Vegetarian Main Meals

Vegetarian Main Meals

With a vast selection of vegetables available all year round, local, seasonal goodies can be overlooked in favour of the more exotic.

Vegetarian Nut Wellington

Ingredients for 4. Preheat the oven to 220c.

• 350g vegetarian puff pastry
• 50g mushrooms, diced
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, washed and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped or crushed
• 100g walnuts, halved
• 100g cashew nuts, chopped
• 150g chestnut puree
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon each of paprika and oregano
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• olive oil

Roll out the pastry and line a 1kg loaf tin-make sure there is enough pastry to cover the top once the filling has been put in.

Heat a dash of olive oil in a pan and fry the onion, celery and garlic, for about 4 minutes. Put the nuts, chestnut puree, paprika, oregano, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix the fried vegetables with the contents of the bowl then bind together with the beaten eggs. (Reserve a drop of beaten egg to brush the pastry.)

Place the mushrooms in the pastry-lined tin then top with the nut mixture.

Fold the overlap of pastry over the top of the mixture. Trim away excess pastry. Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg to stick them together.

With a steady hand, place a baking sheet on top of the loaf tin, turn it over quickly and remove the loaf tin. Your nut wellington should be standing alone on the baking sheet. Decorate the top of the loaf with shapes made from the pastry trimmings, make one or two cuts in the pastry and brush with beaten egg.

Cook the loaf in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, then turn down the heat to 180c and cook for another 30 minutes. Serve.

Fried Carrots with Yoghurt

Ingredients

• 450g carrots, scraped and washed (maincrop varieties are fine)
• 300mls plain yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper/
• Salt and pepper to season, chopped fresh mint to garnish (or a few caraway seeds

Scrape the carrots and wash them before cutting into 1cm wide slices. Cook the carrot slices in boiling water for about 8 minutes so they are tender but still firm. Drain thoroughly and then pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper.

Place the carrots in the seasoned flour to cover them then shake off any surplus flour.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over moderate heat. Fry the flour-coated carrot slices until they look a golden brown colour. Add a little salt and pepper.

Heat the yoghurt gently in another pan so that it warms through but does not reach boiling point.

Toss the carrots into a heated serving dish then pour the yoghurt over the carrots and sprinkle some fresh chopped mint or caraway seeds on top. Easy!

Spinach and Lentil Roll

Ingredients for 4. Preheat the oven to 200c.

• 175g red lentils*
• 450g fresh spinach
• 1onion, peeled and chopped
• 125g butter
• 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 1 tablespoon creamed horseradish sauce
• 50g plain flour
• 300mls milk
• 2 eggs, separated

*Lentils must be prepared according to packet instructions.

Grease and line a 28cm Swiss roll tin (or shallow, rectangular, baking tray.)

Cook the lentils and onion together in a saucepan of boiling water according to instructions on lentil packet. When they are tender, drain them with the onion and then return them to the hot pan to get rid of unwanted moisture.

Stir in the tomato ketchup and horseradish and add 50g of the butter. Whizz this mixture through a blender until pureed. Add a little salt and pepper to the pureed mixture.

Cook the spinach in a pan, without water, for about 3 minutes then drain through a colander and, using a potato masher, press the spinach into the colander to force out any moisture. Do this a few times then chop the spinach finely.

Heat the remaining butter in a pan then stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes; stirring all the time. Remove pan from the heat and slowly add the milk, keep stirring to combine the ingredients together. Return this pan to the heat and bring to the boil stirring, until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from the heat once more and add the spinach and egg yolks. Stir and add a little salt and pepper.

Whisk the egg whites until they form peaks, then fold into the spinach mixture and spoon it into the tin. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn out and peel off greaseproof paper. Spread the lentil puree over the spinach, roll it up and cook for another 5 minutes.

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