Expecting a vegetarian or vegan, or a gluten-avoiding guest at the table? These made-for-one dishes will make them feel special. All can be made in advance and they’re designed to pair beautifully with the classic festive trimmings
RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING EMILY GUSSIN PHOTOGRAPHS STUART WEST STYLING TABITHA HAWKINS
christmas cookbook.
Confit parsnip and carrot crumble
Serves 1 Hands-on time 15 min Oven time 1 hour 10 min Specialist kit Individual pie or oven dish
Workaday root vegetables become indulgent and luxurious with a gentle slow-cook in aromatic oil. Nutritional yeast and oat fraiche add richness to this vegan dish, creating a quick, creamy sauce for the beans.
MAKE AHEAD Once you’ve assembled the crumble it will keep, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Continue from step 4 cooking straight from the fridge or, if freezing, add about 10 minutes to the cooking time.
DON’T WASTE IT Strain the leftover oil and keep in a glass jar. Use it in place of olive oil for cooking and it will add the flavour of the infused aromatics.
SCALE IT UP This recipe is easily doubled (or tripled) if you want it to serve two or three people.
• 1 carrot, cut into 3cm chunks
• 1 parsnip, cut into 3cm chunks
• 1 star anise
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 garlic clove, peeled but
left whole
• 1 strip orange peel
• 200-300ml olive oil
• 1 slice seeded bread
(preferably a crust)
• 2 tbsp rolled oats
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
• 100g cooked haricot or
cannellini beans
• 2 tbsp oat fraiche (we used
Oatly)
1 Heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4. First, confit the veg: put the carrot, parsnip, star anise, bay, garlic and orange peel in a small oven dish, then pour over enough oil to submerge everything. Cover tightly with foil and put in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the veg is completely tender when pierced with a knife.
2 Meanwhile, whizz the bread to a coarse crumb in a food processor (you could also tear or chop it into small chunks). Tip into a bowl, then stir in the oats and half the nutritional yeast. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside.
3 Scoop the confit veg out of the oil and into a bowl (reserve the oil; see Don’t Waste It). Crush the confit garlic into a paste with a fork, then stir it into the veg along with the beans, oat fraiche and remaining nutritional yeast. Season, then tip into an individual oven or pie dish. Add 3 tbsp of the infused oil to the bread mixture and stir to combine. Use this to top the vegetable filling. Cover and chill or freeze until ready to cook (see Make Ahead).
4 When ready to cook, heat the oven to 180°C fan/gas 6. Bake the crumble on a tray for
