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We’re sharing a taste of A Very Vegan Christmas – The Complete Mini Cookbook for a Magical Festive Feast
Get ready to make this holiday season unforgettable with A Very Vegan Christmas – The Complete Mini Cookbook for a Magical Festive Feast, available now, exclusively on the Viva! shop. Whether you’re hosting a family gathering or preparing an intimate dinner, this new mini cookbook is set to transform your Christmas spread into an event to remember.
Packed with 30 mouthwatering recipes, A Very Vegan Christmas brings together showstopping starters, magnificent mains, essential sides and indulgent desserts, ensuring there’s something for everyone.
You can buy the Viva! Xmas Bundle for a special discounted price of £16 at: https://vivashop.org.uk/collections/books/products/bundle
Chestnut, mushroom & red wine pithivier (serves two)
This is a zingier, fresher take on the beloved and classic pasta al sugo. It’s important to use the sweetest tomatoes (Datterini) to counteract the sharpness of the lemon.
A few anchovies melted in at the beginning are also welcome, if you’re an anchovy addict like me. Olives are a good addition, as are capers, parsley, tuna, rocket… I could go on. Otherwise, keep it simple and relish the sweet-sour of those classic cornerstones of Mediterranean cookery: lemon and tomato.
Making your own tagliatelle is easy and satisfying, and allows you to flavour and colour it with saffron, but if you’re short on time, add a pinch of saffron to the sauce and use ready-made tagliatelle. Grating an onion provokes stinging tears, but it’s quick and effective at extracting all of its sweetness once gently sautéed in olive oil. I grate it directly into the pan.
Ingredients:
For the tagliatelle:
• Two eggs
• 200 g (7oz/11/3 cups) semola or 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon ground saffron
For the sauce:
• Two tablespoons best-quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 small white onion
• 200 g (7oz) Datterini tomatoes
• One lemon, a few strips of peeled zest & squeeze of juice
• A good pinch of sea salt
• One teaspoon of sugar or
light honey
• Marjoram, basil or parsley leaves, to serve
Method:
First, make the pasta. Using either a stand mixer with a dough hook or your hands, mix eggs into the semola, then add the saffron & knead it into the dough until smooth. Leave to rest wrapped in cling film for about 20 minutes.
Roll out the dough until just thin enough to see through (about the thickness of a penny). Cut into 1cm (1/2 in) wide strips by hand or using your pasta machine and set aside, well dusted with extra semola to stop it sticking.
To make the sauce, heat the oil in a deep frying pan (skillet) over a low heat and grate the onion into it. Sauté until soft and translucent. Halve the tomatoes, throw in and turn the heat up (it will spit and hiss a bit, but not to worry). Cook until the tomatoes begin to collapse, then add the strips of lemon zest and continue cooking for a few minutes. Add the salt, sugar or honey and taste for seasoning. Add a squeeze of lemon juice.
Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of well-salted boiling water until al dente. Drain the pasta and stir through the sauce, adjust the seasoning and serve with plenty of marjoram, basil or parsley scattered over, an extra drizzle of oil and a grating of fresh lemon zest.
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