I was vegetarian for most of my teens and twenties and I still love the diversity of plant-based dishes the world’s cuisines offer. Some of these recipes contain anchovies or optional meat ingredients, which you can simply omit. Vegetarian recipes are colourful, tasty, usually quick and easy and, as my carnivorous husband likes to say, they go so well with meat! Use these vegetarian dishes as a meal in themselves, an accompaniment to a meat dish, or a starting point for your own inspiration!
Mushroom Duxelles Duxelles is a classic French preparation of finely chopped mushroom and onion cooked down in butter with herbs (usually thyme or parsley), black pepper and salt, sometimes with a dash of cream, Sherry or Madeira. It’s used in a range of English recipes including stuffings, sauces and garnishes and, most notably, in beef […]
Mushroom & Cheese Pies Thanks to chef Simon Sandall who rattled off this suggestion on the spur of the moment when we were making beef Wellington together and wondering what to do with leftover mushroom duxelles and pastry off-cuts. You could always make the duxelles specifically for these pies and whip up a larger batch […]
Potato Focaccia I love authentic focaccia made with a generous amount of olive oil. My recipe is inspired by Ligurian-born restaurateur, Lucio Galletto, who uses more water and oil in his recipe than many I’ve seen, which is what makes his focaccia so delicious. I love how versatile focaccia is and especially enjoy potato focaccia […]
Cumquat Sambal I’ve eaten Cheong Liew’s cumquat sambal many times. He served it with barbecued hogget at a barbecue for Franz’s 55th birthday and he and Franz served it with lamb cutlets to thousands of people over 2 days at a James Beard festival in New York. Cheong’s given me the recipe several times and […]
Beetroot Leaf Boorani Fresh crisp beetroot leaves make a great addition to a salad or a Persian herb platter (sabzi khordan), but they tend not to be valued in Australia. They’re generally chopped off the beets and thrown out, so they’re usually not in great condition; but it’s surprising what a good soak in a […]
Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip) Bademjan is Farsi for eggplant, kashk is fermented whey, and kashke bademjan (roasted eggplant dip) is one of my favourite Persian dishes. My friend Parya-joon made a huge bowl of it for my last birthday party which was a great hit! It uses the same garnishes as the classic Iranian […]
Persian Omelet What Persians call omelet is more like what I would call scrambled egg with tomato. It’s usually not a pretty dish, but it is a tasty one that appears on almost every breakfast menu in Iran. Typically the egg is finely scrambled so that it’s a creamy red mass, I opt for a […]
Skordalia Greece’s famous garlicky white dip is sometimes made with bread as the thickening agent, sometimes with ground almond and sometimes potato. I love chef Janni Kyritsis’ version using both bread and almond as it gives a lovely rich flavour. Any leftover will keep in the fridge for 3–4 days and is delicious slathered over […]
Potato Gnocchi I love potato gnocchi and when I asked restaurateur Lucio Galletto if they’re popular in Liguria he replied “On special occasions, we say: ‘Come home Mamma’s making gnocchi.’” Gnocchi are so versatile, they’re delicious dressed with just about any pasta sauce including pesto, easy gnocchi Sorrentina from the Amalfi coast, or the simplest […]
Pa amb Tomàquet Called pan con tomate in other parts of Spain, this classic Catalan snack is about as simple and delicious as you can get. There are many variations, but this is how it was taught to me many years ago by my Catalan flatmate, Susie. Susie told me that her family always made […]
