Grapevine Vegetarian Recipes.

[shirley]

try adding mustard or horseradish to the dumpling mixture or for a bit of a bite cayenne pepper

[serenity]

my favorite chickpea and squash curry

Serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
6 cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
3 medium carrots, small to medium diced
400g chopped tomatoes
1 medium squash, butternut or similar, peeled and diced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 ¼ pints vegetable stock
400g tin chickpeas
1 head broccoli, broken into small florets
250g Greek yoghurt
Good handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Pour oil into a heavy based pan or casserole and set on a low to moderate heat. Add onions and garlic and cook slowly until honey brown
Stir in mustard seeds, ground coriander, turmeric, cardamom seeds and chillies. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, squash and sweet potato then add stock
Turn up heat and bring to boil. Skim orange froth from surface and discard then turn down heat to simmer contents.
Drain chickpeas and add to curry. Stir from time to time, keeping an eye on the vegetables. They should be tender but not mushy (aprox 20 mins). Season with salt
At this point you can stop cooking and chill overnight which will deepen and mellow the flavours. You can also freeze, defrosting thoroughly before heating and continuing the recipe.
To serve, steam (or boil) broccoli till al dente, drain and stir into curry over a moderate heat. Stir in the yoghurt making sure that it does not boil (the yoghurt will curdle if it does giving a grainy appearance)
Add the coriander and serve with Indian accompaniments

[serenity]

samosa's

15ml olive oil
1 onion
½ tsp grated ginger
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ground coriander
100g diced potato
100g diced carrot
100g frozen peas
2 tbsp chopped coriander
Filo pastry
Melted butter for brushing

Fry onion till tender. Add spices and vegetables, cover and cook until tender. , adding water if necessary
Add peas and stir until thawed. Add coriander and season.
Preheat oven to 200C
Cut sheet of filo lengthways. Spoon filling into top end of one strip and fold to form triangles. Brush with melted butter and place on baking sheet. Bake till crisp, 15mins aprox

[smallblueplanet]

The samosas sound nice serenity, how does cooking them in the oven compare with the deep fried ones?

[serenity]

if the filo is brushed with butter or olive oil I find them equally if not better that the deep fried ones and much healthier. Iv'e yet to find a way around the deep frying of onion bhajis

[smallblueplanet]

What accompaniments do you have with your samosa's? Bet they'd be nice dipped into a dhal! Toovar dhal is one of my all-time faves.

[Earthbabe]

Continental Lentil Toad in the Hole

Even my "can't possibly go without meat" husband loves this and comes back for seconds and thirds if there is any left. The batter works just as well with gluten-free flour and the dish tastes great.

4 oz (125 g) continental lentils
4 tablespoons oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 oz (12 5 g) mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 teaspoon thyme
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

SERVES 4-6

Wash, soak, rinse and cook the lentils, then drain them.
Preheat,the oven to 425F (220C), mark 7. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a good-sized saucepan and fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, letting them brown lightly, then add the mushrooms and fry for another 5 minutes. Stir in the continental lentils, thyme and sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season; keep the mixture hot.
Put the remaining oil into the shallow baking tin in which you are going to cook the toad-in-the-hole, and heat in the oven.
Next, make the batter. Sift the wholewheat flour and sea salt into a bowl and tip in the residue bran left in the sieve. Make a well in the middle and add the eggs and about a third of the milk; beat vigorously with a wooden spoon, gradually incorporating the rest of the milk; beat well.
Pour the batter straight into the sizzling hot fat, then quickly spoon the lentil mixture on top. Bake for 20 -25 minutes until risen and golden. With gravy, potatoes and vegetables, this makes a good cheap family meal.

[Alison]

What type of lentils are continental ones? Use various types of lentils but never noticed any labled like this.

[smallblueplanet]

I believe they're either Puy or very similar? (Just had a 'discussion' with the OH and I'm not sure now! )

[pigletwillie]

In Franch, the lentils served (where we go to eat anyway) are puy lentils, absolutely scrummy.

[wellie]

I second that Piglet. Cooked in a homemade stock of your choice, they absorb the flavours beautifully, and make a welcome change from pasta or potatoes.....

[Earthbabe]

Yes, I use puy lentils. They are quite small are a dark mottled green, gorgeous to look at. They are so called because they were grown originally in the Puy region of France (where the volcanoes are). They are also delicious with some bacon and onion which has been fried off in some butter added. Ok so that's not a veggie dish but worth a mention.

You can also buy larger paler ones which are often sold as continental lentils but I tend to use those for sprouting and curries.

[Birdie Wife]

Aubergine and goats cheese lasagne

Ingredients
1 medium aubergine
Olive oil to fry
1 can of plum tomatoes, squished up by hand
Salt and pepper to season
1 round of creamy goats cheese, about 150g (I think?!)
Couple of handfuls chestnut mushrooms, chopped roughly
1 large onion, chopped finely
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 packet of spinach, washed
Cheese sauce (made by adding nice strong cheddar to bechamel sauce), about a pint
enough lasagne sheets for a couple of layers
Parmasan to sprinkle

Method
Cut the aubergine in slices thinly, and fry in a hot pan until very dark brown(but not burnt!) and a bit charred around the edges. set aside. Fry the onion over a gentle heat until melting and dark golden brown, about 20 mins. add the garlic, tomatoes and mushrooms and whatever herbs you like, and let it simmer for around 10 mins so you have a nice tomato sauce that's not at all watery. Season to taste. Take it off the heat and put the spinach in and stir it around to wilt. Put a thin layer of cheese sauce in the bottom of your lasagne dish to stop the next layer sticking. Now start layering up. Half of the tomato sauce, dot with half the goats cheese and then a layer of aubergine, then lasagne sheets. Half the remaining cheese sauce, then tomato sauce, cheese, aubergine and lasagne. Top with the rest of the cheese sauce and parmasan. Bang it in the oven at about 200degC for about 30mins and serve with lots of crusty bread and a nice red wine. Serves about 3.


Works well with other roasted veg too.

[serenity]

What accompaniments do you have with your samosa's? Bet they'd be nice dipped into a dhal! Toovar dhal is one of my all-time faves.

could you post a recipe for this smallblueplanet? I would really like to try it

[smallblueplanet]

From Eastern Vegetarian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey

Oily Toovar Dal with Cloves

(serves 4-6)

Oily toovar dal (dal rubbed with oil to preserve it from infestation) is used with great frequency in Gujarat and needs to be washed very well before it is cooked. It has a dark, earthy taste and cloves help bring a spicy sparkle to it.

6&1/2 oz / 185 g oily toovar dal
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
2 tbs vegetable oil
8 whole cloves
A 2in/5cm stick cinnamon
3 tbs ghee or unsalted butter

Pick over the dal and wash it in several changes of water. Put dal in a heavy 2-3qt/2&1/2-3&1/2lt pot with 1qt/11&1/2dl of water. Bring to the boil. Remove scum and add tumeric. Turn heat to very low and cover in such a way as to leave the lid very slightly ajar. (This prevents the dal from boiling over.)

Cook for 1&1/2 hours or until dal is very tender. Stir every 10 minutes during the last half hour of cooking. The dal should be like a thick soup. Add the salt, sugar and cayenne. Stir and turn off heat.

Heat oil in a smal frying pan or a very small butter-warmer type pot over a medium flame. When hot put in the whole cloves and cinnamon. When the cloves swell (this takes just a few seconds), pour the oil with spices into the pot with the dal. Cover pot immediately.

Reheat the dal before serving and stir in the ghee or butter. This dal is usually served with plain rice.



We tend to eat this with naan bread - its very 'winter-warming' and easy to cook too!

Let me know if you want me to type in the associated recipe - 'Oily Toovar dal with green beans and tomatoes' (yummy!).

ps toor or toovar dhal is easy to find we got ours from Sainsburys!