And it’s almost Christmas again…how did that happen? We are spending our last evening in Krakow before we go to my parents. I’m down for helping my mum prepare some vegan dishes for Christmas Eve dinner, which is the most important meal of Christmas here.
As we will spend the next 5 days cooped up inside, with a run (or a family walk maybe) thrown in for good measure, we are making the most of the thriving vegan food scene in Krakow before we leave. The standard of vegan food in this city is really great so it’s been a pleasure so far. Before we board the train tomorrow, we are booked in for a delicious vegan sushi lunch and I plan to consume my body weight in rice 😛 . In case you are still on the fence when it comes to a Xmas centrepiece, I am coming at you with a new suggestion that is roughly based on something that I published 2 years ago – butternut squash Wellington. This one has a different stuffing, based on chestnuts and comes with a lush cider gravy. Like most dishes of this type it is a bit more time consuming to make but it’s worth it, I promise! You won’t have anyone complaining if you serve them a slice of this golden pastry-wrapped plant goodness with a velvety umami-filled gravy.
2 tbsp olive oil 2 escallion shallots, finely diced 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled and crushed 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly diced 2 celery sticks, roughly diced a good pinch of caraway seeds 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp mushroom soy sauce or vegan Worcester sauce 20 g / 0.7 oz dry mushrooms (I used a mixture of porcini and shiitake), well rinsed 1 bay leaf 10 black peppercorns 240 ml / 1 cup vegan cider salt, to taste 1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp maple syrup or sugar 1-2 tsp cornstarch / cornflour
ASSEMBLY
