30-Minute Vegetarian

To vegetarians, would-be vegetarians and vegans everywhere, with my love.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

Introduction

Cook’s Notes

Soups & Starters

Chilled Beetroot Soup with Horseradish Cream

Celeriac Soup with Truffle Oil and Cheese Crisps

Creamy Swede Soup with Fried Onion and Cumin Topping

Tuscan Bean Soup

Butternut Squash Soup with Chilli Oil

Green Pea and Mint Soup

Mango and Red Chilli Salad

Grilled Chicory and Fennel with Tomato Marinade

Asian Pear Salad

Radicchio alla Griglia

Roasted Asparagus with Instant Hollandaise

Grilled Fennel with Goat’s Cheese and Olives

Little Goat’s Cheese Filo Parcels with Cranberry Sauce

A Trio of Dips

Stilton and Port with Black Pepper

Guacamole

Red Pepper Salsa

Artichoke Hearts with Baby Mushrooms

Little Aubergine Fritters with Caper Sauce

Figs with Stilton and Warm Honey and Balsamic Dressing

Snacks & Light Meals

Warm Lime-roasted Sweet Potato and Couscous Salad

Bulgur, Edamame, Pea and Broad Bean Salad with Minted Yoghurt Dressing

Baby Green Bean and Butter Bean Salad with Garlic Croutes

Mexican Bean Salad

Warm Quinoa Salad with Broad Beans and Pomegranate

Warm Salad of Roasted Cauliflower, Watercress and Salty Cheese

Quinoa with Basil and Pine Nuts

Cauliflower Cheese with Mustard, Capers and Cherry Tomatoes

Superfood Salad

Warm Butternut Squash with Baby-leaf Spinach, Red Onion and Pine Nuts

Grilled Aubergine with Halloumi and Mint

Avocado and Roasted Potato Salad with Creamy Dressing

Omelettes

Omelette Toppings

Nut Pâté with Date and Mint Chutney

Beautiful Bruschette and Crostini

Tandoori Potato Skewers with Minty Raita

Onion Bhajees

Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Balsamic Reduction

Tempura Vegetables

Rösti Potato ‘Crisps’ with Soured Cream and Chive Dip

Spanakopita with Tzatziki

Everyday Suppers

Potato and Leek Gratin

Roasted Winter Vegetables with Spiced Lentils and Feta

Broad Bean Lasagne

Wholemeal Penne with Broccoli and Pesto

Quick Mediterranean Pasta

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Spaghetti with Lentil Bolognaise

Macaroni Cheese

Fried Rice with Cashew Nuts and Asparagus

Celery Rice with Toasted Almonds and Watercress and Carrot Sauté

Egyptian Rice and Lentils with Caramelised Onions and Pine Nuts

Oven-baked Asparagus and Pea Risotto

Borlotti Bean and Mushroom Stew

Red Bean Wraps

Lentil Chilli Croquettes with Dill Sauce

Ultimate Red Bean Chilli

Courgette Balls in a Spicy Sauce

Quick and Easy Courgette Tart

Tomato and Pesto Tart with a Walnut Crust

Chunky Chestnut Sausages

French Bread Pizzas

Asparagus Frittata with Caper Mayo

Tempeh Flat Cakes

Thai-flavoured Chickpea and Millet Cakes with Red Pepper Sauce

Red Hot Udon Stir-fry

Deep-fried Tofu with Lemon

Black Sesame-coated Tofu Triangles with Noodles and Pak Choy

Kerala Curry

Roasted Aubergine in Tomato Sauce with Melted Mozzarella

Food for Family & Friends

Rendang Malaysian Vegetable and Coconut Curry

Thai Stir-fry

Marinated Tofu with Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Tahini Sauce

Quick Dosa Masala with Fresh Tomato Chutney

Vegetable Curry with Bombay Potatoes and Dal

Stuffed Squash with Walnuts and Goat’s Cheese

Pointed Red Peppers Stuffed with Artichoke Hearts and Feta

Griddled Mediterranean Vegetables with Couscous, Hummus and Toasted Pine Nuts

Stuffed Brandied Field Mushrooms

Grilled Garlic Mushroom Skewers

Baked Stuffed Avocados

Grilled Halloumi Skewers with Red and Yellow Peppers and Herby Couscous

Creamy Leek Tart

Gratin Dauphinois

Red Onion Tarts

Spinach Tagliatelle with Walnuts

Wild Mushrooms in Cream with Potato and Celeriac Mash

Pappardelle with Wild Mushrooms

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Griddled Courgette and Red Pepper Rice Bowls

Almond and Pecan Roast with Sherry Gravy

Orange-scented Bulgur Pilaf

Wonderful Rice Pilaf

Mediterranean Strudel

Fast Falafel

Middle Eastern Salad Platter with Baba Ganoosh

Salads & Sides

Summer Salad of Beans and Herbs

Baby Spinach, Apple, Celery and Hazelnut Salad

Salad of Chicory, Fresh Dill, Wild Rocket and Avocado

Red Cabbage Casserole

Easy Crunchy Coleslaw

Shaved Kohlrabi Salad with Watercress

Braised Carrots with Cumin

Carrot Salad with Coriander and Orange

Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Gomasio

Red Chard with Olive Oil and Lemon

Brussels Sprouts with Mustard-maple Glaze and Sichuan Pepper

Asian Flavours Salad

Asian Pressed Salad with Gomasio

Roasted Cauliflower Platter

Mixed Heirloom Tomato Salad

French-style Petit Pois

Chopped Multicoloured Salad

Radicchio with Raspberry Vinegar

Pan-fried Cabbage with Tomato Sauce

Baby Broad Beans in the Pod with Creamy Parsley Sauce

Crunchy Roast Parsnips with Horseradish Dip

Bircher Potatoes

Millet, Cauliflower and Parsley Mash

Roast Potato Wedges with Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar

Sweet Things

Blueberry Crumble

Blackberry and Apple Compote with Mascarpone and Toasted Hazelnuts

Rhubarb and Ginger Compote

Apricot Compote

Hot Plum Compote with Cinnamon

Gooseberry and Elderflower Fool

Jewelled Fruit Flan

Mango and Cardamom Fool

Warm Figs Braised in Honey with Toasted Almonds

Turkish Fruit Salad

Instant Strawberry and Honey Ice Cream

Satsuma Syllabub

Cinnamon Pancakes with Rose-scented Raspberry Jam

Glazed Pears with Crunchy Almond Filling

Fruit Salad with Lime and Mint in a Mango Coulis

Chocolate Amaretti Pudding

Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar, Rum and Crème Fraîche

Fast White Chocolate and Lime Cheesecake

Speedy Chocolate and Hazelnut Brownies

Chocolate ‘Truffles’ and ‘Power Balls’

Chocolate Chestnut Cake

Quick Almond and Raspberry Biscuits

Banana with Macadamia ‘Salted Caramel’ Sauce

List of Recipes

Acknowledgements

Copyright

About the Publisher

Introduction

Welcome to 30-minute Vegetarian. Whether you’re a fully signed-up vegetarian or vegan, a ‘flexitarian’, ‘meat-reducer’, ‘pescatarian’, demi-veg, or just want to enjoy a meat-free meal now and then, come on in. If you want fast, easy, tasty vegetable-based meals; if you’re looking for quick meals made from clean, natural, healthy ingredients; if you love exciting flavours, bold colours, vibrant ingredients, eating well and having fun in the kitchen, this is the book for you.

With study after study showing the health benefits of vegetarian food, the World Health Organisation recommending we eat ‘five a day’, the wealth of amazing vegetables, fruits, grains, pulses, herbs and spices now available from all over the world, and restaurants becoming increasingly creative with their veggie choices, there’s never been a better time to try more vegetable-based meals: vegetarian cookery has come of age!

It hasn’t always been like this. When, at the tender age of 17, I started cooking vegetarian meals for visitors to the retreat centre run by my family, things were very different. The great majority of visitors had never eaten vegetarian food before. I had to struggle to convince people that they wouldn’t fade away or make themselves ill if they gave up meat; I was also up against a much more rigid approach to meals than we have now. ‘What on earth do you eat instead of a roast for Sunday dinner?’ people used to ask, and the vegetables and ingredients available were very limited: it’s hard to believe now that a green pepper was about as exotic as it got, and olive oil was something you bought from the chemist!

In spite of all that, I loved the challenge of creating colourful, tasty food that would please and excite the visitors. I must have done something right, because they raved about the dishes and wanted to know how to make them. So I wrote a recipe book, Simply Delicious, published by my family in the autumn of 1967. I thought that it would be a small charity publication that might raise funds for the retreat centre, but it took off immediately, sold out, and was reprinted many times. Simply Delicious was, in fact, one of only two vegetarian cookery books on sale nationwide at that time. I must admit to feeling proud that, as far as I am aware, it was the first cookbook ever to stipulate the use of free-range eggs.

I continued to cook at the retreat centre and in 1972 wrote another recipe book, Not Just a Load of Lentils, which my family also published, with the practical, spiral binding I wanted. Then things took an unexpected turn: the paperback publisher Fontana (a division of HarperCollins, then called Collins) spotted the book, bought the paperback rights and became my publishers, as indeed they still are today. Over sixty books followed throughout the seventies, eighties, nineties and beyond, and as the book sales added up to the 4-million mark, so the numbers of vegetarians in the UK grew and grew.

Over that time it’s been a joy to see the increasing interest in vegetarian cooking. It’s always a thrill when people tell me, as they often do, that because of my books they’ve become vegetarian, started a restaurant, opened a health shop, or written a book. I also love it when, at just about every book signing or demonstration I do, at least one person approaches me, often with a baby, child or even teenager in tow, saying they were raised on my Vegetarian Mother and Baby Book. That book, which has had many reprints and new editions, grew from my own experience of bringing up my three daughters as vegetarians (as I was myself). Now, at the time of writing, I have six grandchildren, also vegetarian.

What everyone is asking for now is vegetable-based meals that can be made quickly and easily, and this book, 30-minute Vegetarian, is my answer. There are 140 recipes ranging from fast starters and snacks, wonderful soups, to luxurious, indulgent desserts, with main courses for every occasion and lots of exciting side dishes too. I’ve arranged the mains according to how we like to eat them at home, so there’s a section of everyday suppers, and another of meals for friends and family … mix and match as much as you like, add to them, put your own stamp on them, enjoy them.

All the recipes can be made in 30 minutes, some in much less time, others just within the time frame. I admit it: I’ve pushed it to the limit in a handful of recipes, relying on advance preparation of the ingredients before starting the timer in order to get them done. I hope you’ll bear with me on these: they are all special, worth that extra bit of preparation time, and I really wanted you to have them.

I hope you will enjoy making and eating all the dishes as much as I have enjoyed creating, tasting and testing them: have fun, have a feast, celebrate!

Cook’s notes

Measurements

Both metric and imperial measurements are given for the recipes. Use one set of measurements only, not a mixture of the two.

Oven and grill

Preheat the oven to the specified temperature; if using a fan-assisted oven, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for adjusting the temperature. This usually means reducing the temperature by 20°C (65°F). Grills also need to be preheated.

Ingredients

As a general rule, buy the best ingredients you can afford on the day. Prefer ‘whole’ products, such as wholemeal flour and brown rice, over more highly processed ones. Look at labels. A good rule of thumb is the fewer and simpler ingredients in the list the better: no preservatives, stabilisers, emulsifiers and so on, and nothing with an unpronounceable name!

Always wash vegetables before use. Leaves intended for a salad need to be dried after being washed, such as in a salad spinner, so excess water doesn’t spoil the final dish.

The recipes in this book are purposely low in sugar; I prefer to use brown rice syrup (from good wholefood shops) or maple syrup for sweetness. For seasoning I use sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, either coarse or fine.

For these recipes, use medium eggs (free-range, of course) unless otherwise stated.

Cheese and dairy

Cheese was traditionally made using rennet taken from the stomachs of slaughtered calves; some cheeses, such as Parmesan, Gorgonzola, most Gruyères and Roquefort, still are. However, for most cheeses there are vegetarian versions, made using rennet derived from plant sources. These include hard Italian cheeses, often in the economy ranges of supermarkets, which can easily replace Parmesan. Read the packets, or ask at the cheese counter for advice. Note that most bought pesto contains Parmesan and is therefore not vegetarian, but vegetarian and vegan versions are available. When buying soft cheeses and yoghurts, look out for the addition of gelatine in some; these, of course, are not vegetarian.

Flavourings

Worcestershire sauce and most Thai pastes contain fish paste; vegetarian versions are available. As always, it’s important to read the label. The soy sauce I use is Clearspring’s Japanese shoyu soy; according to the label, it’s ‘made to a traditional recipe using whole soya beans and aged in cedarwood kegs over two summers’. Soy sauces range in quality as much as wine. It can make a great difference to a dish, so buy the best.

Alcohol

Many alcoholic drinks on sale in pubs and on the high street have been made using animal products to clear them of cloudiness in a process called ‘fining’. Products used include gelatine, egg white, fish oil, and shells of lobsters and crabs. However, alternative finings are available and there are many wines and other alcoholic drinks that are vegetarian and vegan. Sometimes the labels will tell you this; otherwise, wine merchants and the internet are useful sources of information.

Vegan recipes

Many of the recipes in this book are naturally vegan and are labelled as such. Many more can easily be made vegan by the slight changes suggested below the recipe in ‘Make it vegan’.

Soups & Starters

Chilled Beetroot Soup with Horseradish Cream

Celeriac Soup with Truffle Oil and Cheese Crisps

Creamy Swede Soup with Fried Onion and Cumin Topping

Tuscan Bean Soup

Butternut Squash Soup with Chilli Oil

Green Pea and Mint Soup

Mango and Red Chilli Salad

Grilled Chicory and Fennel with Tomato Marinade

Asian Pear Salad

Radicchio alla Griglia

Roasted Asparagus with Instant Hollandaise

Grilled Fennel with Goat’s Cheese and Olives

Little Goat’s Cheese Filo Parcels with Cranberry Sauce

A Trio of Dips

Stilton and Port with Black Pepper

Guacamole

Red Pepper Salsa

Artichoke Hearts with Baby Mushrooms

Little Aubergine Fritters with Caper Sauce

Figs with Stilton and Warm Honey and Balsamic Dressing

Chilled Beetroot Soup with Horseradish Cream

One of my all-time favourite soups: I just love the brilliant colour, the sweet-salty balance of the beetroot and seasoning, the little sour hint of lemon, the spiciness of the black pepper … and for me, it has to be chilled. So that means dicing the vegetables small so they cook quickly, in the minimum amount of water, then cooling the soup rapidly with icy water, in order to get it done in 30 minutes. That’s perfectly possible, and it’s delicious with its swirl of peppery horseradish cream and cooling green dill leaves.

Serves 4

700ml (1¼ pints) water, put in the freezer or fridge to chill

700g (1½lb) cooked beetroot (without vinegar), roughly diced, chilled in a large bowl in the fridge

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large potato, peeled and cut into tiny dice: not more than 5mm (¼in)

1 tbsp olive oil

500ml (18fl oz) boiling water

Zest and juice of ½ lemon

Salt and black pepper

A few sprigs of fresh dill, to serve

For the horseradish cream

6 tbsp single cream

1–2 tbsp horseradish sauce or relish from a jar

1. Put the water and beetroot in the fridge to chill. It’s a good idea to put soup bowls into the fridge at the same time; the cooler everything is, the faster the soup can be made.

2. Fry the onion and potato in the oil in a large saucepan, without browning, for 7–10 minutes.

3. Add the boiling water and lemon zest, and leave to simmer over a gentle heat for about 10 minutes, or until the potato and onions are completely soft.

4. While this is happening, mix the cream with enough of the horseradish cream or relish to give a nice kick; set aside.

5. Tip the potato and onion mixture into the chilled bowl of beetroot from the fridge and process with a hand-held blender until silky smooth. Stir in the icy water from the freezer or fridge, then add about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

6. To serve, ladle the soup into chilled bowls, swirl with the horseradish cream and finish with some fresh dill.

Make it vegan: Use soya cream and non-dairy horseradish relish.

Celeriac Soup with Truffle Oil and Cheese Crisps

Salty, celery-flavoured celeriac makes a wonderful, creamy soup, and when topped with a generous swirl of truffle oil and bits of crunchy, crisped cheese it becomes really special.

Serves 4

1 onion, chopped

1 celeriac, about 700g (1½lb), thickly peeled and cut into 1cm (½in) cubes

1 tbsp olive oil

1.5 litres (2½ pints) water

Salt and black pepper

About 4 tbsp truffle oil, to serve

For the cheese crisps

40g (1½oz) freshly grated Parmesan-style cheese

2 tbsp semolina

1. Fry the onion and celeriac in the oil in a large saucepan, covered, for 5 minutes, until beginning to soften.

2. Pour in 1 litre (1¾ pints) of the water, bring to the boil, then leave to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the celeriac is tender.

3. Meanwhile, make the cheese crisps: sprinkle just over half the cheese into a large, dry frying pan, to make a thin, lacy layer. Put the frying pan over a moderate heat for about 30 seconds, until the cheese has melted, then sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the semolina over the top, followed by the rest of the cheese, then the last of the semolina. Leave it for about another minute, until the cheese turns pale golden, then take the pan off the heat and leave the crisp to cool in it. It will crisp as it cools and become easy to lift out of the frying pan with a spatula.

4. Blend the soup until it is smooth and creamy, using a hand-held blender or food processor, and adding the rest of the water as necessary to get the consistency you like. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Serve the soup in bowls, swirl some truffle oil on top, then scrunch some of the cheesy crisp over. Serve at once.

Tip: Real Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian because it is made using animal rennet. However, there are a number of strong or hard vegetarian Italian cheeses you can use instead.

Creamy Swede Soup with Fried Onion and Cumin Topping

Swedes are available all winter, and are cheap as chips, yet what can you do with them to make them taste really delicious? They’re good mashed in a half-and-half mix with carrots and also in a vegetable curry, where the spices add zing and interest. Or try them in this delicious soup; it’s naturally creamy and delicate, with the onion and cumin topping adding a lovely burst of extra flavour and texture.

Serves 4

Vegan

1 onion, chopped

1 swede, about 700g (1½lb), thickly peeled and cut into 1cm (½in) cubes

1 tbsp olive oil

Cinnamon stick

1.5 litres (2½ pints) water

Salt and black pepper

For the topping

1 onion, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1. Fry the onion and swede in the oil in a large saucepan, with the cinnamon stick, covered, for 5 minutes, until beginning to soften.