Vegetarian Recipe
These recipes are ones I love to make and serve as part of a menu for a client! Vegetables, in general, have been underrated, but vegetarianism is now a mainstream diet or lifestyle. Every chef needs to have a portfolio of recipes to offer. Like everything cooking you have, keep trying and learn from each recipe that you do. Some recipes offer simplicity; others, complexity. Follow the recipe and ensure that you give yourself enough time to do the recipe. Good Luck!
SIMPLE, QUICK AND EASY VEGETABLE STEW
This is a quick and simple recipe, using canned ingredients from your cupboard. It makes a hearty bowl of vegetable stew, especially warming in the chilly days and evening of winter! Such a versatile base for meat, fish and other extras you might like. It is high in protein and low in calories. You can adapt the recipe by adding Harissa, instead of the cumin, to make it Moroccan or use basil and garlic with a little smoked paprika to give it that Italian twist! You can use any tinned beans, red kidney, black beans, chickpeas and soon. I have added potatoes to this, but you can serve this with rice or pasta. If you want to add meat, like a roasted chicken thigh would be perfect on top of a helping. It is a good base for other ingredients
Equipment
- Large saucepan
- Spatula
- Soup serving spoon
Ingredients
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1-2 cloves garlic crushed
- olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes rinse with water and add to the pan
- 200 g tin kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 200 g tin cannellini beans rinsed and drained
- 200 g tin black beans rinsed and drained
- 100 g green beans chopped
- 100 g spinach washed and roughly chopped or use baby leaves
- 200 g small potatoes cut into small quarters optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until softened. Add the cumin and cook for a minute.
- Add in the tomatoes and the tomato puree, plus the water used to rinse out the tomato can and simmer for 10 minutes, until thickened.
- Add all the beans and cook for 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for another 5. Serve with crusty brown bread.
Notes
Feeds 2- 4 people depending on how hungry everyone is!
Time to prepare and cook: 25 minutes
Time to prepare and cook: 25 minutes
BROCCOLI and CHEESE WITH PASTA BAKE
Equipment
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente – this will take a couple of minutes less than pack instructions. Halfway through the pasta cooking time, add the broccoli to the pan. Drain, then toss the pasta and broccoli in the oil to coat.
- While the pasta and broccoli are cooking, bring the milk to a simmer with the bay leaf in a separate pan, then remove from the heat and set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the flour and whisk together. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often until combined and beginning to stick to the pan.
- Whisk in the milk gradually, making sure there are no lumps, then reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 8-10 mins until the sauce is thickened and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in three-quarters of the cheese, the mustard (you can add more, if you like), nutmeg, plenty of black pepper and some salt. Remove the bay leaf. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
- Put the pasta and broccoli in a large baking dish (approx: 30cm x 22cm) and pour over the sauce. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 mins before serving.
Ingredients
- 300 g short wholemeal pasta shapes such as fusilli or penne
- 800 g broccoli about 3 heads, cut into large florets
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.2 litres milk
- 1 bay leaf scrunched up a little
- 60 g butter
- 60 g plain flour
- 200 g grated cheddar mature is good and strong, or use whatever cheese you like
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 60 g breadcrumbs you can use white, brown, gluten free, or panko for a chrunchier texture
Instructions
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente – this will take a couple of minutes less than pack instructions. Halfway through the pasta cooking time, add the broccoli to the pan. Drain, then toss the pasta and broccoli in the oil to coat.
- While the pasta and broccoli are cooking, bring the milk to a simmer with the bay leaf in a separate pan, then remove from the heat and set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the flour and whisk together. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often until combined and beginning to stick to the pan.
- Whisk in the milk gradually, making sure there are no lumps, then reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 8-10 mins until the sauce is thickened and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in three-quarters of the cheese, the mustard (you can add more, if you like), nutmeg, plenty of black pepper and some salt. Remove the bay leaf. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
- Put the pasta and broccoli in a large baking dish (approx: 30cm x 22cm) and pour over the sauce. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 mins before serving.
Notes
A good warming baked recipe which is hearty and delicious!
You can vary the by adding some diced cooked bacon or sausages cut in to chunks and fried before adding to the broccoli and pasta. If you like spicy then why not add chorizo, or merguez sausages? Just an idea to vary the dish.
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 60 minutes
Serves 4
Cooking time 60 minutes
Serves 4
COLESLAW
A classic salad dish for summer. Any picnic or BBQ is not complete without a dish of coleslaw. Always use a good mayonnaise as that is at the heart of the coleslaw. Salad cream just does not do it for me!
Ingredients
- 1 small white cabbage – finely sliced
- 1 Small red cabbage – finely sliced
- 500 g carrots – grated
- 2 white onions – finely sliced optional
- 2 large jars of mayonnaise
- Season with salt and pepper
Instructions
- Use as much of the white and red cabbage as needed. A quarter of each will serve up to 4 people.
- In a large bowl mix the cabbages, carrots and onion together with the mayonnaise. Ensure the mayo covers the mixture well. It needs to be quite a wet mixture. It will last for 3 days in the fridge.
- You can add other flavours and textures such as diced apple, raisins, pine nuts and so on.
Notes
Serves 10-12