Back in the day, vegetarian cook books were about as common as rocking horse s**t!  So, for years my mainstay cookbook was, Rose Elliot’s Complete Vegetarian Cookbook and I probably tried every single recipe!  A favourite was one for nut rissoles but, as she used cheese and eggs in her recipe, I stopped making it a long time ago.  This autumn I decided to try and make the recipe vegan friendly.  I am so pleased with the result and I hope you will enjoy them too.

For the Rissoles:

300g parsnip (cooked weight)

100g hazelnuts

1 small clove garlic

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. Italian herbs

2 tsps. tomato puree

2 tbsps. nut butter

 1 tbsp. olive oil

¼ tsp. salt

Black pepper

 

For the Jus:

Zest & juice of 2 oranges

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tbsps. avocado oil

Makes 8 rissoles

Preheat your oven to 200°C.   Put the hazelnuts onto a baking tray and when the oven is at temperature roast them for 5-7 minutes (until golden and shiny). Blitz in a blender until finely milled. Keep the oven on but reduce the temperature to 175°C.

Meanwhile, peel the parsnip and chop into chunks.  Place in a saucepan with a small amount of water and leave to gently simmer for 15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes to ensure there is still water enough water covering the base of the pan!  When the parsnip is soft, drain off any remaining water, add the crushed garlic and mash until smooth.  Check you have exactly 300g.

Next, add the parsnip and all of the other rissole ingredients to a bowl and mix, using a wooden or silicon mixing spoon, until everything is well combined. Divide the mixture into eight and form into cylindrical rissoles, using your hands to shape them.   Bake in the oven for around 25-30 minutes or until the rissoles are firm to touch.

Meanwhile, prepare the citrus jus.  Add the orange juice and zest to a small pan and simmer until the liquid reduces.  Remove from the heat and add the mustard and oil.  Using a mini-whisk or aero-latte, blend the mixture until it is smooth and glossy.

When ready to serve, drizzle some of the jus onto warmed plates alongside the rissoles and serve with roasted sprouts, roasted beetroot and a sprig of rosemary.