Rose Elliot - 30-Minute Vegetarian

It hasn’t always been like this. When, at the tender age of 17, I started cooking vegetarian meals for visitors to the retreat centre run by my family, things were very different. The great majority of visitors had never eaten vegetarian food before. I had to struggle to convince people that they wouldn’t fade away or make themselves ill if they gave up meat; I was also up against a much more rigid approach to meals than we have now. ‘What on earth do you eat instead of a roast for Sunday dinner?’ people used to ask, and the vegetables and ingredients available were very limited: it’s hard to believe now that a green pepper was about as exotic as it got, and olive oil was something you bought from the chemist!

In spite of all that, I loved the challenge of creating colourful, tasty food that would please and excite the visitors. I must have done something right, because they raved about the dishes and wanted to know how to make them. So I wrote a recipe book, Simply Delicious , published by my family in the autumn of 1967. I thought that it would be a small charity publication that might raise funds for the retreat centre, but it took off immediately, sold out, and was reprinted many times. Simply Delicious was, in fact, one of only two vegetarian cookery books on sale nationwide at that time. I must admit to feeling proud that, as far as I am aware, it was the first cookbook ever to stipulate the use of free-range eggs.

I continued to cook at the retreat centre and in 1972 wrote another recipe book, Not Just a Load of Lentils , which my family also published, with the practical, spiral binding I wanted. Then things took an unexpected turn: the paperback publisher Fontana (a division of HarperCollins, then called Collins) spotted the book, bought the paperback rights and became my publishers, as indeed they still are today. Over sixty books followed throughout the seventies, eighties, nineties and beyond, and as the book sales added up to the 4-million mark, so the numbers of vegetarians in the UK grew and grew.

Over that time it’s been a joy to see the increasing interest in vegetarian cooking. It’s always a thrill when people tell me, as they often do, that because of my books they’ve become vegetarian, started a restaurant, opened a health shop, or written a book. I also love it when, at just about every book signing or demonstration I do, at least one person approaches me, often with a baby, child or even teenager in tow, saying they were raised on my Vegetarian Mother and Baby Book . That book, which has had many reprints and new editions, grew from my own experience of bringing up my three daughters as vegetarians (as I was myself). Now, at the time of writing, I have six grandchildren, also vegetarian.

What everyone is asking for now is vegetable-based meals that can be made quickly and easily, and this book, 30-minute Vegetarian , is my answer. There are 140 recipes ranging from fast starters and snacks, wonderful soups, to luxurious, indulgent desserts, with main courses for every occasion and lots of exciting side dishes too. I’ve arranged the mains according to how we like to eat them at home, so there’s a section of everyday suppers, and another of meals for friends and family … mix and match as much as you like, add to them, put your own stamp on them, enjoy them.

All the recipes can be made in 30 minutes, some in much less time, others just within the time frame. I admit it: I’ve pushed it to the limit in a handful of recipes, relying on advance preparation of the ingredients before starting the timer in order to get them done. I hope you’ll bear with me on these: they are all special, worth that extra bit of preparation time, and I really wanted you to have them.

I hope you will enjoy making and eating all the dishes as much as I have enjoyed creating, tasting and testing them: have fun, have a feast, celebrate!

Cook’s notes

Measurements

Both metric and imperial measurements are given for the recipes. Use one set of measurements only, not a mixture of the two.

Oven and grill

Preheat the oven to the specified temperature; if using a fan-assisted oven, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for adjusting the temperature. This usually means reducing the temperature by 20°C (65°F). Grills also need to be preheated.

Ingredients

As a general rule, buy the best ingredients you can afford on the day. Prefer ‘whole’ products, such as wholemeal flour and brown rice, over more highly processed ones. Look at labels. A good rule of thumb is the fewer and simpler ingredients in the list the better: no preservatives, stabilisers, emulsifiers and so on, and nothing with an unpronounceable name!

Always wash vegetables before use. Leaves intended for a salad need to be dried after being washed, such as in a salad spinner, so excess water doesn’t spoil the final dish.

The recipes in this book are purposely low in sugar; I prefer to use brown rice syrup (from good wholefood shops) or maple syrup for sweetness. For seasoning I use sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, either coarse or fine.

For these recipes, use medium eggs (free-range, of course) unless otherwise stated.

Cheese and dairy

Cheese was traditionally made using rennet taken from the stomachs of slaughtered calves; some cheeses, such as Parmesan, Gorgonzola, most Gruyères and Roquefort, still are. However, for most cheeses there are vegetarian versions, made using rennet derived from plant sources. These include hard Italian cheeses, often in the economy ranges of supermarkets, which can easily replace Parmesan. Read the packets, or ask at the cheese counter for advice. Note that most bought pesto contains Parmesan and is therefore not vegetarian, but vegetarian and vegan versions are available. When buying soft cheeses and yoghurts, look out for the addition of gelatine in some; these, of course, are not vegetarian.

Flavourings

Worcestershire sauce and most Thai pastes contain fish paste; vegetarian versions are available. As always, it’s important to read the label. The soy sauce I use is Clearspring’s Japanese shoyu soy; according to the label, it’s ‘made to a traditional recipe using whole soya beans and aged in cedarwood kegs over two summers’. Soy sauces range in quality as much as wine. It can make a great difference to a dish, so buy the best.

Alcohol

Many alcoholic drinks on sale in pubs and on the high street have been made using animal products to clear them of cloudiness in a process called ‘fining’. Products used include gelatine, egg white, fish oil, and shells of lobsters and crabs. However, alternative finings are available and there are many wines and other alcoholic drinks that are vegetarian and vegan. Sometimes the labels will tell you this; otherwise, wine merchants and the internet are useful sources of information.

Vegan recipes

Many of the recipes in this book are naturally vegan and are labelled as such. Many more can easily be made vegan by the slight changes suggested below the recipe in ‘Make it vegan’ .

Soups & Starters

Chilled Beetroot Soup with Horseradish Cream

Celeriac Soup with Truffle Oil and Cheese Crisps

Creamy Swede Soup with Fried Onion and Cumin Topping

Tuscan Bean Soup

Butternut Squash Soup with Chilli Oil

Green Pea and Mint Soup

Mango and Red Chilli Salad

Grilled Chicory and Fennel with Tomato Marinade

Asian Pear Salad

Radicchio alla Griglia