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Vegetarian Grub For The Weekend!

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0 Just got here
edited January 2023 in General Chat
Doesn't this look good? Fried rice cakes with creamed leeks and eggs  <3
Recipe by Lebanese chef and food writer Yotam Ottolenghi

Here's a cheap, tasty and nutritious solution to cooked rice left over from takeaways. I fact, it's so good that I often cook some rice especially for the occasion! There are may alternative ways to vary this dish. Consider for example, replacing the gruyère with a nice creamy feta and adding freshly chopped marjoram or oregano; or throw in some chopped capers, olives and parsley, with or without the cheese. Serves 4

1 tsp saffron strands
400g cooked rice of any variety
100g diced gruyère
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying the cakes
3 leeks, trimmed and cut into 1cm-thick slices
250ml vegetable stock
100ml double cream
Freshly crushed black peppercorns
2 tbsp chopped tarragon
5 free-range eggs

In a small bowl, stir the saffron with about a tablespoon of boiling water, leave to infuse for a couple of minutes, then stir into the rice. Add the gruyère to the rice mix, and season well.

Next, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and, on high heat, fry the leeks for three minutes to give them a little colour. Add the stock, cream and plenty of crushed black peppercorns, and carry on cooking on a slow simmer for about 10 minutes, until the leeks are soft and the sauce is thick. Add salt to taste and keep warm. Stir in the tarragon just before serving.

Add one egg to the rice mix, and stir well. Pour a tiny amount of olive oil into a large, nonstick frying pan and place over a medium heat. With a spoon, take some of the rice mix and press it down into the hot oil to create four flat cakes about 1cm thick and 7cm in diameter. Fry them on both sides until crispy and brown, about four minutes a side. Transfer to absorbent paper and keep warm while you make another four cakes.

Once all the rice cakes are made, crack the four remaining eggs into the same pan and fry, seasoning just before they're done. Serve two cakes per person and spoon over some of the creamed leeks. Top each portion with a fried egg and serve.


Ricotta Tart by Lebanese chef and food writer Yotam Ottoleghi


Think of this as a savoury baked cheesecake, only not as rich. It is brilliantly light! In fact, it would make quite a wholesome lunch with a nice crisp leafy salad. To give it a little extra oomph, fold in some grated goat's cheese along with the onion.

200g shortcrust pastry
30g unsalted butter
3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3 eggs
2 yolks
500g ricotta
20g chopped basil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
200g sundried tomatoes (plus a little of their oil)
6 sprigs fresh thyme

Heat the oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3. Roll out the pastry and cut out a circle that is just slightly larger than the base of a 24cm spring-form cake tin. Place this inside the tin and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cover with baking paper and baking beans, and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper, and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked through and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool down.

Meanwhile, heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan over low-medium heat, then sauté the onions and four of the garlic cloves, stirring from time to time, for 20 minutes or so, until the onions are soft and sweet but haven't taken on any colour. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the eggs and yolks in a large mixing bowl, preferably with an electric mixer, until light and airy. Add the ricotta carefully and work just until it is well incorporated. Fold in the onion and garlic mix, basil, salt and pepper, then pour over the pastry and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until just set.

While the tart is in the oven, blitz the sundried tomatoes, the picked leaves of three thyme sprigs, the reserved chopped garlic, a pinch of salt and a few tablespoons of the tomato oil – you want a smooth paste. Spread this mix evenly over the top of the tart as it comes out of the oven, top with three whole thyme sprigs, then return to the oven for five minutes. Remove, leave to cool, and serve warmish or cold.


Saffron risotto cake with grilled veg


A top anytime lunch by Jane Baxter chef at the Riverford Field Kitchen in Buckfastleigh, Devon.
Recipe serves 4

1 onion, finely chopped
1 pinch saffron
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp ground fennel seeds
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pinch chilli flakes
2 tbsp chopped tinned tomatoes (or fresh, peeled, deseeded and chopped)
300g risotto rice
Salt and pepper
A splash of white wine (or vermouth)
1 litre hot vegetable stock
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked
1 aubergine, thinly sliced
2 courgettes, thinly sliced
Olive oil
125g mozzarella, sliced
100g roasted and peeled red peppers (the kind you buy in a jar will do)
1 tbsp grated parmesan (or alternative)

Cook the onion and saffron in oil over a low heat for 10 minutes. Add the fennel, garlic and chilli, cook for another couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes and rice. Turn up the heat and cook at a vigorous simmer for five minutes. Season generously, add the wine and stir.

Over medium heat, add the stock a ladle at a time, adding the next ladleful only when the previous one has been absorbed. When most of the liquid is used up, check the texture of the rice – it should be almost cooked but still have a little bite to it. Season again, add the finely shredded basil, stir and leave to cool.

Toss the aubergine and courgette slices in a little olive oil, season and grill on a hot griddle pan (or on a barbecue) until char lines are visible and the vegetables are soft to touch.

Butter a terrine or loaf tin and line the base with a strip of baking parchment. Take one-third of the cooled rice and press it into the bottom of the mould. Top with half the courgette strips, followed by half the aubergine, mozzarella and red peppers. Sprinkle with parmesan. Repeat with another third of the rice and the remaining veg and cheese. Top with the final third of rice.

Bake in a medium oven (180C/ 350F/gas mark 4) for 30 minutes, until golden brown on top. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and turn out on to a serving dish. Serve sliced, either hot or cold, with a green salad.
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • fadedangelfadedangel Posts: 263 The Mix Regular
    Yummy! 😋

    Even though I’m not a vegetarian, they do look delish so would love to make them.
    « I have been through hell but the best is yet to come « 
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