Rose Elliot - Rose Elliot’s New Complete Vegetarian

Add a crushed garlic clove to the dressing and mix well.

Make as described, adding 1 tablespoon of soy sauce such as tamari and 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced.

This tangy dressing is made with feta cheese. It’s a great way of adding protein as well as flavour to a salad.

SERVES 4

200g (7oz) feta cheese, drained and broken into pieces

5–6 tbsp milk

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Simply whiz everything together to a cream using an electric hand blender, liquidiser or food processor.

A sweet dressing that’s especially good on a shredded cabbage salad.

SERVES 2–4

1 tbsp clear honey

1 tbsp cider vinegar

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

¼ tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

Thoroughly combine all the ingredients in a bowl or screw-top jar.

VARIATION

Made by adding 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh mint or 1 teaspoon concentrated mint sauceto the main recipe.

Here, the use of a blender makes it easy to produce a creamy, delicious mayo every time. You could use entirely olive oil, or half groundnut or grapeseed oil and half olive oil, as here, which gives a lighter flavour.

MAKES ABOUT 200ML (7FL OZ)

1 egg

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp mustard powder

2–3 grindings of black pepper

2 tsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp lemon juice

100ml (3½fl oz) olive oil mixed with 100ml (3½fl oz) groundnut or grapeseed oil

Break the egg straight into the blender and add the salt, mustard, pepper, vinegar and lemon juice.

Blend for 1 minute at medium speed or until everything is well mixed, then turn the speed up to high and gradually add the oil, drop by drop, through the hole in the lid of the blender.

When you’ve added about half the oil, you will hear the motor change to a ‘glug-glug’ noise and then you can add the rest of the oil more quickly, in a thin stream.

If the consistency of the mayonnaise seems a bit on the thick side, you can thin it with a little hot water.

You can use homemade mayonnaise made by the traditional or the blender method, or you can use good-quality bought mayonnaise. I find this variation particularly lovely as a sauce for dishes, such as the new potato, pea and mint frittataor lentil croquettes; it adds a deliciously fresh yet rich note that complements them.

SERVES 4

4 heaped tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp finely grated lemon rind

1–6 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the mayonnaise into a bowl and stir in the finely grated lemon rind. Add the lemon juice gradually, tasting as you go, to get the mixture the right degree of sharpness for you. I like to use the whole amount, but then I love lemon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Making mayonnaise by hand is hard work, but you get a beautiful, creamy result and it’s very satisfying to see the mixture gradually thicken as you whisk in the oil.

MAKES 200–275ML (7–10FL OZ)

2–3 egg yolks

4 tsp salt

4 tsp mustard powder 2 or 3 grindings of black pepper

2 tsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp lemon juice

200–275ml (7–10fl oz) olive oil and groundnut oil, mixed

Put the egg yolks into a bowl and add the salt, mustard, pepper, vinegar and lemon juice.

Whisk for a minute or two until everything is well mixed and creamy, then start to add the oil, just a drop at a time, whisking hard after each addition.

When you have added about half the oil, the mixture will begin to thicken and look like mayonnaise, and then you can add the oil a little quicker, still whisking hard.

Go on whisking in the oil until the mixture is really thick – if you use three egg yolks you will probably be able to use 275ml (10fl oz) of oil, otherwise about 200ml (7fl oz) will be enough.

If the consistency of the mayonnaise seems a bit on the thick side, you can thin it with a little boiling water.

You can use either homemade mayonnaise or a good-quality bought one for this.

SERVES 4

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp natural yoghurt

Simply mix everything together.

My daughter Meg invented this dressing, which tastes very much like mayonnaise but contains only a fraction of the calories. You can vary the flavour by adding ½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard and you can also add a little skimmed milk if you want a thinner consistency.

SERVES 6–8

2 tbsp natural yoghurt

125g (4oz) ricotta

2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

½ tsp red wine vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Simply mix everything together to a smooth cream.

Creamy and sweet and sour, this adds a touch of luxury to many green salads.

SERVES 6

275ml (10fl oz) soured cream

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground white pepper

Just mix all the ingredients together until creamy. Keep in a covered container in the fridge for 4–5 days.

The creamy texture and slightly bitter flavour of this dressing is addictive. It goes well with almost any vegetable or pulse salad. Try adding some chopped fresh herbs such as flat-leaf parsley or chives.

SERVES 2–4

1 heaped tbsp tahini

2 tbsp cold water

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic clove, crushed (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the tahini into a bowl and gradually beat in the water and lemon juice. The mixture will be lumpy at first, but will gradually get light and fluffy as you beat in the liquid.

Add the garlic (if using) season to taste.

This dressing, made from tofu or bean curd, is a bit like mayonnaise but considerably more nutritious and lower in oil. This is also nice with some chopped fresh herbs or spring onions added.

MAKES ABOUT 35OML (12FL OZ)

300g packet tofu – from health-food shops

2 tsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp muscovado sugar

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

If you’ve got a blender, simply whiz all the ingredients together until combined. Or put the ingredients into a deep mixing bowl and use a hand blender.

Alternatively, put the tofu into a bowl and whisk until smooth, then add the vinegar, mustard and sugar and whisk again. Next beat in the oil, a little at a time. Season with salt and pepper.

When I’m making this to dress a salad, I usually make it straight into the salad bowl, mix quickly and put the salad in on top. But if you need it for pouring over a salad, or for serving with avocados, for instance, it’s easiest to make it by shaking all the ingredients together in a clean screw-top jar, and for this you may want to double the quantities given here. Store in the jar in the fridge for up to a week.

SERVES 4–6