Oh Leon, wonderful lovely Leon. The restaurant chain have just released their ninth recipe book and this time their focus is on vegetarian food. Normally, we'd probably run for the hills at the thought of a meal that purposely doesn't include meat but after having a look through this book, and trying out the recipes below, we're hooked. Sayonara steak, we're all about the pea fritters.
Rosie’s Pea, Mint & Sharpham Rustic Fritters
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Makes six fritters (enough for 4-6)
Preparation Time: Five minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
The cheese used is from Sharpham estate, from where the recipe originates, but any semi-soft cheese can be used instead (or even diced halloumi). Frozen peas are fine to use here.
500g peas
230ml milk
4 eggs
60g cornflour
200g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
200g Sharpham Rustic cheese, cut into small cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil, for frying
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Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the peas and cook for 2 minutes, then drain and crush roughly with a potato masher.
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Whisk the milk and eggs together in a bowl. Sift the flours and baking powder and add to the egg mixture, whisking to form a batter.
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Add the crushed peas and the cheese, season well and stir to combine.
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Heat a little oil in a non-stick pan. Drop in the mixture a dessertspoon at a time, flatten slightly, and fry the patties gently until browned on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper.
Courgette & Tomato Gratin
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Serves four
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
♥ WF gF v A classic gratin using summer vegetables.
400g ripe beef tomatoes
400g courgettes
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese
1 tablespoon polenta
2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs (basil, chives, oregano, parsley)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Core the tomatoes and slice them thinly.
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Top and tail the courgettes and slice them thinly lengthways. Put them into a bowl and toss with
a 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Heat a grill or griddle pan until hot, and grill the courgette slices on both sides until tender.
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Put the garlic, Parmesan, polenta and herbs into a bowl and mix together.
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Oil an ovenproof dish and start layering the
veg, starting with a layer of courgettes, then a layer of tomatoes and a sprinkling of the cheesy herb mix. Season each layer and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
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Finish with a layer of the cheesy herb mix and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, until golden on top.
Salvatore’s Panzanella
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Ingredients
**250g stale sourdough/ wholemeal bread, ripped into 2–3cm pieces
60ml good red wine vinegar
60ml olive oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
500g cherry or good-quality ripe tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A bunch of fresh basil 1 celery heart, thinly sliced 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 50g stoned olives a pinch of dried oregano lots of good olive oil
Method
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Put the bread into a wide, shallow serving dish. Put the vinegar, oil and garlic into a bowl and mix together, then drizzle over the bread, mixing it in well with your hands.
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Halve the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and add to the bread.
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Set aside a few leaves of basil for the garnish and scatter the rest over the bread, along with the celery, onion and olives. Sprinkle with a little oregano and drizzle with lots of good olive oil.
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Cover the dish and set to one side in a cool place until ready to serve.
Leon: Fast Vegetarian is available to buy now.
Follow Jess on Twitter @Jess_commons
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.