Party Nut Loaf

Tried this the other night, it came out very well, takes a bit of pre-preparation, but then goes quickly. If you are not vegetarian, then just use regular cheese and milk. We had it with gravy, baby roasted potatoes and caramelised onions. It is recommended to serve it with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, also posted here, although I did not do that on this occasion due to the prohibitively high cost of red peppers! From Linda McCartneys World of Vegetarian Cooking

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4  ounces butter
• 1  large onion, finely chopped
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons plain flour
• 4 -5  tablespoons milk or 4 -5  tablespoons soya milk
• 3  large  free range eggs, separated
• 7  ounces unsalted cashews, finely ground
• 6  ounces brazil nuts, finely ground
• 2  ounces  mature vegetarian cheddar cheese, grated
• 1  tablespoon  freshly chopped parsley

• Filling

• 4  shallots, chopped
• 3  ounces mushrooms, chopped
• 1  medium courgette, grated
• 1  teaspoon  freshly chopped thyme
• 1  teaspoon rosemary
• 1  teaspoon sage
• 2  tablespoons  freshly chopped parsley
• 2  tablespoons chives
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•  sea  salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Butter a 2lb loaf tin and line it with well-greased non-stick baking parchment.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt 1 oz of the butter and soften the onion over a medium heat for about five minutes.
3. Stir in the flour and cook for a further minute. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens. Simmer for two minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.
4. Cool, the beat in the egg whites (put the yolks to one side for the filling), nuts, breadcrumbs, cheese and parsley, and mix well.
5. Put aside until you have prepared the filling.
6. Filling : Cook the shallots in the remaining butter until soft, then add the mushrooms and cook over a high heat until browned.
7. Add the courgette to the pan and cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the juices run, then add the herbs and nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Allow to cool slightly, then stir in the egg yolks.
8. Spread half of the nut mixture into the prepared loaf tin, spoon the mushroom and courgette filling on top, and cover with the remaining nut mixture.bake at 180c/350F/gas 4 for 40 minutes, or until firm. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before turning out the loaf on to a serving plate and slice it using a very sharp knife.