How to make a vegetarian Christmas dinner interesting

Whether you’re hosting veggies or you’re a vegetarian or vegan who wants more than a dry nut roast, these festive recipes will help you celebrate in style

(Joff Lee/PA)

These colourful wreaths “make a fabulous centrepiece for Christmas Day lunch or dinner”, says Heather Thomas, author of The Veggie Christmas Cookbook.

“You could even roll out the puff pastry trimmings to make ‘stars’ and use them to decorate the top of the wreaths.”

Butternut squash festive wreath

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

900g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into small cubes

2 red onions, thinly sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp maple syrup

4 unpeeled whole garlic cloves

2 x 375g packs of ready-rolled puff pastry

100g baby spinach leaves

85g shelled pistachios

1 red chilli, deseeded and diced

100g grated Cheddar cheese

4 tsp green pesto

4 tsp cranberry sauce

1 medium free-range egg, beaten

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/400F/gas 6. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.

2. Place the squash and red onions on two other baking trays and drizzle with the olive oil and maple syrup. Tuck the garlic cloves in between, season lightly with salt and pepper and roast in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until tender and starting to caramelise.

3. Meanwhile, roll out the pastry sheets, if needed, until they are about six millimetres thick and big enough to cut a large round from. Place each one on a lined baking tray. Using a 27cm flan tin or dinner plate as a guide, place it on top of each puff pastry sheet and cut round it to make a large circle. Set aside the pastry trimmings. Next, use a smaller plate to lightly score out an inner circle in the centre of each round. Use a sharp knife to cut through the pastry of the inner circle, first lengthways, then widthways, and again through the quarters to create eight sections.

4. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and stir into the hot roasted squash and onion mixture. Add the spinach and leave it to wilt slightly and soften. Place spoonfuls of the mixture in a ring around each pastry disc, avoiding the outer edge and the central star.

5. Sprinkle with the pistachios, chilli and grated cheese. Drizzle alternately with pesto and cranberry sauce around the ring on top.

6. Work your way round each disc, raising the outer edge a little and pulling the point of each cut inner section over the filling towards the pastry edge. Pinch them together with your fingers to seal.

7. Lightly brush the pastry with beaten egg and, if using, attach some pastry stars (see below). Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until puffed up, crisp and golden brown.

Note: To make decorative pastry stars, roll out the pastry trimmings and stamp out some stars with a star-shaped pastry cutter. Attach to the pastry wreath with beaten egg before baking.

And to drink

Pescaja Tuké Nebbiolo 2019

The earthiness that root vegetables have is a natural balance to the sweetness of the butternut, the spiciness and red fruits in this Nebbiolo are an ideal match to this. Buy now

Parsnip tarte tatin

(Joff Lee/PA)

“This caramelised parsnip and shallot tart is much easier to make than it looks,” says Thomas.

“Using a packet of ready-rolled vegan puff pastry takes all the hard work out of it. You will need a non-stick frying pan with an ovenproof handle to make this dish. Serve with a crisp chicory or radicchio winter salad in a mustardy dressing.”

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

450g small to medium parsnips, peeled and cut into long wedges

200g whole shallots, peeled

2 tbsp soft light brown sugar

2 tbsp good-quality balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp cold water

100g vacuum-packed or cooked chestnuts, chopped

375g pack of ready-rolled vegan puff pastry

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/400F/gas 6.

2. Heat the oil in a 23cm non-stick ovenproof frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the parsnips and shallots and cook for eight to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are tender and golden brown. Remove the parsnips and set aside.

3. Add the sugar and vinegar to the shallots, along with the water, and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, or until they start to caramelise. Remove from the heat and return the parsnips to the pan, arranging them in an attractive pattern if liked. Season lightly with salt and pepper and scatter the chestnuts over the top.

4. Roll out the pastry if needed, to be able to cut out a circle that’s a little larger than the pan. Lay it loosely over the top of the pan and tuck in the edges.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown, and the caramel juices are bubbling at the edges.

6. Remove from the oven and let the tart cool a little for five minutes. Then, using an oven cloth to prevent you from getting burnt, place a plate upside down on top of the tart and carefully invert the pan to turn out the tart onto the plate. Serve hot.

And to drink

Domaine Amelie % Charles Sparr Pinot Gris ‘Sensation’ 2018

This husband and wife team make some of the most exciting wines in Alsace at the moment. This Pinot Gris has a touch of tropical fruits and a nice weight to compliment this dish. Buy now

Panna cotta with cranberry coulis

(Joff Lee/PA)

“In Italian, panna cotta literally means ‘cooked cream’,” explains Thomas.

“These quivering little creamy desserts look very elegant and are served in a colourful pool of sieved cranberries. If preferred, you can drizzle the coulis over the top of the panna cottas.”

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 vanilla pod

300ml double cream

300ml milk

2 tsp agar agar powder

6 tbsp caster sugar

For the cranberry coulis:

200g fresh cranberries

100g caster sugar

Grated zest of 1 orange

4 tbsp orange juice

Method:

1. With a sharp knife, slice open the vanilla pod lengthways from end to end, and scrape out the seeds. Set aside.

2. Place the vanilla pod and seeds in a pan with the cream and milk. Add the agar agar and whisk well. Leave to stand for 15 minutes.

3. Add the sugar and set the pan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar and agar agar dissolve and, when the mixture is very hot and nearly at boiling point, reduce the heat to low and cook for three minutes.

(HarperNonFiction)

4. Turn off the heat and remove the vanilla pod (don’t discard it, see tip). Strain the mixture through a sieve into a jug.

5. Pour the mixture into six dariole moulds or six-centimetre ramekins, then cover and chill in the fridge for at least three hours, or until the panna cotta sets. Don’t worry if it’s not super firm – it should be a soft set with the slightest hint of a wobble.

6. Meanwhile, make the cranberry coulis: put all the ingredients in a saucepan and set over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and then increase the heat and bring to the boil.

7. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the berries burst. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, pressing it down with a spoon, into a bowl and leave until cold. Discard the cranberry solids in the sieve.

8. Unmould the panna cottas onto six serving plates. Carefully run a thin knife around the edge of the ramekins or moulds and invert them onto the plates. If the panna cotta doesn’t drop out, quickly dip the moulds or ramekins into a bowl of hot water and try again. Pour the cranberry coulis around each panna cotta so it sits in a pretty scarlet pool. Serve immediately.

Tip: Don’t throw away the used vanilla pod. Wash and dry it thoroughly and then pop it into a jar of sugar. Cover with the lid and leave for the vanilla flavour to infuse the sugar. You can use it in baking, or even in tea!

And to drink

Wiston Estate Rose 2014

A lively pink fizz bursting with a range of red fruits that will compliment the sweetness of the panna cotta and the acidity in the coulis. Buy now

‘The Veggie Christmas Cookbook’ by Heather Thomas (published by HarperNonFiction, £12.99; photography by Joff Lee), available now.