Rainbow Vegetable Terrine

by The Happy Pear

This rainbow-coloured take on the traditional French terrine sits in the fridge overnight and is served cold. It's ideal for using up whatever veg you have left in the fridge to make a dinner for the next day.

4 people 25 minutes 40 minutes

Ingredients

400 g Black Beans drained and rinsed
2 - Carrots
2 cloves Garlic thinly sliced
2 - Red Pepper cut into long strips
2 tsp Sea Salt
200 g Spinach
1 - SuperValu Aubergine cut into matchsticks
2 - SuperValu Courgette cut into matchsticks
7 tbsp SuperValu Oil
500 g Sweet Potatoes
300 g The Happy Pear Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Line a 2lb loaf tin with cling film to make it easy to take out the terrine later on.
Put the courgette and aubergine matchsticks in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Mix to coat all the veg evenly.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut in half lengthwise into 1cm strips. Do the same with the carrots. Put the sweet potato and carrot strips in a separate bowl with 2 tablespoons of the oil and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Mix thoroughly, coating the veg evenly.
Put the pepper strips in another bowl with 2 tablespoons of the oil and the remaining ½ teaspoon of the salt. Mix thoroughly, coating all the strips evenly.
Put the vegetables on three separate baking trays. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until they smell delicious and look slightly charred. They should all be soft and well cooked. Leave to cool.
Meanwhile, bring a medium-sized pot of water to the boil. Add the spinach and blanch for 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold water to halt the cooking process. Pat the spinach dry with kitchen paper.
Use the spinach leaves to line the tin, overlapping them slightly and leaving enough hanging over the sides so that you can fold them back over the terrine once you’ve finished layering it. Reserve a few leaves for later.
Put a small pan on a high heat. Once it’s hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic and stir continuously for 1 minute, until golden, then add the black beans. Cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and mash the beans with a potato masher.
As this is a rainbow terrine, start by layering the bottom of the lined tin with the red peppers. Now add a couple of spoons of pesto on top and spread it over the top of the red pepper layer, like a thin layer of butter in a sandwich.
Next layer up the carrots, pressing them down with a potato masher, a flat spatula or a tin to even them out, packing the layers tightly. Add another thin layer of pesto.
Now add the squash layer. Continue to press down the terrine after each layer. This is the key to keeping your terrine tight and compact once sliced. Add a thin layer of pesto.
Repeat with the courgettes and aubergines, pressing down each time and adding another thin layer of pesto.
Finally, add an even layer of the mashed black beans. Press down one last time, then fold the spinach leaves tightly over the bean layer, filling in the gaps with the reserved spinach.
Wrap the top of the terrine tightly with the overhanging cling film. Find something heavy, like a couple of tins, to put on top of the terrine as a weight. Put the terrine in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
To serve, turn the terrine out onto a board or large plate, using the cling film to help lift it out of the tin. Remove the cling film, then slice the terrine and serve with a drizzle of pesto on top.