Recipes for veggies

You know that annoying vegetarian friend, who is always demanding meat-free food? The one who doesn't even have the decency to eat fish and chicken? That's me. Yip, I am that tree-hugging individual who would prefer not to eat anything with a face.

Not wanting to seem ungrateful, I dutifully gulp down every cheese-covered aubergine dish that is proudly pushed my way (usually with a very big glass of wine).

I have a growing suspicion that my flesh-loving friends have never actually tasted aubergine, for while I'm not denying that it is an edible vegetable, there has only been one occasion on which I have found it palatable.

My friends are nice people, a fact which leads me to the conclusion that — as meat-eaters — they have simply never been told about the joys of cooking with veggies.

So, in the interests of functional friendships, distraught amateur chefs, and well…myself, I have collected some delicious vegetarian recipes to help you out next time you are obliged to cook for someone like me.

The braai

I acknowledge that a braai is typically all about the meat, but this doesn't mean that you can't squeeze a few tasty veggies in next to those manly chops and ribs. Move beyond the traditional potato/corn/onion wrapped in foil for something with a little more flair.

For vegetable sosatis you will need:

Method:

Cut the pepper, onions and cheese into 2cm by 2cm squares. Alternating between the ingredients, spear the sosati sticks through the cheese and vegetables. Bush lightly with olive oil and place a grill on the braai until the cheese takes on a golden brown tint.

Pizza night

Pizzas offer the perfect excuse to get creative with more unusual vegetables — asparagus, artichokes, peppadews and sun-dried tomatoes.

For the pizza dough you will need:

Method:

Mix the flour yeast and salt together. Pour in the olive oil and most of the water. Mix, adding more water if necessary to form a soft dough. Knead it on a floured surface for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Put it in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave it to rise for about an hour and a half.

Once the dough has doubled in size, knead it for a further two minutes. Roll the dough out very thinly into a circle and place on a prepared baking tray or sheet.

Try one of these scrumptious toppings:

It is a good idea to begin with a basic margherita (tomato paste and mozzarella cheese) before adding the extra toppings.

Caramelised onion, roast butternut and soft goat's milk cheese — prepare the caramelised onions by cooking them in olive oil for about 10 minutes until they are soft and then adding roughly 20 grams of brown sugar and frying for a further three minutes. Pre-roast the butternut by cutting it into 1cm thick cubes, coating lightly with olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper and roasting at 200°C for 10 to 15 minutes.

Brie, Spring onion and peppadews — cut the brie into slices and lay evenly over the pizza base, halve the peppadews and, depending on your affinity for spicy food, scatter liberally over the cheese. Finally, sprinkle roughly-chopped spring onion over the top.

Asparagus, sun-dried tomato, parmesan shavings and balsamic reduction — flash cook the asparagus tips for about three minutes in a small amount of water until they are bright green. Slice the sun-dried tomatoes so that they are not too pungent. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the tomatoes and asparagus. When the pizza comes out of the oven, top with parmesan shavings.

Your pizza should cook for about 10 minutes in a 230°C oven.

Delicious dinners

Dinner parties seem to be the best occasion to indulge in a little 'aubergine cuisine', so next time you are struggling to think of a vegetarian alternative to roast chicken or a big juicy steak, try one of these delicious recipes from Marita Pieterse's 'Four Seasons: Cooking throughout the year in South Africa'. They are so good that you can get away with serving them to your omnivorous friends too, which means that you will only have to prepare one meal!

Mushroom ragout with crisp polenta wedges

You will need:

For the polenta wedges:

Method:

Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes until soft. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add 15ml oil to the pan, turn up the heat, add half of the mushrooms, together with some salt and freshly ground black pepper, and fry over high heat for two to three minutes until lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms adding more oil if necessary.

Return all the mushrooms and the onion to the pan over low heat. Add the flour and stir until well incorporated, then add the stock, milk, tomato paste and soy sauce, and stir until smooth. Simmer for about five minutes until thickened. Stir in nutmeg and parsley. Add more stock if it looks dry. Serve with polenta wedges.

For the polenta wedges, bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the polenta in a steady stream, whisking or stirring constantly. When all the polenta has been added, cover the saucepan, turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture comes away from the side of the pan. Stir in butter thyme and about two thirds of the parmesan. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour into the prepared Swiss roll tin and spread out evenly. Leave to cool and then cut into triangles.

Arrange the triangles on the prepared baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Bake at 200°C for about 15 minutes until heated through.

For those who absolutely have to have meat, the ragout can be served as a side dish with chicken. For variety, it can also be stirred into cooked pasta, as a filling for savoury pancakes or as a topping for baked potatoes.

Thai vegetable curry

You will need:

For the lemony jasmine rice you will need:

Method:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok over a fairly high heat, add the peppers and stir fry for about five minutes until they start to soften. Add the garlic and fry for another minute or two, then add the curry paste and about 30ml coconut milk. Stir until the curry paste has dissolved. Add the rest of the coconut milk, the stock, soy sauce and brown sugar and give it a stir.

Add the butternut, cover the pan and simmer for 12 minutes. Add the green beans and simmer, uncovered, for about another 10 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper if necessary and lemon juice to taste.

Reserve a few coriander leaves for garnishing, then roughly chop the rest and stir into the curry. Spoon into a serving dish and sprinkle the peanuts and reserved coriander leaves on top. Serves four to six with lemony jasmine rice.

To make the lemony jasmine rice, place the rice, water and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer over a low heat for about 15 minutes until the rice is tender and the water absorbed. Remove from the heat, transfer to a large bowl and leave to cool.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the cooled rice to the pan, breaking it up with your fingers to separate the grains. Sprinkle over the lemon juice and stir-fry the rice for about five minutes until heated through. Remove form the heat, stir in the lemon rind and serve immediately.