfort stylie with baked beans and baked potato.

Serves 8-10

Lightly grease a 2 lb (908 g) loaf tin and line with parchment or baking paper

Ingredients

7 oz (200 g) Arborio or Californian medium-grain brown rice, rinsed
1 large red onion, finely chopped
3 large carrots, grated
½ stick parsnip, grated
a stick of celery, finely chopped
2 oz (60 g) butter
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
4 oz (114 g) mushrooms, wiped and finely chopped
7 oz (200 g) wholemeal bread
4 oz (114 g) cashews
4 oz (114 g) mature cheddar, grated
1 tablespoon dark soya sauce
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
A handful of mixed fresh herbs, e.g. basil, thyme, parsley, oregano and/or coriander
2 large organic eggs, lightly whisked
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Harissa (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 350º F (180º C)

For cooking the rice, rinse it through and measure double the volume of freshly boiled water in a jug, i.e. 14 fl oz/400 ml. Cook first on high and then when it reaches boiling point, add the lid and turn the heat down low for 40 – 45 minutes or as per the packet instructions. Set to one side to cool slightly.

Meanwhile using most of the butter (reserve some for cooking the cashew nuts) and sunflower oil, sauté the onion, carrot and parsnip for approximately 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chopped mushrooms and the crushed garlic and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Sauté the cashew nuts in a small frying pan until they are golden brown. Then finely chop these in a mini food processor.

Transfer the rice, onion, carrots, parsnip, celery, mushrooms and the chopped cashew nuts into a large mixing bowl. ‘Puree’ the bread, together with the herbs in the processor —enough to give it a fine breadcrumb texture— and then add these to the bowl too, along with the grated cheese, soya sauce, tomato ketchup, smoked paprika and Harissa. Beat the eggs and mix these well in with the bowl ingredients , then season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the mixture into the lined baking tin, flattening the mixture on top with a wooden spoon so that it is well-compacted.

Bake for approximately one hour. Test with a skewer if in doubt. It should be a dark golden brown.

Leave the loaf to rest. After ten minutes, carefully lift up the loaf with baking paper using all four corners and leave to cool on a baking rack.

Carefully carve into half inch (12 mm) thick slices.

Serve with Patricius’ Caesar Salad (see the recipe on my Lucky Dip Blog) and/or pickled beetroot. Or go for the comfort option serving suggestion as above.

This loaf can be successfully frozen in a container for a few months using small rectangular pieces of baking paper to separate each slice.