Rose Elliot - Rose Elliot’s Vegetarian Meals In Minutes

2 tortillas

6–8 iceberg lettuce leaves

2 tomatoes

small piece of cucumber

2 spring onions

4 tbls mayonnaise, soured cream, yogurt or a mixture

hot chilli sauce such as Tabasco

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the tortillas into a Irving pan over a moderate heat, one at a time, to warm through, or heat them under the grill.

Shred the lettuce leaves and chop the tomatoes, cucumber and spring onions. Mix with the mayonnaise, soured cream or yogurt then add a dash of hot chilli sauce and some salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the salad mixture on to the warm tortillas, roll them up firmly and serve at once.

SERVES 2

2 tsp curry powder

2 tbls mayonnaise

2 tbls plain yogurt

1 tsp mango chutney

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 avocado

2 tomatoes

squeeze of lemon juice

2–3 poppadums

paprika pepper or fresh coriander

Put the curry powder into a dry saucepan and heat for 1–2 minutes until it smells aromatic. Remove from the heat and mix with the mayonnaise, yogurt, chutney and salt and pepper to taste.

Peel, stone and chop the avocado then put it in a bowl. Dice the tomatoes and add to the avocado with the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Put the poppadums on a plate, spoon the avocado mixture on the side and trickle the curried mayonnaise over it. Finish with a sprinkling of paprika pepper or a little chopped fresh coriander.

SERVES 1

2 onions, peeled and chopped

2 tbls olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 chilli, de-seeded and chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tomatoes

l × 425g / 15oz can red kidney beans, drained

2 tbls chopped fresh coriander

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tortillas

soured cream to serve

Fry the onions in the oil, with a lid on the pan, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chilli and cumin and cook for 1–2 minutes.

Cover the tomatoes with boiling water for a few seconds, then drain and slip off the skins. Chop and add to the pan with the kidney beans. Cook gently for 5 minutes or until heated through, mashing the beans to make a rough puree. Add the coriander and season with salt and pepper.

Warm the tortillas one at a time in a frying pan over a moderate heat, or heat them under the grill. Spread the bean mixture on the warm tortillas, roll them up and serve with soured cream.

SERVES 2

Although garlic bread is usually made in the oven, you can speed things up by using the grill instead.

Cheese and Garlic Bread makes a nice variation: simply put slivers of cheese (such as Gruyère) on the garlic bread before grilling it; or try herb bread, using 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley and chives instead of, or as well as, the garlic.

1/ 2French stick or 2 crusty rolls, white or wholewheat

2 garlic cloves, crushed

50g / 2oz butter, softened

Heat the grill. Cut the French stick on the diagonal into slices about 2.5cm/1 inch thick, or cut the rolls in half.

Mix together the garlic and butter then spread this over the cut surfaces of the bread.

Grill the bread until hot and sizzling on one side, then turn it over to heat the other side. Serve immediately, or cover with foil and keep warm.

SERVES 2

This delicious snack for one is rather like a cheat’s version of feuilleté of asparagus in cream.

125–225g / 4–8oz asparagus spears

15g / 1/ 2oz butter

1 1/ 2tsp cornflour

150ml / 5fl oz single cream

salt and freshly ground black pepper

freshly grated nutmeg

2 croissants

Trim the asparagus as necessary and cut it into 2.5cm/1 inch lengths. Keep the tips separate from the stems.

Cook the chopped stems in 2.5cm/1 inch of boiling water for 2 minutes, then add the tips and cook for a further 2 minutes, until they are beginning to get tender but are still crunchy. Drain.

Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the cornflour. Add the cream and stir over a moderate heat until it comes to the boil and thickens. Cook for 1–2 minutes then remove from the heat and stir in the asparagus. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Slice the croissant horizontally in half. Grill on both sides until crisp and lightly browned.

Serve the croissant halves with the asparagus, sandwiching them together with the mixture if you like, and letting the excess run on to the plate.

SERVES 2

175g / 6oz button mushrooms

15g / 1/ 2oz butter

1 tsp olive oil

1–2 garlic cloves, crushed

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 high, rounded, crusty roll, white or granary

Wash and roughly chop the mushrooms, then fry them in the butter and olive oil for 5 minutes or until they are tender. If they give off a lot of liquid, go on cooking them until this has evaporated; this may take as long as 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for 1–2 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, heat the grill. Slice the top off the roll to make a lid; scoop out and discard most of the crumb. Warm through the roll and lid under the grill, turning it.

Spoon the mushrooms into the roll and replace the lid. Serve at once.

SERVES 1

Use whatever chutney or pickle you like in this; you could also add extras such as grated cheese, mustard, mayonnaise, sliced tomato and lettuce to make a kind of burger with everything.

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 tbls olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 × 225g / 8oz can butter beans, drained

1–2 tbls chutney or pickle

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 soft burger roll

Fry the onion in the olive oil, with a lid on the pan, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 1–2 minutes longer.