Christmas in Australia during an El Niño summer means coping with the heat by relaxing under a shady tree or staying put inside in air-conditioned comfort. Victoria is blessed with dry heat and when the temperatures soar into the late 30’Cs and 40’Cs it is almost bearable.

Christmas used to be a large family gathering at my mum and dads, but since they moved into a retirement village, Christmas gatherings have changed and getting together is a challenge. If we get together at our home, we walk along the beach early in the morning, read the nativity story, open presents and eat an afternoon feast under the large tree.

Our longstanding family tradition for Christmas that everyone loves, is my mum’s mushroom roulade, her plant-based substitute for a turkey made only once a year.

No one in our family has celiac disease, so once a year we use gluten flour to make the roulade for Christmas Day.

I’ve tweaked my mother’s recipe by using my favourite stuffing of plant-based bacon, cranberries, walnuts and apples with a mushroom gravy. Mum’s stuffing uses plant-based bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms.

The secret to the stuffing’s success is using stale bread to avoid a soggy mess. I use a large square fry pan to make the roulade.

Health benefits:

· Gluten is often used to make seitan, a meat alternative used by vegetarians to make faux chicken, faux turkey and other vegetarian foods.

· A 120 gram (4 ounce) serving of seitan contains about 50 percent of the recommended daily intake of protein or about 26 grams of protein. Despite its high protein content, gluten is very low in fat.

MUSHROOM ROULADE

PB, V

Stuffing:

200 g plant-based deli slices

2 shallots, finely diced

1 garlic clove, finely sliced

1 celery stick, diced

¼ cup (35 g) dried cranberries

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ cup (60 ml.) vegetable stock

6 slices stale bread, chunks

½ apple, finely diced

¼ cup (35 g) walnuts, pieces (or olives)

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 tsp fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

pinch of sea salt

Roulade:

1 onion, finely diced

2 tbsp (20 g) flaxseeds

1 cup (240 ml.) water

¾ cup (185 ml.) plant milk

1 tsp (6 g) marmite /vegemite

2 tbsp (9 g) chickpea flour

1 tbsp (15 g) coconut aminos /tamari

1 tsp (3 g) garlic powder

fresh thyme, sage, rosemary - finely chopped

1 – 1½ cups (120-180 g) gluten flour

olive oil

brown string

For the gravy:

2 x 400 ml. tins of mushroom soup

2 cups (480 ml.) water

To make the stuffing, pour a little olive oil in a medium sized fry pan and cook the plant-based deli slices, shallots, garlic, celery and cranberries or mushrooms over a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add vegetable stock and olive oil, and cook for a minute. Add the bread cubes, apples, walnuts, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, pepper, and stir to combine. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to slightly cool.

Mill chia seeds in a pestle and mortar. Place onion, water, milk, marmite, chickpea flour, tamari, garlic and herbs into a blender, and blitz until mixed. Pour mixture into a bowl, add 1 cup gluten flour and stir with hand mixer. If the mixture is sloppy, add more gluten flour and mix together. Heat a large square fry pan on a high temperature, pour in a little olive oil and heat for a few seconds. Pour mixture into fry pan, spread evenly over the base, and cover with a lid for a few minutes until the oil bubbles through the mixture. Cook for 10 -15 minutes on a medium low heat until the gluten dough is cooked and the underside is golden. Dampen a tea towel, place on a chopping board and slide the cooked gluten square on top. Set aside until it is warm.

When the gluten square is warm, spread the stuffing over the mixture. Using the tea towel, roll the gluten square from one end until it resembles a log. Using lengths of brown string, tie the gluten log 4-5 times along the length to secure, making sure not to cut into the log. If making ahead of dinner party or Christmas day, cool thoroughly and place the gluten log in a container and freeze.

On the day you intend to serve the roulade, take it from the freezer to thaw for several hours. An hour before serving, mix the tins of mushroom soup and tin of water in a bowl. Place the mushroom roulade in a square fry pan, pour the mushroom soup over the seiten log and baste frequently for 30-40 minutes on a low heat until the mushroom roulade is heated and the mushroom gravy is reduced. If serving as a centrepiece, place on a serving dish and surround with cooked vegetables like broccolini, beets and carrots, and serve immediately.