This Thanksgiving Roast is a dish I created by putting together several other dishes that I make throughout the year. I just wrapped it in some phyllo dough and it came out as something very special. It doesn't only look good, it tastes great too.
2sweet potatopeeled, diced and steamed or boiled until fork–tender
½sweet onion
1clovegarliclarge one
1tspthymefresh or dried
1tspground gingeror fresh ginger
½tspground nutmeg
1tspground cinnamon
1orangezested and juiced
Mushroom Gravy
1red onionsmall one, diced
2clovesgarlicminced
2tbsprosemaryfresh, minced
1½tbspthymefresh, minced
3cupsmushroomswild mushrooms of choice such as shimiji, trumpets, chanterelles or inoki, cleaned and sliced or diced, if needed
1½cupsmarsala wineor madeira
2cupsvegetable stock
3tbspdried mushroomsdried mushrooms ground in spice grinder
2½tbsptamari
1½tbspapple cider vinegar
3tbspnutritional yeast
½tspblack pepperfreshly ground, to taste
Lentil Layer
1cuplentilsgreen lentils, cooked
1cuponionsweet onion, finely chopped
1cupceleryfinely chopped
1cupcarrotsfinely chopped
¼tspground nutmeg
½tspsea salt
½tspblack pepperfreshly ground
Final steps & extra ingredients
3cupsvegetable stockfor cooking the lentils and sautéing
1packagephyllo pastry sheets16 oz or 454 grams (#7)
Instructions
Cranberry Relish
In a food processor or blender, process all the cranberry relish ingredients until the desired chunky texture is reached. Set aside, your first layer is done!
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Peal the potatoes and cut in small cubes. Cook or steam the sweet potatoes until tender. Clean and cut the onion in smaller pieces. Place the onion in a large saucepan and saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add water, 1 or 2 table spoons at the time to keep the onion from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic, ginger, thyme, nutmeg and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute. Put everything (orange juice and zest) into a blender and puree until smooth. Season with some salt and/or pepper. Most likely you will have leftovers but adding some almond milk and/or veggie broth will make this into a great bisque.
Mushroom Gravy
To start the gravy, bring a fry pan to medium–high heat. Add the onions, stirring occasionally. When the onions begin to become translucent and stick, add the garlic and fresh herbs. Cook for 30 seconds or so and add the mushrooms. Stir well for 2 minutes until mixture begins to stick.
Next, add the wine, pouring evenly around the pan and deglaze. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half. Follow by adding the vegetable stock, dried mushroom powder, tamari, vinegar, freshly–ground black pepper and nutritional yeast.
Bring to a simmer and lower heat to medium–low. Allow to simmer an additional 4 minutes before adding the slurry. You will have too much but this is great to add as a side dish.
Lentil Layer
To prepare the lentil layer, heat a large pan over medium heat and add a little vegetable stock. Sauté the onion, celery, and carrot together for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and mostly cooked through. Then add the nutmeg, sea salt, and ground pepper and continue to stir for another minute or so. In a separate pot, cook the lentils using water or vegetable broth.
After the lentils are fully cooked, combine the lentils with the sautéed onion, celery, and carrots and combine well.
Final Steps
Let the phyllo defrost before handling the pastry. Your phyllo pastry should unfold once into a rectangle shape. It should have enough layers to divide it in half. One half should fit into the bread pan and the other half can be used for your leftovers.
Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit in the width and longest sides of the bread pan with some overhang.
Gently place the phyllo into the bread pan, fitting it into the corners, and overlapping or folding any excess at the corners. Gently press it into all sides of the pan. Make sure that you have the overhang on one side so you can easily close the top after adding all the layers.
Then layer the mashed sweet potatoes at the bottom. It should be higher than an inch. Then add the lentil layer, mushroom gravy, and last the cranberry relish.
Fold the top piece of the phyllo pastry and gently press along the edge of the pan to seal. Fold over the edges all the way around to form a crust. It can be rustic and uneven. Press the edges together with some water.
Using a sharp knife cut 3 to 4 small slits along the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake in a pre-heated over (400°F) for approximately 40 to 50 minutes. The phyllo should be a dark golden color and the center is hot to touch when you insert a knife or fork.
Once baked, allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes in the pan before lifting it out with the parchment paper. A nice presentation idea is to use a piece of twine to tie the excess parchment around the roast. It's helps with cutting as well and holding it together as you slice it.
Notes
Each bread pan will make 4 servings but all the ingredients are enough to make two roasts.Credits:Rouxbe (the world’s leading online cooking school).