Mushroom Nut Roast Tart

With all the flavors of classic nut roast, this vegan nut and mushroom roast tart with homemade pesto drizzle is the ideal easy vegan dinner. It’s piled high with meaty mushrooms, ribbons of sweet parsnips and sharp red onions, and sprinkled with toasted nuts and seeds for extra crunch

Ingredients
500g parsnips, trimmed and peeled
1 large red onion, cut into 2cm chunks
2 tbsp maple syrup
5 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp
150g pack Portobello mushrooms, sliced
250g pack chestnut mushrooms, quartered
200g pack baby button mushrooms
50g Farm Fresh Nuts Raw Blanched Filberts
50g Farm Fresh Nuts Raw Slivered Almonds
50g pine nuts
15g fresh chives, snipped
15g fresh flat-leaf parsley
30g pack fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
For the pastry
200g wholemeal spelt flour, plus extra for dusting
100g vegetable suet
80g wholefood 4-seed mix

Method
To make the pastry, use a cutlery knife to mix the flour, suet, seeds and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add 125ml cold water and, still using the knife, mix to bring the pastry together into a ball.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry into a rectangle to line a 30 x 20cm baking tin; trim to fit, discarding any trimmings. Chill in the fridge for 30 mins.
Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Line the pastry with nonstick baking paper; fill with baking beans. Bake on the top shelf for 25 mins. Remove the beans and paper; set aside to cool.
Peel 50g parsnips into ribbons and set aside. Chop the remaining parsnips and put in a large roasting tin with the onion. Drizzle with the maple syrup and 1 tbsp olive oil; season and toss to coat. Roast for 30 mins, stirring halfway, until soft and lightly golden. Set aside to cool.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over a high heat. Add the mushrooms; season and cook, stirring frequently for 5 mins until soft and well coloured. You may need to do this in batches. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
For the pesto, toast the nuts in a dry pan over a medium heat for 1-2 mins, tossing until lightly golden. Set half the nuts aside and tip the rest into a food processor; pulse until fairly fine. Add the chives, parsley, basil, garlic and 2 tbsp olive oil; season. Blitz until well combined.
To assemble, spread half the pesto over the base of the pastry. Strain and discard the liquid from the mushrooms, then arrange over the pesto, followed by the roasted parsnips and onion. Add 1 tbsp each olive oil and water to the remaining pesto, then spoon it over the tart. Roughly chop and scatter over half the nuts. Toss the parsnip ribbons with 1 tsp olive oil and arrange them over the top, finishing with nuts and 2-3 tsp pesto.
Bake on the middle shelf for 20-25 mins until the parsnip ribbons are lightly golden and the tart is heated through. Slice into squares and drizzle with the reserved pesto, if you like.

Download Recipe Here