CLUB SANDWICH 72

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat.
Let's leave it that way

            IF you're one of those people who think that Christmas is the time of the year when veggies' appetites suffer most for their belief, then this page is aimed at bringing you new cheer.
            Because Christmas without a turkey on the table needn't be drab or lacking. In fact, it can be even tastier than before.
            I guess you already realise that a no-turkey Christmas is kinder. And you must know that it's healthier too (it's not just red meat that has the fat in it). And of course it's cleaner - who wants to start Christmas Day with their hand stuffed up a turkey's bottom?
            But tastier? I kid you not. If you haven't tried a veggie Christmas before you're in for a tasty treat. Forget any fears that you're going to have to spend 25 December with your face in a bowl of mung beans. A vegetarian's Christmas can be just as traditional as any other person's Christmas...with the added bonus of that clear conscience.
            This means that in the McCartney household we let rip with all the usual trimmings for Christmas Day lunch - roast potatoes, steamed Brussels sprouts, peas and carrots, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, roast onions and parsnips and baked sweet potatoes (which are simple - just prick with a fork and bake in an oven for 30 minutes). But instead of turkey, goose or some other unfortunate dead animal we have my Festive Roast with savoury stuffing and special gravy. (See recipes below.) It looks impressive, tastes wonderful and it's not difficult to prepare.
            My meal is meatless, but, truly, less is more. Less meat means more health, because there's no cholesterol in vegetables. Less meat also means more for the environment, because you're not causing the cutting down of trees to clear for grazing land.
            And at this time of good will to all mankind, think on this: less meat means more chance for the starving children, one of whom dies on this planet every 2.3 seconds, because grain that the child needs to live on is fed instead to animals, to fatten them up, for carnivores.
            So give the bird a break this Christmas, and give your heart, your planet and the hungry a break too. Change the way you eat and look forward to your happiest New Year yet.

            PS. And if you're a 364-day-a-year vegetarian but just have to eat turkey on 25 December then at least do the poor dead bird the justice of understanding what you are eating. You may, for instance, have delusions that you're munching into some magnificent bird that's been roaming the hills or the wild prairies all year. Fat chance!

AND IN THE GREEN CORNER

"They shoot turkeys, don't they?" you might wonder. Well no, they destroy them – and that's while they're still alive. Then they kill them. Sorry readers, and that includes you vegetarians who still make that "once a year concession to meat", but perhaps it's time to consider a fresh start this Christmas, as Linda McCartney explains...

            FESTIVE ROAST
            Ingredients
            2 tablespoons of garlic powder
            120z/340g vegetable sausage mix
            1 free range egg
            5 vegetable burgers
            1 x 4 1/2 oz/128g packet of unflavoured TVP mince
            4 tablespoons soy sauce or vegetable extract
            3 tablespoons vegetable oil
            Method
            Start preparing the roast on Christmas Eve. Pre-heat the oven to 180c/350f (gas mark 4). Grease and flour a large casserole dish or mould.
            Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the garlic powder all over the inside of the dish.
            Measure the sausage mix, egg and 1 pint/570ml of water into a large mixing bowl. Stir well and leave for five minutes for the liquid to be absorbed.
            Measure a quarter pint/ 140ml of water into a food blender. Add the burgers and blend to an even consistency.
            Mix the TVP mince and 1 pint/570ml of water in a bowl. Stir well and leave to stand for five minutes.
            Combine the sausage mix, pureed burgers and the soaked TVP mince together in a large bowl. Add the remaining garlic powder and the soy sauce. Mix well. Coat the casserole dish with the vegetable oil and pour the mixture into the dish, pressing it firmly onto the sides and bottom. Leave a large cavity in the middle for the stuffing.
            Firm the mixture with the back of a spoon or your knuckles.
            Bake for 1 1/2 hours in the hot oven. Allow to cool and then cover and place overnight in the fridge. On Christmas Day, make the savoury stuffing.

            SAVOURY STUFFING
            Ingredients
            1 loaf of brown bread, cubed
            6 tablespoons of margarine
            5 stalks of celery, chopped
            1 large onion, chopped
            4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
            1 tablespoon of mixed dried herbs
            Method
            Pre-heat the oven to 180c/350f (gas mark 4).
            Place the cubes of brown bread in a large mixing bowl. Melt the margarine in a large frying pan. Add the celery and onion and, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, saute for five minutes until lightly brown.
            Pour the saute into the mixing bowl, with the bread cubes. Add 1/2 pint/285ml of water, the sage and the mixed herbs. Mix very well and use.
            Fill the Festive Roast cavity with this stuffing. Any remainder may be placed in a baking dish and baked separately later.
            Turn the casserole dish upside down onto a baking tray or roasting pan without removing the dish, place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
            Remove the casserole dish and continue to bake for one more hour. After half an hour place the extra stuffing in the oven and bake for the remaining 30 minutes.
            timings:
            2 hours preparation
            1 hour 50 minutes cooking

            "OLD-FASHIONED GRAVY"
            Ingredients
            4oz/115g mushrooms, finely chopped
            2 tablespoons vegetable oil
            4 heaped teaspoons of vegetarian gravy powder
            1 pint/570ml water or vegetable stock
            1 teaspoon garlic powder
            4 tablespoons vegetable extract or soy sauce
            Method
            Saute the mushrooms in the oil until lightly brown. Add a small amount of cold water to the gravy powder and mix into a smooth paste in a cup. Add the water to the sauteed mushrooms and any extra oils or juices from your roasting pan.
            Add the gravy paste, garlic powder and vegetable extract and bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly. Add a little extra water or gravy powder, if necessary, to produce an ideal pouring consistency, then pour into a sauce boat and serve.
            timing:
            15 minutes to make

            CHRISTMAS PUDDING
            This is best made before Christmas and allowed to mature. This recipe makes two puddings, by the way: one for you and one for a friend!
            Ingredients
            6oz/170g raisins, chopped
            6oz/170g sultanas, chopped
            6oz/170g currants, chopped
            3oz/85g chopped peel
            rind of 1 lemon, grated
            1 cooking apple, peeled and chopped
            3oz/85g plain flour
            Quarter teaspoon of mixed spice
            Quarter teaspoon of ground nutmeg
            Quarter teaspoon of ground cinnamon
            4oz/115g breadcrumbs
            6oz/170g vegetable suet or butter or margarine
            7oz/200g sugar
            2 fluid oz/60 ml fruit juice or sherry or brandy
            juice of half a lemon
            3 free range eggs, beaten
            2oz/55g honey
            pinch of salt
            4oz/115g pine kernels
            4oz/115g Brazil nuts, broken or chopped
            4oz/115g sweet almonds, peeled or chopped
            Method
            Grease two 2 pint/1.1 litre pudding basins and place two saucepans of water over a medium heat.
            Mix the raisins, sultanas and currants together with the chopped peel, lemon rind and apple.
            Mix the flour, spices and breadcrumbs together in a separate bowl and rub in the suet or butter, then add the contents of this bowl to the fruit mixture. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix everything together well. Add the remaining ingredients and work to an even consistency.
            Put the mixture into the basins, cover them with greased greaseproof paper and finish off with a pudding cloth tied around the rim of the basin. Put each pudding into a pan of simmering water (make sure the water doesn't come over the rim) and steam, with a lid, for 5 to 6 hours. Take care that the pans do not boil dry. When you refill them, use boiling water from a kettle.
            Allow the puddings to cool and then store in a cool, dry place until Christmas.
            On Christmas Day bring out one of the puddings and steam for two hours before eating. Serve hot with cream and brandy butter.
            timing:
            6 hours to make