Italian Style Nut Roast Recipes

NUT ROAST

Steps:

• Combine the lentils with 4 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until the water reaches a vigorous simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer, cover and cook until the lentils are completely tender, about 20-30 minutes. Drain the lentils completely using a strainer, and set aside until later.
• Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 9 x 5-inch bread pan with parchment paper.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Add the onion, carrot and bell pepper and sauté for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are softened and most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Add the spinach, sage, rosemary, smoked paprika, and thyme. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked lentils, cooked veggie mixture, nuts, dried apricots, and orange juice and zest. Toss until the mixture is evenly combined.
• Before we add the eggs, go ahead and give the mixture a taste and season it with salt and pepper as needed. (The level of saltiness will vary considerably based on the type of nuts you used, but you will likely need to add a generous amount of salt and pepper, so don't be shy!)
• If you own a food processor, transfer about 1/3 of the mixture to a food processor and pulse a few times until the mixture is fairly puréed. (Or alternately, use a potato masher to mash about 1/3 of the mixture on one side of the mixing bowl until it is puréed.) Stir the puréed mixture back into the overall mixture along with the whisked eggs until everything is evenly combined.
• Transfer the entire nut loaf mixture into the prepared bread pan, packing it down fairly firmly (which will help the loaf to slice more easily later).
• Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the loaf is cooked through. (I also like to remove the roast about 5 minutes before it has finished baking to brush the top of the roast with a bit of melted butter or oil to help it crisp up on top during those final few minutes in the oven, but this step is totally optional. Alternately, if the top of the roast starts to get too browned during cooking, just gently lay a sheet of aluminum foil on top of the bread pan.)
• Transfer the pan to a wire cutting rack and let the nut roast rest for about 15-20 minutes.
• Carefully lift the edges of the parchment paper up to remove the nut roast from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board. Use a bread knife to slice the roast into your desired size of pieces. Then serve warm with gravy or cranberry sauce and enjoy!

ITALIAN POT ROAST

Steps:

• With a sharp paring knife, cut 4 slits in beef roast; stuff slits with half the garlic. Generously season beef with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat, swirling to coat bottom of pan. Cook beef until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.
• In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine beef, onion, potatoes, tomatoes (with puree), rosemary, and remaining garlic. Cover; cook on high setting until meat is fork-tender, about 6 hours (do not uncover while cooking).
• Transfer meat to a cutting board; thinly slice, and discard any gristle. Skim fat from top of sauce. To serve, divide beef and vegetables among bowls; generously spoon sauce over top.

BRAISED ITALIAN-STYLE POT ROAST

Steps:

• To prepare the sacchétto di spezie:
• Combine all the ingredients in the center of a piece of cheesecloth that is large enough to hold the herb sprigs, and tie in a bundle with butcher's string.
• To prepare the pot roast:
• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• 2. Season the beef with salt and pepper, then lightly dust with flour. Melt the butter in a large (6-quart) flameproof casserole set over medium-high heat. When it is foaming, add the beef and brown it on all sides, 5 minutes. Add the celery, onions, carrot, and sacchétto di spezie. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften slightly, about 2 minutes. Raise the heat to high and add the bottle of wine. Cook until the wine begins to boil, about 2 more minutes, skimming off any fat that rises to the surface.
• 3. Strain the porcini mushrooms through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the liquid. Rinse the mushrooms under cold running water to remove any grit, and add them to the casserole along with the strained mushroom liquid, tomato paste, and tomatoes. The liquid should just cover the meat. If it does not, add chicken broth or water. Cover the casserole and bake it in the oven until the meat is cooked through and tender, about 2 hours. Remove the meat from the casserole to a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and set aside.
• 4. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the vegetables and herb bag. Pour the broth back into the casserole and set it over high heat. Bring to a boil and add the arrowroot and the 1/4 cup wine. Cook to reduce and thicken the liquid, about 5 minutes. Carve the meat into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve immediately, spooning some of the broth over each portion.

TOP-RATED ITALIAN POT ROAST

Steps:

• Place cinnamon stick, peppercorns, cloves and allspice on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather corners of cloth to enclose spices; tie securely with string., In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown roast on all sides; transfer to a 4-qt. slow cooker. Add celery, carrots and spice bag., Add onion to same skillet; cook and stir until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add sherry, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until liquid is reduced to 2/3 cup. Stir in tomatoes and salt; pour over roast and vegetables., Cook, covered, on low 6-7 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Remove roast from slow cooker; keep warm. Discard spice bag; skim fat from sauce. Serve roast and sauce with noodles and parsley if desired., Freeze option: Place sliced pot roast in freezer containers; top with sauce. Cool and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a covered saucepan, stirring gently and adding a little broth if necessary.

TORRONE (ITALIAN NUT AND NOUGAT CONFECTION)

Steps:

• Line an 8x11-inch baking dish with plastic wrap, allowing ends to hang over the sides. Place 1 sheet of 8x10 wafer paper in the bottom of the pan. Keep the roasted almonds and pistachios in a warm place until ready to add at the end. This makes it easier to mix them in.
• Pour honey into a heavy-bottomed pot. Add sugar. Mix and stir over low heat with a spatula, stirring constantly until mixture turns from grainy to silky and smooth, about 30 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
• Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl; add a pinch of salt. Whisk until whites form soft peaks, 3 to 4 minutes. Place pot back on low heat. Gradually whisk about a quarter of the whipped egg whites into the honey/sugar mixture; whisk in the remaining egg whites in 3 more batches.
• Continue cooking over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula until mixture turns a brighter white and a ribbon of the mixture does not immediately incorporate back into the rest of the mixture and stays intact on the surface for a while. This will take about 40 minutes. You can add a few drops of the mixture into a small bowl of ice cold water to test the consistency; ideally it should feel like soft clay.
• Whisk in vanilla and lemon zest. Add warm almonds and pistachios and stir to incorporate evenly.
• Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Even out as best you can with a clean oiled spatula. Top with 2nd sheet of wafer paper, shiny side up. Cover with plastic wrap and press down evenly, tamping mixture down gently but firmly. Remove top layer of plastic.
• Allow torrone to sit at room temperature until cool, firm, and ready to cut, 1 or 2 hours. Lift torrone from baking dish with the edges of the bottom layer of plastic wrap. Invert and remove plastic from the bottom. If the plastic wrap is difficult to remove from the edges of the torrone, you can trim off the edges.
• Cut torrone into 1-inch squares using a sharp serrated knife.

ITALIAN STYLE NUT ROAST

Steps:

• Set the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with a double layer of non stick baking parchment. Roughly chop all the vegetables and place in a food processor with the parsley and nuts. Blend until quite finely chopped (or finely chop and grate them instead). Turn the mixture into a bowl and add the cheese, oats, tomato paste and flour. Mix well. Season to taste then stir in the eggs. Place in the baking tin and bake for 50 - 60 minutes until just firm to the touch. Leave to cool for 10 minutes then turn out of the tin. Serve sliced, hot or cold

ITALIAN ROAST BEEF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Combine all the seasoning ingredients in a medium jar.
• Trim all the fat from beef round. (I grind the trimmings), but you can cut them up into bite-size pieces and place on the bottom of a roasting pan. Sprinkle the trimmings with some of the seasoning mix. Place the roast beef on top of the trimmings and coat the beef well with more of the seasoning mix. Drizzle olive oil on top of the roast and pat the oil over the seasonings. Place into the preheated oven on lowest rack and roast approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours, uncovered, until the internal temperature registers *130 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and let stand about 20 to 30 minutes before carving. This roast can be used for sandwiches, thinly cut or thickly cut and served with beef gravy, if desired.

VEGAN NUT ROAST

Steps:

• Cook the pearl barley with the stock cube according to pack instructions. Reserve 4 tbsp of the cooking stock, then drain the grains well.
• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then add the parsnips, and cook until really soft. Drain well, tip back into the pan to steam dry for a few minutes, then roughly mash. Mix the ground linseeds with the reserved stock water, and leave to go gluey.
• Put 2 tbsp of the oil in your largest frying pan with the onions and garlic. Fry gently until soft and golden, then stir in the mushrooms, rosemary and sage. Fry the mushrooms until they're golden too, and any liquid that comes out has evaporated. Scrape into a big mixing bowl and set aside to cool.
• Grease a 22-24cm savarin or ring tin generously with oil. If it's not a non-stick tin, line it with thin strips of overlapping baking parchment.
• Add the mashed parsnip, cooked pearl barley, gluey seed mix, grated vegan hard cheese (if using), chopped parsley and whole hazelnuts to the fried mushroom mixture. Season generously with salt, then mix everything together really well.
• Spoon the filling into the tin, and press down firmly to fill the tin and flatten the top. Bake straight away or keep in the fridge for up to 24 hrs before baking.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cover the tin with foil. Bake for 45 mins, until a skewer poked into the centre of the mixture comes out piping hot.
• Use a small palette knife or cutlery knife to release the filling all the way around, then sit a serving plate on top and flip over. Carefully lift off the tin, and top the wreath with some parsnip crisps if using and whole pumpkin seeds to serve - plus some extra rosemary sprigs if you like. Slice into wedges and enjoy.

ITALIAN ROAST BEEF I

Steps:

• Pour water into a large kettle, and add bouillon cubes.
• Mix together the salt, garlic, Italian seasoning, black pepper, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes on a large plate. Rub roast with 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Roll roast in seasoning mixture until well coated. Place the roast in the kettle along with any left over seasoning mixture and oil.
• Bring water to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer approximately 3 1/2 hours. Meat should be tender and well done.

ITALIAN-STYLE POT ROAST

Steps:

• Make a paste of the garlic, salt, and pepper (use mortar and pestle); rub mixture all over the roast.
• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
• Brown the roast in the oil on all sides; remove roast from pan and set aside.
• Add the onion, celery, carrot, and rosemary to the pan; stir/saute until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add in the wine; let the wine boil for about 1 minute.
• Add in the tomatoes and beef broth; stir to blend, then return the roast to the pan.
• Simmer (don't boil) the meat in the sauce for 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°; place roast and sauce in a baking dish; bake, occasionally basting with sauce, for 90 minutes or until the meat is tender and is 170° on an instant-read thermometer.
• Remove from oven and let meat rest for 20 minutes.
• While the meat is resting, remove excess fat from sauce; boil the sauce down if it is thin.
• Remove the string from the roast, carve, and serve with the sauce drizzled over the top.