Rose Elliot - Rose Elliot’s New Complete Vegetarian

Taste the soup again before serving, then spoon some cream over the top of each bowlful. Sprinkle with the chopped chives and serve.

This is my family’s favourite soup and the one I get the most requests to make.

SERVES 4-6

900g (2lb) potatoes, peeled

3 tbsp olive oil

salt

2 litres (3 pints) light vegetable stock or water

vegetable bouillon powder or a stock cube

1 packet of fresh watercress

freshly ground black pepper

Slice the potatoes as thinly as you can; this is to help them soften quickly in the oil.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the potato slices with a sprinkling of salt, which also helps the softening process by drawing the water out of the potatoes. Cook very gently, covered, for 5–15 minutes, stirring often. The longer you can let them ‘sweat’ like this, the better the soup. They can get flecked with some gold, but don’t let them brown because that will spoil the flavour. Add 1–2 tablespoons of water if they start to stick.

Add three-quarters of the stock or water and the bouillon powder or stock cube. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 5–15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. The timing will depend on how long you sweated the potato for if you got it very tender, this stage will take hardly any time.

Reserve some small sprigs of watercress for garnishing (one for each bowl), and add the rest to the soup. Blend thoroughly to a smooth, bright green cream. Adjust the consistency with the remaining water to get it to the consistency you like.

Season with salt and pepper (you may not need much salt, if any). Reheat and serve with watercress leaves and a grinding of black pepper on each bowlful.

Quick meals to eat on the move, snacks to rustle up in an instant and light dishes to whet the appetite in anticipation of the main course – that’s what this chapter is about.

You’ll find some stunning first courses that are perfect for a special occasion meal or weekend dinner, followed by deliciously simple bruschetta and crostini, then plenty of lunch-box sandwiches and wraps for kids and adults alike. If you’re short on time, try the tasty savourieson toast and super-quick ciabattaor pitta pizzas. Finally, wash it all down with fresh peppermint teaor a nutritious smoothie.

A colourful Italian-style first course.

SERVES 6

225g (8oz) button mushrooms

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small red pepper

2 tsp wine or cider vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch of radishes

bunch of spring onions

2 heads of chicory

cucumber

6 tomatoes

4 hardboiled eggs

175g packet of chargrilled artichoke hearts, from the deli

175g packet of sliced roasted peppers, from the deli

12 black olives, or your favourite olives, to garnish

vinaigrette, to serve

Wash and slice the mushrooms; fry lightly in 1 tablespoon of the oil for 5 minutes, then leave to cool.

Slice the red pepper very thinly, discarding the seeds. Place on a flat dish and sprinkle with the remaining oil and wine or cider vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. If possible, leave for 1–2 hours to soften.

Wash and trim the radishes and spring onions; slice the chicory lengthways into quarters, and the cucumber, tomatoes and eggs into circles.

Arrange all the ingredients attractively on individual dishes or a large platter, garnish with olives and serve with vinaigrette.

This is a delightful starter: cooked globe artichokes filled with hollandaise sauce. You pull off the leaves and dip the bases in the sauce, then enjoy the delicious heart. You’ll need finger bowls, and bowls in which to put the discarded leaves after you’ve sucked the flesh from them. It’s best to cook the artichokes ahead of time then gently reheat them just before serving.

SERVES 4

4 globe artichokes, stems removed

a squeeze of lemon juice

blender hollandaise, to serve

Cut the stalks off the artichokes so that they will sit level, then wash them thoroughly under the cold tap. You might like to trim the points off the leaves using scissors, so that they are less sharp; or you could leave them as they are.

Cook the artichokes in a large saucepan of boiling water, with a good squeeze of lemon juice added, for about 45 minutes, or until a leaf will pull off easily. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool quickly.

Open out the leaves to get to the centre of the artichoke, like opening out the petals of a flower. Pull off and discard the central purple cluster of tender leaves. Underneath you will find the fluffy ‘choke’, which is inedible, so you’ll need to scoop this out with a knife or pointed teaspoon, then rinse the artichoke under the cold tap.

Just before you want to serve the artichokes, reheat them in a microwave in a covered container on high for 4–6 minutes, or until heated through, or stand them in a shallow roasting tin or ovenproof dish, cover with foil and reheat in the oven preheated to 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4 for about 15 minutes or until heated through.

Place each artichoke on a warm plate. Spoon the hollandaise sauce into the centre and serve at once.

This is one of the simplest ways of preparing aubergines, but one of my favourites, and I think it’s tasty enough to serve as an extra course or light meal on its own.

SERVES 6

450g (1lb) aubergines

plain flour for coating

salt and freshly ground black pepper

olive oil, for shallow-frying

grated Parmesan-style cheese

lemon wedges

watercress

425ml (15fl oz) homemade tomato sauce, soured cream and herb sauceor tartare sauce, to serve

Wash the aubergines and remove the stems, then cut the aubergines into 6mm (¼in) slices and dip them in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper.

Just before you want to serve the aubergines, heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the slices, a few at a time, on both sides, until the outside is crisp and the inside feels tender when pierced with the point of a sharp knife.

As the fritters are ready, put them in a roasting tin lined with crumpled kitchen paper and keep them warm under the grill or in a low oven until they are all ready.

Serve the fritters sprinkled with a little grated Parmesan-style cheese and garnished with wedges of lemon and sprigs of watercress. Serve the sauce separately.

These rolls are easy to make and are wonderful as part of a selection of canapés or tapas, or arranged on individual plates with some yoghurt and green herb dressing, for a starter.

MAKES 24 OR 48 ROLLS

3 large aubergines

6–8 tbsp olive oil

1 quantity of tapenade

a sprig of flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Heat the grill.

Cut the stalk ends from the aubergines, then cut the aubergines lengthways into slices about 6mm (¼in) thick. (You will probably get 8–10 slices from each aubergine.)