Rose Elliot - Rose Elliot’s New Complete Vegetarian

Caesar salad, with its sweet, crisp leaves, creamy mayonnaise dressing, cheese and croûtons, seems like a great vegetarian salad, except that often it isn’t. The mayonnaise may have Worcestershire sauce in it; there may be anchovies in the salad, and Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian. But it is possible to make a great veggie Caesar with Tabasco, capers and gherkins to pep up the mayonnaise, and Parmesan-style cheese or hard vegetarian pecorino to take the place of Parmesan.

SERVES 4

1 Cos lettuce, washed and torn into large bite-sized pieces

FOR THE DRESSING

6 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 garlic clove, crushed

a few drops of Tabasco or hot chilli sauce

125g (4oz) pecorino or Parmesan-style cheese, flaked with a potato peeler or coarsely grated

2 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed (or rinsed and drained if preserved in salt)

1–2 small gherkins, chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE CROUTONS

2–4 slices of bread olive oil, for frying

Put the lettuce into a salad bowl.

Mix the mayonnaise with the lemon juice, garlic and enough Tabasco or hot chilli sauce to give it a pleasant kick. Add half the cheese, the capers and the gherkins, and add to the bowl with the lettuce. Scatter the rest of the cheese on top and season to taste with pepper and a little salt if necessary.

To make the croûtons, fry the slices of bread in olive oil in a frying pan, until they are crisp and golden, turning them to fry the each side. Cut the fried bread into pieces and add to the salad bowl. Toss the salad and eat at once.

Celeriac, that knobbly root with the delicious celery flavour, makes a classic, creamy salad. I like it with some lovely bright green watercress. It’s also delicious in a lighter, vinaigrette dressing(see the variation).

SERVES 4

450g (1lb) celeriac

6 tbsp mayonnaise: homemade or good-quality bought

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

Peel the celeriac and cut into quarters, then grate coarsely.

Put the grated celeriac into a bowl with the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, sugar, salt and a good grinding of black pepper, and mix well.

If possible, leave it for 30 minutes or so to give the celeriac a chance to soak up the flavour of the dressing, then serve.

VARIATION

Grate the celeriac as described, then mix with vinaigrette, so that it is all coated and glossy with the dressing. This is good with plenty of pepper added; you could grind it in, or add ½–1 teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper from a jar, or crushed using a pestle and mortar.

If you can get red chicory, this salad is lovely made with half red and half white; otherwise just use white chicory. Either way, it’s crisp and refreshing.

SERVES 4–6

350g (12oz) white chicory

350g (12oz) red chicory

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or half walnut oil and half olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper

50g (2oz) shelled walnut pieces, roughly chopped

Wash the chicory, dry carefully, then slice, or pull the leaves apart.

Put the oil and vinegar into a salad bowl, add some salt and pepper and mix together, then add the chicory and walnuts and toss in the oil until everything is shiny with the dressing. Serve at once.

VARIATION

This salad is made in the same way as the previous one, using 700g (1½lb) Chinese leaves and adding a bunch of chopped spring onions instead of (or, if you prefer, as well as) the walnuts. I also rather like it with some raisins added too; they give a pleasant touch of sweetness.

In this recipe, I have emphasised the Chinese theme by mixing Chinese leaves with crunchy beansprouts and a sweet and sour soy sauce and sesame oil dressing. It’s rather like a salad version of Chinese stir-fry.

SERVES 4

175g (6oz) fresh beansprouts

1 tbsp clear honey

3 tbsp sesame oil or olive oil

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

freshly ground black pepper

2.5cm (1in) fresh root ginger, finely grated

350g (12oz) Chinese leaves, shredded

2 carrots, coarsely grated

Cover the beansprouts with cold water and leave them to soak and become crisp while you make the dressing and prepare the other ingredients.

Put the honey, oil and soy sauce into the base of a large bowl with a grating of pepper and the ginger, and mix together.

Add the Chinese leaves and carrots, mix well, then drain the beansprouts and add these. Mix again and serve.

Homemade coleslaw is better than any you can buy, and it’s very quick and easy to make. You can control the richness – using mayonnaise gives the creamiest, most delicious result but for lighter versions you can replace some of this with natural yoghurt.

SERVES 4

350g (12oz) white cabbage, shredded

1 large carrot, coarsely grated

1 small onion, finely sliced

50g (2oz) sultanas (optional)

3 rounded tbsp mayonnaise

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the cabbage, carrot and onion into a large bowl with the sultanas, (if using).

Add the mayonnaise and some salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

Cover and leave for 2–3 hours before serving, if possible. This allows the vegetables to soften and the flavours to blend.

Curly endive makes a lovely salad. I wish that we could buy it as easily in the UK as one can in France. The lovely round, untidy green and yellow heads taste wonderful with a simple walnut vinaigrette.

SERVES 4

½ head curly endive

walnut vinaigrette

50g (2oz) shelled walnut pieces, lightly chopped

Wash the endive, discarding any discoloured or damaged leaves. Break up or chop roughly.

Put the endive into a salad bowl with the vinaigrette, add the fresh walnuts, and toss together. Serve immediately.

This Lebanese dish contains the usual ingredients of Middle Eastern salads – cucumber, tomato, green pepper, onion, parsley and mint – but also toasted pitta bread. Sumac is a traditional Lebanese spice that can be bought from Middle Eastern shops or, increasingly, many supermarkets.

SERVES 2–4

1 Cos lettuce, roughly chopped

a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

leaves from a small bunch of mint, roughly chopped

3 tomatoes, diced

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1 cucumber, diced

1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped

1 bunch of spring onions, chopped

1 pitta bread

FOR THE DRESSING

juice of 1 lemon

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1–3 tsp sumac (if available)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put all the prepared vegetables into a salad bowl and mix.

Make the dressing in a small bowl by combining the lemon juice, oil, garlic, sumac – start with the smaller quantity and add more to taste – plenty of salt and a grinding of pepper.

Open out the pitta bread and toast under a hot grill or in a toaster until crisp, then break into bite-sized pieces and add to the salad.