As the nights get chilly and comforting dinners feel like a necessity don’t think you need to sacrifice your plant points! This winter-warming, vegetable toad-in-the-hole is comforting, flavourful and full of gut-loving ingredients to support your digestive health.
8 Plant Points
Ingredients
Root vegetable toad-in-the-hole
For the Yorkshire pudding
- 100g plain flour
- 50g wholemeal plain flour
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 120ml whole milk
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the filling
- 4 small carrots (approx. 200g), scrubbed and cut in half lengthways
- 4 small parsnips (approx. 200g), scrubbed and cut in half lengthways
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 150g sprouts, trimmed, big ones halved
- 2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
- 75g kale (de-veined weight), roughly shredded
For the gravy (optional, otherwise buy premade)
- 30g dried mushrooms
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 heaped tsp finely chopped rosemary
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tsp miso paste
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Method
- Preheat your oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7.
- First, the batter — whisk the flour, eggs, milk, a pinch of salt and 75ml water together to form a smooth batter and rest for 30 mins.
- To prepare the gravy (if you are making your own) — pour 500ml boiling water over the mushrooms in a jug and set aside for 30 mins.
- Place all the carrots and parsnips in a large baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp of oil, season well and roast for 15 mins.
- Add the sprouts, onions and 1 tbsp oil to the tray, toss together and cook for a further 10 mins.
- Finally, lay the shredded kale on top of the veg and cook for a final 5 mins before setting aside (it's ok for there to still be water on the leaves as that will prevent burning).
- Now to put it all together — pour 5 tbsp of oil into a medium roasting tray (pictured above) and add in the veg. Cook for around 5 mins in the oven until the oil is hot.
- Briefly remove from the tray from the oven before pouring in the rested batter (take care of it spitting onto you) and cook for around 25 mins until golden and crispy.
- For the gravy (if making) — warm 1 tbsp of oil in a saucepan set over a low-med heat and gently cook the onions for 15 mins until very soft but not browned. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for a further 2-3 mins. Stir in the flour and miso. Pour in a little of the mushroom water, whisking as you go to create a paste. Add the rest gradually, whisking all the while, until you have a smooth sauce. Leave the dregs of the stock in the jug as it can be a bit gritty. Season well, spoon the re-hydrated mushrooms into the sauce and leave to bubble for 5-10 mins so it thickens. Adjust the seasoning as needed and finish with a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
- Once the pudding is puffed up and golden, remove from the oven, divide into squares serve with the hot gravy.
If you like this recipe, you might want to check out this root vegetable gratin with white bean bechamel and this sweetcorn polenta with aubergine ragu for more ways to pack your mid-week comfort foods full of plant points.
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