A Christmas Recipe:

Vegan Mushroom Squash and Chestnut Tart with Cranberry Sauce by Nourishing Amy

Vegan Mushroom Squash and Chestnut Tart with Cranberry Sauce

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves: 4

You’ll need:

For the Cranberry Sauce:

300g fresh or frozen cranberries

1 large orange

60ml maple syrup

For the Tart:

1 roll (approx. 350g) shortcrust pastry (vegan-friendly)

2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil

1 red onion, small dice

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

200g mushrooms, chopped small

250g butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1-cm cubes

100g pre-cooked chestnuts, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)

A pinch of nutmeg

Salt and pepper

1 tsp tamari soy sauce

To serve:

Roasted vegetables, potatoes, gravy, extra fresh thyme, fresh rosemary

Method:

1. Firstly, make the cranberry sauce. Zest and juice the orange, then add half of the orange zest to a saucepan along with the juice of the full orange (about 120ml or ½ cup), the cranberries and maple syrup. Place a lid on, bring to the boil then simmer over a medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring often until thick and glossy. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Transfer to a bowl to cool down slightly.

Hint: If you’re not prepping the cranberry sauce and veg in advance, don’t forget to take the pastry out of the fridge 20 minutes before you need to use it. 

2. Meanwhile, make the filling for the tart: heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan and add the onion and garlic. Fry for 5 minutes then add in the mushrooms and fry for 5 more minutes to release the mushroom juices. Now add the butternut squash, chestnuts, oregano, thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper and toss well. Fry for another 10 minutes to soften all the vegetables.

3. Take the pastry out of the fridge 20 minutes before you need to use it. Grease a 20-22-cm pie dish with vegan butter or margarine. Preheat the oven to 160° Fan/180°C.

4. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to about 1-cm thickness, making sure it’s larger than your dish. Use the rolling pin to lift the pastry over the dish and shape the pastry to the dish, trimming the edges. Use the scraps to cut out stars for the top.

5. Add 3 tbsp of cranberry sauce to the pastry base and spread out. Top with the mushroom filling and decorate with the stars.

6. Stir together 1 tsp olive oil with the soy sauce and brush the edges of the pastry and the stars.

7. Bake for 25 minutes then cover with tin foil and bake for another 30-40 minutes, until the pastry is cooked through.

8. Serve warm (or cold) with the rest of the cranberry sauce, some fresh rosemary and thyme and your favourite roast dinner sides.

Once cool, store in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Extra cranberry sauce will keep for 1 week in a sealed container in the fridge.

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