Category: Appetizer Vegetarian

Appetizer Vegetarian · Gluten Free · lentils · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Ottolenghi’s puy lentil and eggplant stew

Belinda

From Ottolenghi’s wonderful book, “Simple”

Serves 4 as a starter and 2 as a main course

3 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra to serve
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 large red onion, finely chopped (160g)
½ tbsp picked thyme leaves
2 small eggplants, cut into chunks, about 5 x 2cm (420g)
200g cherry tomatoes
180g puy lentils
500ml vegetable stock
80ml dry white wine
100g crème fraîche
1 tsp urfa chili flakes (or ½ tsp regular chili flakes)
2 tsp picked oregano leaves
Salt and black pepper

Put 2 tablespoons of oil into a large, high-sided sauté pan and place on a medium high heat. Add the garlic, onion, thyme and ¼ teaspoon of salt and fry for 8 min, stirring often, until soft and golden. Tip into a bowl, leaving the oil behind. Set aside.

Place the eggplants and tomatoes in a bowl and season with ¼ teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Add the remaining oil to the same pan (don’t worry about wiping it clean) and, once very hot, add the aubergines and tomatoes. Fry for 10 min, on medium high, turning them often until the aubergine is soft and golden-brown and the tomatoes are beginning to blacken. Return the garlic and onion to the pan, then add the lentils, stock, wine, 450ml of water and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer gently for about 40 min, until the lentils are soft but still retain a bite.

Serve warm, or at room temperature, with a dollop of crème fraîche, a drizzle of oil and chili flakes and oregano on top.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food · Salad · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Butternut squash and eggplant caponata with burrata

Belinda

Diana Henry’s autumnal dish of chunky butternut squash and fried eggplant with capers and green olives, served with creamy burrata.

Serves 4 as a light lunch or 6 as a starter

1 large eggplant
400g butternut squash, peeled and deseeded
100ml olive oil
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Pinch of dried chili flakes
400g tin cherry tomatoes in thick juice
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
30g capers
50g green olives, pitted and halved
3 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
4 tbsp chopped parsley
250g burrata or mozzarella
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Cut the eggplant and squash into 2.5cm(1″) cubes. Heat half the oil in a large heavy-based sauté pan. Fry the vegetables in batches until golden-brown, about four minutes. Transfer them to a bowl. Add more oil and sauté the celery and onion to pale gold then add the garlic and chili and cook for two minutes.

Add the tomatoes and vinegar, stir and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 10 minutes.

Add the fried vegetables, capers, olives and sugar to the pan and season. Add 50ml of water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the squash is soft and the mixture thick. Remove from the heat and bring to room temperature. Add the lemon juice and parsley and season.

Serve topped with a chunk of mozzarella or burrata. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Salad

Cucumber salad with peanuts, coconut and lime

Belinda

A refreshing chopped cucumber salad loaded with peanuts, spices, toasted coconut, and chiles.
You can prep all the components ahead of time, but don’t toss the salad until just before serving. If you do the peanuts will lose their crunch because the cucumbers give off a good amount of water. If you use two chiles and leave the seeds/veins in – this is quite a spicy salad, so feel free to adapt for your tastes. You can just use one chile, and if you’re still worried, remove the seeds and veins. It can be made vegan by substituting sunflower oil for the ghee.

3 medium cucumbers, partially peeled, like a zebra
1-2 green chiles, stemmed and minced
1/2 cup / 2.5 oz freshly roasted peanuts
1/3 cup / 1.5 ounces / 45 g dried large-flake coconut, toasted
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp natural cane sugar
1 tbsp, ghee or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
a handful cilantro, chopped

Halve the cucumbers lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and chop into pieces roughly the size of pencil erasers. Just before you’re ready to serve, transfer to a mixing bowl and toss gently with chiles, peanuts, coconut, lemon juice, and sugar.

Over medium heat melt the ghee in a small skillet. When hot stir in the mustard seeds. They are going to sputter and spit a bit, and when this starts to happen, add the cumin for 15-30 seconds, just long enough to toast the spices. Cover with a lid if needed. Remove from heat, stir in the salt, and immediately stir this into the salad. Turn out onto a platter topped with the cilantro.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food · Vegan

Roasted beetroot falafels with tahini sauce

Belinda

A delicious beet-inspired falafel recipe. Baked or broiled to maintain a wonderful, healthy, gluten-free, vegan falafel.

Makes 10

2 beetroots (just under tennis ball size)
2 large garlic cloves
250g (2 cups) cooked chickpeas
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
Tahini Sauce (to serve)

Ahead of time: Slice the rough neck/top off the beetroots and discard. Chop the remaining beetroot into cubes (1.5cm/half an inch cubed in size). Bake in the oven on a baking tray for about 45 minutes on a high heat. When done, take out and leave to cool until you are ready to make the falafels. This can be done ahead of time, or the night before when you are using the oven for something else.

When beetroot is ready…
Add all ingredients into a food processor and blend until everything has broken down. It doesn’t need to be pureed completely, just broken down into tiny pieces so that when you compress, everything binds together.
If it seems a little too crumbly then I recommend adding a teaspoon or two of water or olive oil. Moisture depends on how much the chickpeas have been drained or how the moisture level of the baked beetroot.
Roll into balls (a little smaller than golf balls in size).
Press the balls down into mini patty shapes.
Place onto a broiler tray and broil on a medium/low heat for about 8 minutes on each side. (You can also bake these in the oven as an alternative to grilling).
Serve right away.

This is really good served with this tahini sauce

Tahini Sauce

100ml tahini
50ml spring or filtered water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 heaped teaspoon ground coriander
1 clove garlic

Crush the garlic.
Blend all ingredients together with a hand blender.
If you prefer to mix with a spoon, it works best by mixing a little water at a time. It might take a little longer to come together by hand, say 30 seconds, but is well worth the effort.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Sticky sesame-baked cauliflower

Belinda

Recipe by Anna Jones

Sticky sesame baked cauliflower, it’s crispy, sticky, sweet, salty and sour. Lovely eaten with crisp leaves and lime spiked rice.

SERVES 4

FOR THE CAULIFLOWER
120g spelt flour
2 tablespoons rice flour
a clove of garlic, grated
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 large head of cauliflower (about 800g)

FOR THE SAUCE
3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 tablespoon chili paste or chili sauce
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
a small thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
3 tablespoons sesame seeds

TO SERVE
300g brown rice
2 heads of Little Gem lettuce or 1 head of Romaine, shredded
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
4 spring onions, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper. To cook your rice, rinse it under cold water until the water runs clear then put it into a pan, cover with 3 times the amount of water and bring to the boil. Cook for 20–40 minutes, depending on the type of brown rice you are using.

In a large bowl, whisk the flours, 150–200ml water, grated garlic, sesame seeds and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Your batter should be like a pancake batter, thick enough to coat a piece of cauliflower and not run off. If the batter is too thick, add a drop of water until you reach that consistency.

Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Toss the cauliflower florets in a good pinch of salt, then drop them into the batter and stir until all the pieces are coated. Use 2 forks to transfer the battered cauliflower to the baking trays, leaving a bit of space around each floret. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

While the cauliflower is baking, make the sauce. In a small saucepan combine the sauce ingredients. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil on the stove over a medium heat. Simmer for a couple of minutes or until slightly reduced. Set aside.

When the cauliflower is golden and crisp remove it from the oven and let it cool slightly. Once it is cool enough to handle, transfer the par-baked cauliflower to a large bowl. Cover the cauliflower with all but 3 table- spoons of the sesame sauce. Toss to thoroughly coat the cauliflower.

Put the cauliflower back on the baking trays and back into the oven for another 10–15 minutes, or until the edges are starting to darken. Remove from the oven. Serve with the shredded lettuce and cooked rice. Finish with the remaining sauce, extra sesame seeds, and spring onions.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Nuts

Muhammara- Middle Eastern roasted red pepper and walnut dip

Belinda

This is divine and so easy to make. Great for vegans and is also lovely to have on cold salmon or chicken.

3 large red bell peppers
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp roasted ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp kosher salt, more to taste
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses, plus more for drizzling
1/2 tbsp Maras or Aleppo pepper flakes, or more/less to taste
1 tbsp tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
1/2 cup fine fresh bread crumbs

Char the peppers on all sides directly on the burner of a gas stove, or roast at 400 degrees until blistered all over and soft. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and let stem so the skins are easier to remove.
When until cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and remove seeds and stem. Roughly chop the peppers.

Pulse the bell peppers, breadcrumbs, olive oil, Aleppo-style pepper, tahini, cumin, lemon juice, paprika, toasted walnuts, keeping back 4 for the topping, and 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses in a food processor until mostly smooth; season the Muhammara with salt.

Transfer the Muhammara to a small bowl, season to taste then drizzle with more pomegranate molasses, olive oil and top with some reserved chopped walnuts.
Serve with warmed pita bread or crackers

Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead · Holiday Food · Vegetable-related

Bruschetta with goat cheese, basil and tomato

Belinda

This adapted recipe from Delia Smith is simplicity itself, but it has a wonderful combination of flavors and a very crunchy texture.
These measurements are easily changed according to taste.

Makes 12, to serve 4-6

1 small French loaf
Approx 4 oz (50 g) mild, creamy goats’ cheese (the spreadable kind that comes in tubs is fine)
6-7 fresh basil leaves
4 firm, medium-sized tomatoes
4 tbsp good-quality olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
4 tbsp Italian pesto
sea salt and freshly milled black pepper

Set oven to 350F
First combine the olive oil with the crushed garlic and some seasoning and spread over the baking sheet, then slice the bread into thinnish rounds; you won’t need all the loaf.

Now arrange the slices on the baking sheet, press them into the oil then turn them the other way up so that each surface has a slight coating of garlicky oil. Bake them in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until they have turned a golden brown and become very crisp. Do watch the timing on this as they burn easily.

Cool them on a wire rack and store in an airtight tin until you need them (they will be okay for up to 2 weeks, which is very helpful).
When you’re ready to serve, skin the tomatoes by pouring boiling water over them, leave for 1 minute, then halve them, scoop out the pips, slip off the skins and chop the flesh into tiny dice.
Now simply spread each crisp bread slice first with a thin layer of pesto, then with a generous layer of goats’ cheese, and sprinkle on the diced tomato together with a little crushed sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
Finally, using a small teaspoon, add a few droplets of olive oil – though be careful not to overdo this.
Scatter a few fresh basil leaves over the bruschettas to serve.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Salad · Vegan

Celeriac and lentils with hazelnuts and mint

Belinda

A wonderful and complex-tasting recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi

“Celeriac is probably my favorite root. It is delicate, yet very nutty, and has an elegant oily smoothness. Like all good vegetables, it is marvelous simply with a bit of olive oil. Here it works with the lentils and nuts to create a hearty Autumn main course. Serve it warm, with a radish, cucumber and dill salad dressed with soured cream and olive oil. Or, allow it to cool down, then take it to work for lunch or on a picnic.

I am slowly transferring to the metric system as it’s far more specific.

Serves 4

60g whole hazelnuts (skin on)
200g Puy lentils
700ml water
2 bay leaves
4 thyme sprigs
1 small celeriac (650g), peeled and cut into 1cm chips
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp hazelnut oil
3 tbsp good-quality red wine vinegar
4 tbsp chopped mint
salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 300F Scatter the hazelnuts on a small baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes. Let them cool down, then chop roughly.

Combine the lentils, water, bay leaves and thyme in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15–20 minutes, or until al dente. Drain in a sieve. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, cook the celeriac in plenty of boiling salted water for 8–12 minutes, or until just tender. Drain.

In a large bowl mix the hot lentils (if they have cooled down they won’t soak up all the flavours) with the olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the hazelnut oil, the vinegar, some black pepper and plenty of salt. Add the celeriac and stir well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

To serve straight away, stir in half the mint and half the hazelnuts. Pile onto a serving dish or in a bowl and drizzle the remaining hazelnut oil on top. Garnish with the rest of the mint and hazelnuts.

To serve cold, wait for the lentils and celeriac to cool down before finally adjusting the seasoning and possibly adding some more vinegar, if you like. Add hazelnut oil, mint and nuts in the same way as when serving hot.

Appetizer Vegetarian

Baked cheese in a box

Belinda

Perhaps the quickest way to feed two or three hungry people is this gloriously rich but more-ish dish. Quick and simple to prepare.
Recipe by Sally Clarke

Serves 2, 3 or even 4

1 “boxed” cheese – ideally Baron Bigod, Tunworth, Camembert or Vacherin
1 large garlic clove, centre shoot removed if present
Rosemary sprigs
A quarter to a half of a bread loaf of your choice
Good olive oil
Sea salt
Runny honey (optional)

Heat the oven to 350F/160C (180C non-fan).
Unwrap the cheese (if in paper) and return to the balsa-wood box. With a small sharp knife, pierce the top skin of the cheese in 10 or 12 evenly spaced places. Slice the garlic finely and gently push a slice into each hole along with a small sprig of rosemary. Place the cheese (in its box) into an ovenproof serving dish and bake for 5 minutes or until the tips of garlic and rosemary start to color.

Meanwhile, slice the bread into 8 or 10 chunks or slices for dipping.

Remove the dish from the oven and place the bread pieces around the outside of the cheese. Drizzle them with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Return the dish to the oven for a further 8-10 minutes or until the bread is golden at the edges and the cheese has just started to ooze from the side.

Serve immediately on warm plates, drizzled with honey if you like, and use the bread pieces to dip into the molten cheese.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Vegan

Sesame and soy watermelon poke

Belinda

Marinating and searing the watermelon concentrates it’s flavor and primes it for this savory treatment.
You will not miss tuna in this recipe, I swear it!

Recipe by Mary Gonzalez & Maddie Gordon for Bon Appetite

Serves 6

3 lbs seedless watermelon, rind removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
¼ cup toasted sesame oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 tbsp ume plum vinegar (optional but worth it and can be found in Asian markets or on Amazon)
Kosher salt
2 scallions, white and pale-green parts, thinly sliced
1 cup cilantro leaves with tender stems

Place the watermelon in a large resealable plastic bag. Purée the rice vinegar, oil, soy sauce, lime juice, tahini, agave nectar, and plum vinegar in a blender until smooth. Pour over the watermelon, seal bag, and chill at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Heat a large skillet over medium. Remove the watermelon from the marinade; set the marinade aside. Cook the watermelon, tossing often, until lightly caramelized and dried out, 6–8 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat; simmer until thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, 12–15 minutes.

Chill the watermelon and sauce separately at least 1 hour.

To serve, toss the watermelon with sauce; taste and season with salt as needed. Top with the scallions and cilantro.

Do Ahead

The watermelon and sauce can be made 12 hours ahead. Keep chilled.