Rose Elliot - Rose Elliot’s New Complete Vegetarian

Add three very finely chopped hardboiled eggs and a pinch of mace to the basic sauce.

Add 2–3 tablespoons of very finely chopped fennel bulb to the sauce before simmering.

Use 1–2 tablespoons of very finely chopped fresh green herbs (whatever is available), and add just before serving.

Add some finely grated lemon rind and juice to the basic white sauce. You can intensify the colour with a pinch of turmeric.

This is good with vegetables and for serving with pasta and gnocchi. To make it, wash and finely slice 125g (4oz) button mushrooms, fry them in a little butter for a minute or two, then add them to the sauce.

Add 1 tablespoons of French mustard and a little lemon juice to the sauce after cooking.

Another useful variation, good when you want to add more flavour to a dish. Peel and finely chop an onion, then fry it in the butter before blending with the other ingredients. Try flavouring with a pinch of ground cloves.

Add sprigs of parsley into the blender with the other ingredients at the beginning of the process.

Add ½–1 bunch of finely chopped watercress to the sauce, or add unchopped watercress to the sauce and blend it.

Use vegan margarine instead of butter, and soya milk.

One of the delights of Christmas dinner, and it’s every bit as good with a vegetarian main course as it is with a meat one.

SERVES 4–6

1 onion 3 cloves

275ml (10fl oz) milk or unsweetened soya milk

1 bay leaf

2 large slices of fresh white bread, crusts removed

15g (½oz) butter

1–2 tbsp double cream

salt and freshly ground black pepper

a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Put the onion, studded with the cloves, into a saucepan and add the milk and the bay leaf.

Bring to the boil, then take off the heat, add the slices of bread, cover and leave to one side for 15–30 minutes for the flavours to infuse.

Remove the onion and bay leaf, beat the mixture to break up the bread and stir in the butter and cream, adding salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

If you are making the sauce in advance, you can put back the onion and bay leaf once you have beaten it smooth; they will continue to flavour the sauce until you’re ready to reheat and serve it.

Cheese sauce is useful both for incorporating into other dishes before baking or grilling, and for serving with vegetables to make them into more of a meal. It’s worth using a strongly flavoured cheese, and you can boost the flavour with a good seasoning of mustard, cayenne and freshly ground black pepper. Unsweetened soya milk makes a particularly good, creamy sauce and Double Gloucester gives it a pretty colour.

MAKES 275ML (10FL OZ)

25g (1oz) butter

25g (1oz) plain flour

1 bay leaf

275–425ml (10–15fl oz) milk or unsweetened soya milk

50g (2oz) grated cheese – Cheddar or Double Gloucester

1 tsp mustard powder

cayenne pepper

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for a few seconds or until the flour bubbles round the edges, then add the bay leaf, turn up the heat and pour in about one-third of the milk or soya milk.

Stir hard until the sauce is very thick and smooth, then repeat the process twice with the remaining milk so that you finish with a thick pouring consistency.

Take the pan off the heat and beat in the grated cheese, mustard, a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Don’t let the sauce get too hot once the cheese has been added or it may go stringy and spoil.

This rich, thick red sauce with a tangy flavour is a delight. Although you can find jars of cranberry sauce and jelly in any supermarket, it’s much nicer to make your own from lovely juicy cranberries. It’s delicious with white nut roast with parsley stuffingor chestnut pâté en croûteas part of a Christmas dinner. It keeps well in the fridge for 3–4 weeks.

SERVES 8

225g (8oz) fresh cranberries

150ml (5fl oz) water

175g (6 oz) caster sugar

Sort out the cranberries by removing any bruised ones and taking off any little stems. Wash the berries and put them into a saucepan with the water.

Cook gently until the berries begin to ‘pop’ and are tender – 7–10 minutes on a high heat.

Add the sugar and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce is glossy.

VARIATION

This, too, is delicious with many nut and pulse dishes. Make in the same way, using just 4 tablespoons of water, then blend. You probably won’t need as much sugar.

This refreshing yoghurt dish is perfect with curries, lentil croquettes and bhajis.

SERVES 4–6

½ cucumber, peeled and diced

salt

275ml (10fl oz) natural yoghurt

½ green chilli, deseeded and chopped (optional)

Put the cucumber into a sieve set over a bow, sprinkle with salt, cover with a small plate with a weight on top and leave for 30 minutes to draw out excess water. Then rinse, squeeze and pat dry the cucumber with kitchen paper.

Mix the cucumber with the yoghurt and chilli.

VARIATION

Make as described, adding 2–3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint.

Make as described, adding 2–3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander.

Easy to make and delicious. Try it with toad-in-the-holeand easy creamy mashor with lentil loaf.

MAKES ABOUT 425ML (JUST OVER 15FL OZ)

1 onion, chopped

1½ tbsp rapeseed or olive oil

25g (1oz) plain flour

1 garlic clove, crushed

425ml (15fl oz) water

vegetable bouillon, stock cube or powder (optional)

1 tsp yeast extract

1–2 tsp dark soy sauce

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fry the onion in the oil for 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and, stirring all the time, let it brown over the heat.

Add all the remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. If you like a smooth gravy, strain or blend. Season to taste and serve.

A rich, special-occasion sauce that is wonderful with asparagus, artichokes or salsify. This is the traditional method of making it, with a whisk in a bowl over a pan of hot water. It can also be made quickly in a blender or food processor.

SERVES 6

1–2 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp cold water

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 egg yolks

125g (4oz) butter, diced

Mix together 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice, water and some salt and pepper in a double saucepan or a bowl set over a pan of hot water (don’t let the water boil).