Chestnut and Mushroom Roast

Looking for a standout main dish to wow your family and friends? This beautiful roast is festive, hearty, and sure to please everyone on a cold winter day. Serves 8.

Ingredients:

2 cups red onions, diced

2 cups carrots, diced

2 cups celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

16 ounces mushrooms, diced

1 tablespoon herbes de Provence or poultry seasoning

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup brown rice, cooked

1 cup wild rice, cooked

1½ tablespoons coconut aminos or salt-free seasoning

1 7.4-ounce jar roasted chestnuts, diced (see note below)

3 ounces fresh baby spinach or Swiss chard

Garnishes:

6-8 small radishes

2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved and steamed

Fresh rosemary sprigs

Fresh thyme sprigs

1 zucchini (optional)

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and mushrooms to a large sauté pan and cook for 5-6 minutes or until all the vegetables have softened.
  3. Add the herbes de Provence, tomato paste, brown rice, wild rice, coconut aminos, chestnuts, and spinach and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly. Cook until the spinach has wilted down and most of the liquid has cooked off. Adjust the seasoning as needed.
  4. Add one cup of the mixture to a small blender and blend it into
    a paste. Add the paste back into the pan and stir it all together until well combined. (You can skip this step but it does help bind the mixture together.)
  5. Add the mixture to a nonstick or silicone pan and press it into the pan. You can use a loaf pan for a rectangular-shaped roast or a bundt pan to make a wreath shape.
  6. Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes.
  7. Remove the foil and cook for 15 minutes more. Then turn off the oven, but leave the pan in the oven for another 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the roast to loosen it from the pan. Place a serving platter or cake stand upside down on top of the pan and very carefully flip it over. If any of the mixture gets stuck in the pan, spoon it out and gently press it back in place.
  8. Arrange the Brussels sprouts and radishes around the roast and decorate the top with sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme. For an optional garnish, peel the zucchini very thinly using a vegetable peeler and fashion a bow using the green peel.

Chef’s Notes: Trader Joe’s has roasted chestnuts; another brand I have used is La Forestiere. You can prepare this dish in advance and freeze the roast in the pan before roasting in the oven. To cook from frozen, cover with foil and roast for 75 minutes. Then remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes. Finally, turn off the oven, but leave the pan in the oven for another 15 minutes. Garnish and serve.