Apricot and pecan stuffing with green sauce

Veganisable Side Christmas

4-6

Prep 25 min

Cook 45 min

This can be just about put together from a well-stocked pantry: those dried apricots and pecans are in there somewhere, trust me (and if they’re not, use figs and walnuts instead). Make it a day ahead, if you like, ready to reheat before serving and topping with the freshly made green sauce.

Ingredients

½	loaf sourdough (350g), crusts removed, crumb torn into 1cm pieces (300g)
60ml	olive oil
2	red onions, peeled and finely chopped (275g)
2	celery sticks, trimmed and finely chopped (120g)
3	garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1	tsp rosemary leaves, finely chopped
1	green apple, peeled, cored and grated (100g)
250g	chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced
Fine	sea salt and black pepper
50g	pecans, roughly chopped
50g	dried apricots, finely chopped
1	lemon, zest finely grated, to get 1½ tsp, and juiced, to get 1 tbsp
75ml	brandy, or whisky or rum
1½ tbsp	white miso paste
For the green sauce
½	red onion, peeled and finely chopped (60g)
1	garlic clove, peeled and crushed
¼ tsp	rosemary leaves, finely chopped
20g	parsley leaves, finely chopped
45ml	olive oil

Method

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Put the torn bread on a large roasting tray and bake for 15 minutes, turning a few times, until dry and crisp. (alternatively, leave the bread out overnight ahead of time and dry at room temperature, or use stale bread).
Meanwhile, put a large, shallow saute pan on a medium-high heat, then add three tablespoons of oil, the onion, celery, garlic, rosemary, apple, 100g of the mushrooms, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
When its time is up, take the bread out of the oven and turn up the temperature to 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½. Tip the bread into a large bowl, add the remaining mushrooms, oil, pecans, apricots, lemon zest, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper, and mix to combine.
Pour the brandy into the onion pan, cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the miso and 250ml water and bring to a boil. Cook for another minute, then tip into the bowl. Using a spoon, mix quickly and vigorously to coat then tip the mix back into the pan. Spread it out evenly, with some of the mix poking out here and there, then bake for 25 minutes until nicely charred all over. Remove and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes.
While the stuffing is baking (or reheating), make the green sauce. Put the onion in a small bowl with the lemon juice and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, toss and leave to sit for five to 10 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the remaining ingredients, season to taste and spoon over the baked stuffing.