Cashew Loaf
By: pentalia
Published: Monday, March 29, 2010 - 7:31am

Ingredients




2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped (or 2 med. leeks, white part only)
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme or summer savory
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 cups ground cashews (other nuts can be substituted) *
3 cups bread crumbs

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 360 deg. F. 2 In a large pan, melt the butter with the black pepper.  When melted, cook celery and onion for a few minutes.  Add the flour, and smooth out lumps with a spatula.  Gradually add the stock until mixture is well-blended and free of lumps. 3 Remove from heat and stir in the salt, herbs, and garlic powder.  Add the nuts and bread crumbs, and mix well. 4 Butter a loaf pan (Pyrex 8-1/2” x 4-1/2” x 2-1/2” is good) and press the mixture into the pan.  Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, or until the sides start to brown at the top. 5 Remove from oven and let sit for at least 5 - 10 minutes, the longer, the better for slicing.  When ready to serve, run a knife around the top of the loaf and turn out of the pan onto a serving plate.

About


* Note: start with at least 4 cups of nuts before grinding.
Serve this with a good vegetarian gravy, and you've got a great special-occasion main dish.
This recipe was adapted (over several years) from the "Cashew Nut Roast" recipe that appears on the Vegan Family House website. I have substituted ingredients that are easier to obtain here in the U.S., and I finally gave up on stuffing the loaf because it's almost impossible to get slices that hold together with the stuffing in the middle. Many thanks to Vegan Family House for their inspiring and helpful recipe.