Denise says:

  • A savoury dish suitable for lunch or dinner is always welcome over Passover.  It freezes well and can be equally enjoyed all year round.   It can be made vegan but using almond milk to substitute the eggs too.
  • Preparation Time:  25 minutes
  • Cooking time: 50 minutes
  • Serves: 6

Ingredients:

  • 75g almonds,
  • 75g hazelnuts,
  • 75g pecans or walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable stock powder ~
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 parsnip – peeled grated
  • 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 100g prepared weight)
  • 2 carrots, coarsely grated (around 150g prepared weight)
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed ~
  • 3 tablespoons matzah meal
  • 180g cooked chestnuts, broken into small pieces
  • 50g dried figs - stalk removed and roughly chopped - optional
  • 20g bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 lemon, finely grated zest only
  • 50ml non dairy almond Passover milk – or 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • Garnish: Sprigs of parsley, 2 tablespoons toasted pecans nuts Parsnip crisps – Using a vegetable peeler or mandolin slice strips of parsnips and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 180C.

Method

  1. Put the nuts and stock powder into a food processor and blitz on the pulse setting until chopped into small pieces, but not fully ground. If you don’t have a food processor, chop all the nuts as finely as you can.
  2. Preheat the oven to 200C.
  3. Lightly oil then line the base of a 900g loaf tin with baking paper.
  4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the onion, parsnip, leek and carrots for 5 minutes, or until softened, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds more.
  5. Tip into a mixing bowl  the chopped nuts, matzah meal, chestnuts, dried figs, parsley, lemon zest, eggs or non-dairy milk and salt. Season well and stir until thoroughly mixed.
  6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin. Press down with a spoon firmly to compact the mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
  7. Remove the tin carefully from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before loosening the edges of the loaf with a table knife and turning out onto a board or platter. Cut into thick slices. Garnish with parsnip crisps, sprigs of parsley and toasted pecan nuts.