WARMING VEGGIE SUPPERS

LENTIL AND MUSHROOM MOUSSAKA INGREDIENTS

150g dried Puy lentils

500g Maris Piper potatoes, thinly sliced

6 tbsp olive oil

2 aubergines, sliced

500g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

400g can chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp ground cinnamon

2 bay leaves 

For the topping:

500g Greek yoghurt

3 eggs

75g Italian hard cheese, finely grated

100g feta, crumbled

METHOD

1 Cook the lentils in a large pan of water according to the pack instructions until just tender. Drain and set to one side. Simmer the potato slices in water for 5 minutes until just tender. Drain and set to one side. Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan, add a good drizzle of oil and gently fry the aubergine slices in batches, turning frequently until tender and golden. Set to one side.

2 Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in another large, deep frying pan. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook over a medium hight heat for 10 minutes until the liquid has cooked off and the mushrooms are golden brown. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, a can-ful of water and season well. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the puy lentils and cook until thick and rich. Check the seasoning.

3 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan assisted/Gas 6. Combine the topping ingredients in a bowl reserving half the hard cheese to sprinkle over the top. Season well. Spoon half of the moussaka mix into a 2-litre ovenproof dish, layer with half the aubergine and half the potatoes. Top with the remaining sauce and the remaining aubergine and potato slices. Spoon the topping over, scatter with the reserved cheese and bake for 40 minutes or until golden. 

TOMATO AND PEPPER PASTA BAKE INGREDIENTS

250g large pasta shells
3 red peppers
1 tsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
good pinch chilli
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
For the topping:
125g light mozzarella, torn
25g stale white bread
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
sprig rosemary

METHOD

1 Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, ensuring the pasta is still quite firm. Drain well and set to one side. Preheat the grill to high, place the peppers on the grill pan and cook for 10 minutes, turning occasionally until lightly charred and softened. Allow to cool before peeling, deseeding and roughly chopping.

2 To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the garlic and very gently cook for three minutes, taking care not to burn. Add the chilli and oregano and stir in the tomatoes. Add 300ml water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes until thickened and rich.

3 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6. Combine the pasta, sauce and peppers and spoon into a 2-litre ovenproof dish. Scatter over the mozzarella. Break the bread up into rough crumbs, mix with the olive oil, garlic and rosemary and season well. Scatter over the pasta and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbling.

RICH VEGGIE BOLOGNESE INGREDIENTS

150g puy lentils
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
250g chestnut mushrooms, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp oregano
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
To serve:
150g dried spaghetti
1 large courgette, spiralled

METHOD

1 Rinse the lentils and place in a large pan. Cover with plenty of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until just tender. Drain and set to one side.

2 Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan, add the onion, carrot and celery and cook gently for 10 minutes until perfectly softened. 

3 Add the pepper, mushrooms and garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the oregano and tomatoes and add 300ml water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Add the lentils to the sauce and cook for 5-10 minutes until perfectly rich. Season well.

4 Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, adding the courgette for the last minute of cooking. Drain well, divide among four warmed shallow bowls and top with the sauce.

CREAMY MUSHROOM QUINOA RISOTTO INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp olive oil
300g mixed mushrooms, sliced if large
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
100g quinoa
1 litre light hot vegetable stock
175g risotto rice
3tbsp chopped fresh parsley
100g ricotta cheese
25g Parmesan, finely grated

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6. Place the root vegetables in a large roasting tinned drizzle with the oil. Season well and roast for 45 minutes, stirring 1 Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan, add the mushrooms and garlic and season. Cook over a medium-high heat for 4 minutes until all of the moisture has cooked off the mushrooms. Add the thyme and quinoa, stir to coat in the oil. Add a ladleful of stock and stir until absorbed.

2 Add the rice, stir well and then add another ladleful of stock. Keep stirring and adding the stock until the rice is just tender and the stock has been used up. Remove from the heat, season to taste, add parsley then divide among four warmed bowls. Top each with some ricotta and Parmesan and serve with wilted chard or spinach.

WINTER VEG AND BEAN STEW WITH CHEDDAR DUMPLINGS INGREDIENTS

4 tbsp rapeseed oil

400g shallots, halved if large

2 garlic cloves, sliced

6 carrots, thickly sliced

2 leeks, thickly sliced

40g plain flour

600ml vegetable stock

2 x 400g cans butterbeans, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or good pinch of dried

4 tbsp double cream or creme friache

2 tsp Dijon mustard

150g chopped kale

For the dumplings:

100g self-raising flour

50g chilled butter, chopped

100g Cheddar, grated

METHOD

1 Heat half the oil in a large frying pan, add the shallots and carrots. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and drop into the slow cooker. Add the remaining oil and cook the leek and garlic for 2 minutes. Scatter over the flour, stir and cook for 2 minutes.

2 Add the stock, bring to the boil whilst stirring all the time and simmer for a couple of minutes until smooth. Pour into the slow cooker along with the beans and thyme. Cover and cook on high for 1½ hours.

3 To make the dumplings, place the flour in a bowl, add the butter and rub together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the cheese and add 4-5 tbsp cold water to make a soft, sticky dough.

4 Stir the cream and mustard into the stew and then stir in the kale. Top with spoonfuls of the dumpling mixture, cover and cook for 1 to 1½ hours until the dumplings have risen and are firm. Serve straight away.

TIP…

If you can’t fit all the dumplings on top of the stew, bring a large pan of stock to the boil, reduce the heat, add the dumplings and simmer for about 15 minutes until firm and cooked through.