Maple-glazed parsnip, chestnut and feta loaf

Working with The University of Sheffield

Season: Winter

A fabulous veg centrepiece for your Christmas feast, starring some of our faithful box gems – parsnips, leeks and mushrooms – along with lots of lovely nuts and herbs. Most types of nuts would work well, so use what you have but do include the chestnuts.

Like lots of Christmas veg recipes, the Method is bloody long, so long we didn’t have space to put it on the delivery note. Here it is in full. Recipe from delicious magazine.

Thanks to all our wonderful customers: wishing you all a happy and foodie festive season and see you in 2021!

Ingredients

150g unsalted butter, plus an extra knob and a little to grease

200g parsnips, trimmed and cut lengthways into 1.5cm slices

50g pecan halves or pieces

50g blanched almonds

30g pine nuts

2 large leeks, sliced

200g mushrooms, finely chopped

200g cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

3 fresh rosemary sprigs, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish

½ small bunch fresh sage, finely chopped

4 fresh thyme sprigs, finely chopped

Small bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped

100g fresh breadcrumbs

50g plain flour

100ml maple syrup

200g feta cheese

3 large eggs

Method

Heat oven to 190°C/170°C fan/ gas 5. Lightly grease a deep 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Line base with baking paper.

Steam the parsnips for 5-8 mins to take off the raw edge. Put in colander and leave to dry.

Spread pecans and almonds evenly over a baking sheet, then toast for 5 mins in oven. Add pine nuts and toast for 3-5 mins more until golden. Cool, roughly chop, set aside.

Melt 75g butter in large frying pan on low heat. Add leeks, season and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 10 mins until soft. Transfer to large mixing bowl.

Add remaining 75g butter to frying pan, turn up heat to high. When butter is hot and foaming, add mushrooms, season, cook for 5-7 mins until golden, tossing now and then.

Add chestnuts and garlic, cook for 2 mins, stirring so the garlic doesn’t brown. Add the mixture to the leeks, along with the chopped nuts, herbs, breadcrumbs and flour. Taste and season.

Wipe out the frying pan and put on medium-high heat. Add maple syrup and a knob of butter. When bubbling, add the parsnip pieces, without crowding the pan.

Fry for 3-4 mins until golden, then flip over and cook for another 2-3 mins. Remove with a fish slice (leave syrup in pan) and put the parsnips, flat-side down and spaced out a little, into the cake tin. Leave the buttery maple syrup in the pan.

Crumble the feta into the nut mixture. Crack in the eggs and mix well to combine. Spoon the mixture on top of the parsnips and press down lightly. Bake in a 190°C/gas 5 oven for 45 mins.

Cover the top with foil if it browns too much (a little colour is good). Let it cool in the tin for 10-15 mins, then invert carefully onto a flat plate and peel off the baking paper.

Reheat the syrup in the pan, season with sea salt and add a few rosemary sprigs. Brush the caramel over the top of the loaf. Serve.