Celebrate Veggie Month with recipes from Loyd Grossman

18 March 2009

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This March is Veggie Month, encouraging us all to enjoy the diversity of vegetarian cooking, and to celebrate Loyd Grossman has developed a range of delicious recipes.

From a simple couscous salad to a rich risotto there is a vegetarian recipe to suit every taste. So whether you already enjoy a vegetarian diet or are a lover of meat dishes who wants to try something new, Veggie Month is a great time to experiment.

Loyd has used his extensive knowledge of food from his experience as a critic to create some appetizing vegetarian recipes for you to try this month and says: "Vegetarian food can be delicious and full of flavour and just as appetizing as any meat dish. I want to inspire people to create exciting vegetarian meals, so I have developed 3 diverse recipes that are easy to follow and taste great."

A few facts...
There are 3 million vegetarians in the UK, and somebody in Britain becomes vegetarian every 2 minutes.
Around the world, just under a quarter of the world's population has a mainly vegetarian diet
Vegetarianism has traditionally been linked to the people of ancient India, and even today Indians make up more than 70 percent of the world's vegetarian population.
Famous vegetarians include Kate Winslet, Sir Paul McCartney, Cheryl Cole, Ozzy Osborne and Albert Einstein.

Spicy Cous Cous, Tomato, Rocket and Roast Vegetable Salad
A great twist on a simple cous cous salad, this delicious dish can be ready in minutes.
30ml Olive Oil
1 Medium Courgette - roughly diced
1 Red or Yellow Pepper -roughly diced
250g cous cous
2 teaspoons ground cumin
300ml Boiling water
1x350g Jar LG Tomato and Chilli Sauce
2 Handfuls of Chopped Rocket Leaves

Heat up the olive oil in a saucepan and add the courgettes and peppers. Cook on a medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the ground cumin and cook for 1 minute. Add the Cous Cous and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Carefully add the boiling water, remove from the heat immediately and cover with a tight fitting lid. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.

In a separate pan, heat up the sauce. When the cous cous has rested for 5 minutes, remove the lid and fluff up the grains with a fork. Stir in the sauce and the chopped rocket leaves. Serve warm as a main course, or a side dish.
Serves 2-3 Adults as a main, 4-5 as a side dish

Baked Stuffed Courgettes with Tomato and Pinenuts
This simple, but delicious bake could also be made with a Tomato and Chilli sauce. Perfect served with a simple salad as a light main course.
6 Medium Courgettes
1 350g Jar LG Tomato and Basil Sauce
5 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese
5 Tablespoons Breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon Pine Nut Kernels

Heat oven to 180C. Slice the courgettes in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Spoon in the sauce into the courgettes and place on a lightly oiled baking tray and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil, top the courgettes with the mixed breadcrumbs, pine nuts and Parmesan and return to the oven for 20 minutes until the topping is crisp and golden brown.
Serves 4 Adults

Tomato and Mushroom and Risotto with toasted hazelnuts
Tomato and Basil Sauce is used to simplify a classic risotto recipe, a welcome change from the usual creamy risottos. A few toasted hazelnuts to finish makes a delicious twist. Other mushrooms could be substituted for the Portobello, and if you have a mushroom stock to use, that would give an intense mushroom flavour, but otherwise a good vegetable stock is perfect.
Olive oil
200g Portobello Mushrooms
½ Medium Onion finely chopped
250g Risotto Rice
350ml Stock
1 glass (125ml) White Wine
1x350g Jar of LG Tomato and Basil Sauce
A Handful of Chopped, Toasted Hazelnuts
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Heat a little olive oil in a large heavy based saucepan. Fry the sliced mushrooms for 4-5 minutes until cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary and then add the chopped onion. Fry on a low to medium heat for 3-4 minutes until it is cooked but not browned. In the meantime, mix the stock and tomato and basil sauce in a saucepan and bring up to a low simmer next to the onion pan. Add the rice to the onions and stir well for 1-2 minutes. Add the wine to the rice and cook, continuing to stir over a medium heat. Once the liquid has been absorbed add a ladle of the sauce/stock and cook, stirring constantly. When the liquid has been absorbed, add another ladle of the stock/sauce. This should be repeated for approximatelly18 minutes until all the liquid has been added and absorbed and the rice is cooked, but retains a little bite. If after all the stock/sauce mix has been added and it is looking a little dry before the rice is cooked, simply add a little extra boiling stock or water. Shortly before the rice is ready, stir through the reserved mushrooms.
To finish stir in a handful of Parmesan and serve topped with the toasted hazelnuts.
Serves 3-4 adults.

Parmigiana di Melanzane
A classic Sicilian dish of layered aubergines with tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan bake din the oven. The combination of rich tomato, garlic, lemon and extra virgin oil in the LG tomato and basil sauce perfectly compliments the baked aubergine providing an effective shortcut to making this classic dish without compromise in quality.
2 Aubergines cut lengthways into slices about 1cm thick
Olive Oil
125g Mozzarella
75g Parmesan
1 660 g Jar LG Tomato and Basil Sauce
Preheat an oven to 180C. Brush the aubergine slices with a little olive oil and place on a baking in a single layer. Bake in the oven until soft (about 10 minutes). Set aside and allow to cool.
In an ovenproof dish, place a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce (enough to cover the bottom of the dish. Top with enough slices of aubergine to cover the dish in a single layer. Top with a layer of sliced mozzarella, a layer of tomato sauce and a layer of Parmesan. Repeat the layers (the number will depend on the size of the dish, finishing with a layer of tomato sauce topped with cheeses
Bake in an oven at 180C for 25minutes, when it should be heated through and browned on top.
It is best to allow to cool down and to serve warm. Suitable as a starter or as a main meal
Serves 6 adults as a main meal.

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