Category Archives: Vegetarian

Vegetarian Lentil and Nut Roast

December 19, 2014Vegetarianlentil and nut roast, nut roastCorto Maltese

Nut roasts seem to have become the staple for a vegetarian Christmas. I have tried to pick and mix my favourite ingredients from various recipes and this is the result.

Happy Christmas x

Serves 4-6 Duration: Prep 45 min Cooking 1 hour

Ingredients:

4 Cabbage Leaves

Nut Mixture

100g Pecan Nuts

100g Brazil Nuts

100g Walnuts

50g Almonds

200g Red Lentils rinsed

450ml Vegetable Stock

100g Breadcrumbs

2 tbsp Parsley chopped

1 large clove Garlic minced

2 Eggs beaten

Mushroom Mixture

250g Mushrooms roughly chopped

1 medium Onion finely chopped

1 clove Garlic finely chopped

1 tbsp Butter

1 tbsp cooking oil

Sweet Potato Topping

400g Sweet Potato scraped and cut in cubes

100g Parmesan grated

100g Creme Fraiche

1 tbsp Chives

Whole nutmeg to grate

White Pepper

1 tbsp each Pumpkin Seed, Sesame and Almond Flakes

Method

Preheat oven at 200°

Plunge cabbage leaves in salted boiling water until water breaks into a boil again. Cool immediately by plunging in cold water. Set aside.

Bring the lentils to a boil with stock. Simmer for 15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

Toast the nuts in a dry pan until golden. Leave to cool and chop roughly with a knife.

In a bowl mix the lentils, nuts, garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs and egg and season with salt and pepper. Reserve in the refrigerator.

Drizzle the sweet potato with olive oil and roast in the oven for 25 minutes. When soft, mash or process with the creme fraiche, chives, freshly grated pinch of nutmeg and half a teaspoon white pepper.

Fry the onion in the butter and oil until golden and add the garlic and the mushrooms. Cook for about 8 minutes until brown. Season with freshly ground pepper and salt.

Brush the roasting tin with olive oil. Cover the bottom and lower sides with the cabbage leaves. Fill with the lentil and nut mixture. Cover with the mushroom mixture and top up with the sweet potato mixture. Sprinkle the seeds on top. Cover with foil and roast for 30 minutes. Take off the foil and continue roasting for another 30 minutes until it reaches a lovely golden colour. Enjoy

Falafel Burger with Spicy Salsa

November 21, 2014vegan, Vegetarian, veggie burgerfalafel burgerCorto Maltese

This deliciously healthy burger will only take a few minutes of your time. And it is worth every second!

Falafel Burger: 8 Patties

Ingredients:

800g Chickpeas ( Tinned are fine)

2 tbsp Garam Flour (Chickpea Flour)

1 tbsp Tahini

2 tsp ground Cumin ( grinding at home from toasted cumin seeds achieves superior result)

Generous pinch Cayenne Pepper or Harissa to taste

1 large clove Garlic finely chopped

Handful finely chopped Coriander Leaves

Olive or Sunflower Oil

Method:

Combine all ingredients and blitz in a food processor

Form patties by hand. Mixture should be quite stiff.

Lightly cover the bottom of your frying pan with oil and fry patties 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Spicy Salsa:

Ingredients:

400g Tinned Tomatoes

2 tbsp Olive Oil

Juice from 1 Lime or Lemon

1 tbsp Jalapeno Peppers from jar with some of the juice ( make sure it has some bite to it)

1/2 tsp salt

1 small Onion finely chopped (optional)

1 Clove Garlic finely chopped

1 tbsp chopped Coriander Leaves

Method:

Combine ingredients and and emulsify the oil into the salsa using a potato masher. A hand blender can be used as well.

Serve with wholemeal warm pitta bread and green leaves.

Winter Lentils with Sweet Potato and Courgette

November 6, 2014Soup, Vegetariancourgette, lentils, sweet potato, winter soupCorto Maltese

This hearty winter soup can be prepared in 20-30 minutes yet will warm you up from the inside. Let it rain!

Serves: 2 Duration: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 Sweet Potato

2 Marrows

1 potato

50g Red Lentils well rinsed

1 onion

1 Carrot

1 small Chili deseeded

1/2 tsp Curry Powder

1/2 tsp Ground Cumin

1 litre Chicken or Vegetable Stock

50g Cappellini Noodles broken in 3cm pieces

Method:

Gently fry the chopped onion and carrot in a knob of butter for four minutes until soft. Add the spices and fry for an additional minute to release their fragrance. Stir in potatoes and add the stock. Bring to a boil and add the marrows and the lentils. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Add the noodles and cook for three more minutes. Rest for another five minutes to let the flavours mingle. The noodles and lentils will absorb most of the liquid making this a thick soup that goes down very easily on a winter’s night.

Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Egg Fried Rice

October 8, 2014VegetarianBasmati Rice, egg fried rice, oriental food, sweet chilli sauceCorto Maltese

This recipe is authentic in its simplicity and takes about fifteen minutes to concoct even if you do the rice from scratch. (I often use it as a way to use leftover rice the next day). You can add anything else you fancy such as prawn, chicken or roast pork or duck. Or just enjoy the delightful simplicity of fresh peas as in this recipe.

Serves: 2 Duration: 15-20 min

Ingredients:

Thai Jasmine or Basmati Rice: 1 cup steamed in two cups of water

Eggs: 2 Lightly whisked with a fork

Peas ( Fresh if possible): 200 g

Soya Sauce ( I used Thai)

Sunflower or peanut oil: 2 tbsp

Thai sweet chilli sauce

Method:

Cook oil to a high heat. Add egg. When it starts to solidify after one minute tear it into strips with your spatula. While continuously tossing or stirring throw in the peas.

Keep moving for two or three minutes and throw in the rice.

Stir for two more minutes and add soya sauce to taste. (The strength varies from one make to another).

A squirt of Thai hot and spicy sweet chilli sauce gives it a nice tang.

For Prawn Fried Rice Simply add Prawns with the peas

Ratatouille

October 1, 2014stew, vegan, VegetarianMediterranean cuisine, Provencal, Ratatouille, vegetarianCorto Maltese

Ratatouille

I made this traditional recipe for some very special guests. I will introduce them in good time. Ratatouille is a stew of the vegetables that are so prevalent in the Mediterranean in the summertime; aubergines, courgettes and sweet peppers, which originated in Nice and has been adopted by the Provence region. The circumstances dictated that I prepare a copious amount of the stuff, roughly enough for twelve portions but it is easy enough to calculate how much you want to prepare. Just keep in mind that you need approximately an equal amount of all the vegetables, maybe slightly less tomatoes.

The secret of a good ratatouille is to cook the vegetables separately so each will taste truly of itself.
—Joël Robuchon, The Complete Robuchon

Ingredients

Aubergines 1Kg
Italian Zucchini 1Kg
Green and Coloured Peppers 1 Kg
Onions 1 Kg
Tomatoes 900 g
Garlic one head
Olive Oil 300 Ml
Basil a bunch
Salt 2 tsp
pepper 1/2 tsp

Method

Wash the vegetables and cut them into 2.5 cm cubes. Start sauteing the vegetables one by one on a high heat in a large skillet or wok. Start with the aubergines,

brown them in some of the oil and move them with a slotted spoon to a casserole dish or a large pot. Repeat the process with the courgettes, making sure there is enough oil as the aubergine absorbs a lot of oil. Repeat with the peppers and onions together.

If your skillet or wok is too small do them in batches so you can get enough heat. Once these vegetables are all in the pot add the tomatoes, peeled Continue reading Ratatouille →

Pesto with Cashew Nuts and Rocket

September 30, 2014appetizer, Vegetariancashew, pesto, rocketCorto Maltese

Pesto with Cashew Nuts and Rocket

Ingredients:

Basil – a large bunch
Rocket Leaves- same amount
Cashew Nuts- 150g
Garlic- 6 cloves
Parmesan Cheese or Grana Padano- 3 tablespoons
Olive Oil- sufficient quantity to achieve the right consistency

Method:

Grind the nuts in a food processor and put aside
Process the garlic
Add the basil leaves (rinsed) and start adding the oil slowly till it emulsifies
Add rocket, nuts and cheese and blend to a creamy consistency. The cashews give it a deliciously nutty taste.

Continue reading Pesto with Cashew Nuts and Rocket →