Spinach and Apricot Wreath Recipe

Serves:

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
250g (8 oz) spinach leaves, wilted, drained and squeezed of excess moisture
50g (2 oz) toasted pine nuts
Handful of dill, chopped, plus extra fronds to garnish
Handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
50 g (2 oz) ready-to-eat dried apricots, roughly chopped
200 g (7 oz) silken tofu
500 g (1 lb) ready-made vegan shortcrust pastry
Plain flour, for dusting
50 ml (2 fl oz) oat milk
50 g (2 oz) mixed black and white sesame seeds
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté the onions with the garlic over a medium heat for about 6minutes until softened.

2. Stir in the wilted spinach and cook until any excess water evaporates. Then add the toasted pine nuts, herbs, lemon zest, apricots and tofu, season to taste with salt and pepper and mix together. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool.

3. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), gas mark 6. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper.

4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface toa rectangle about 20 x 60cm (8 x 24 inches). With one longer side nearest to you, spread the spinach mixture evenly over the pastry, leaving a 1.5cm (¾ inch) clear border along both longer sides and a 2.5cm (1 inch) clear border along both shorter sides.

5. Roll up the pastry from the longer side nearest to you in a long sausage shape, then brush the opposite longer pastry border with a little water and press to seal. Place seam-side down and curve into a ring, then pinch the ends together to seal.

6. Slice the outer side of the ring into sausage-roll-sized sections, leaving the inner side intact so that it makes a neat wreathlike shape. Carefully transfer the wreath to the lined tray, brush all over with the oat milk and sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.

7. Remove from the oven and let the wreath cool for 10minutes, then garnish with extra dill fronds, slice and serve.

Recipe extracted from A Very Vegan Christmas by Sam Dixon (£16.99, Hamlyn)

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