Alternative Christmas

Here's our all time favourite receipe for Christmas day. Very quick to make and kind to turkeys! Serve it with the usual roast potatoes and veg, plus horseradish and/or cranberry sauce.

Chestnut, walnut and red wine loaf

1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
25g butter or margarine
4 garlic cloves, crushed
350g chestnuts, cooked
350g cashew nuts, chopped
100g walnuts, chopped
100g cheddar cheese, grated
150ml red wine
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon brandy
half teaspoon paprika
half teaspoon dried thyme and basil
2 eggs
salt & pepper

Set the oven to 190o deg C/Gas Mark 5. Grease and line 2lb loaf tin with a long strip of greaseproof paper to cover base and short sides of the tin.
Fry the onion and celery in the butter or margarine for 7 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients, seasoning well with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin. Cover with a piece of foil and bake for one hour, then remove the foil and continue cooking for a further 15 minutes, until firm in the centre.
Remove loaf from oven and allow to stand for five minutes, then loosen edges by slipping a knife between loaf and tin. Turn loaf out onto a warmed serving dish. Serves 8.