Palmer - Real Food for Vegetarians

The secret behind conjuring up speedy yet impressive dishes is to have a well stocked storecupboard. Once upon a time this would have meant flour, sugar and a few other dried commodities, but today, with the vast range of convenience and preserved foods readily available, it is possible to have a comprehensive stock of standby foods.

This means that tasty, nutritious, attractive and relatively inexpensive vegetarian dishes can be created at short notice. Most of the recipes in this book include some basic storecupboard ingredients and some are almost completely constructed from what could be considered stock ingredients. If a good storecupboard is always maintained, a substantial meal is always available. However, for a good vegetarian diet, storecupboard commodities are best used in combination with fresh ingredients. The following is what I would consider a comprehensive list of storecupboard ingredients, from which many of the recipes in this book can be prepared. You may wish to add or take away from this list, depending on your personal taste and the likes and dislikes of those you regularly cook for.

Essentially Dry

• Plain (all-purpose) flour
• Cornflour (cornstarch)
• Baking powder
• Sugar caster (superfine) and soft brown
• Cocoa (unsweetened chocolate) powder
• Semolina (cream of wheat)
• Custard powder
• Dried milk powder (non-fat dry milk)
• Dried breadcrumbs
• Dried beans and pulses a selection of your favourites
• Pasta any shape
• Rice
• Mixed dried fruit (fruit cake mix)
• No-soak prunes
• Walnut pieces
• Packet sauce mixes white sauce and cheese sauce
• Cornflakes
• Pancake batter mix
• Pizza mix
• Stuffing mix a garlic and herb combination is the most versatile

Essential Flavours

• Black peppercorns, for grinding
• Salt table and coarse, if possible
• Mustard powder or made English mustard and a wholegrain mustard, if possible
• Vegetable stock cubes
• Tomato pure (paste)
• Soy sauce
• Honey clear, not set
• Golden (light corn) syrup
• Jam (conserve) or jelly (clear conserve) particularly redcurrant
• Garlic pure (paste)
• Vinegar cider or wine vinegar and balsamic, if possible
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Selection of dried herbs mixed herbs, thyme, oregano, rosemary and basil
• Selection of dried spices curry powder, chilli powder, ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg, mixed (apple-pie) spice and ground ginger
• Chutney a fruity variety such as apple, peach or red tomato
• Plain (semi-sweet) chocolate
• Lemon juice

Fresh, Chilled or Frozen

• Eggs, large
• Milk whole or semi-skimmed
• Margarine avoid low-fat spreads, which may not be suitable for cooking
• Butter
• Bread
• Hard cheese a full-flavoured Cheddar is a good standby
• Cream cheese plain and garlic and herb, if possible
• Grated Parmesan cheese freeze and use as required
• Mayonnaise
• UHT double (heavy) or whipping cream
• Plain yoghurt
• Frozen puff pastry (paste)
• Frozen filo pastry
• Frozen sweetcorn (corn)
• Frozen peas
• Frozen chopped parsley
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Carrots

Canned and Bottled

• Oil vegetable, sunflower or corn
• Canned tomatoes
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Baked beans
• Canned pulses and beans keep a selection of your favourites
• Stoned (pitted) olives
• Canned fruit, particularly peaches, pineapple and any other favourites
• Carton/bottle of orange juice
• Condensed soups, particularly tomato and mushroom

This section includes a wide variety of delicious starters to suit every occasion from a family meal to a special dinner party. The soups are particularly versatile light enough to be eaten before a main course but substantial enough to make a complete lunch or supper, if served with lots of crusty bread. Asparagus Pt Serves 4 400 g/14 oz/1 large can of asparagus, drained 100 g/4 oz/ cup cream cheese 2.5 ml/ tsp lemon juice 2.5 ml/ tsp Tabasco sauce Salt and freshly ground black pepper Melba toast or savoury biscuits (cookies), to serve Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and work to a smooth consistency. Spoon into small individual serving dishes and chill for about 30 minutes until firm. Serve with melba toast or savoury biscuits. Preparation time: 5 minutes plus chilling Melon with Stem Ginger Serves 4 1 Ogen or honeydew melon 25 g/1 oz/1 tbsp stem ginger, finely chopped 60 ml/4 tbsp syrup from the stem ginger 30 ml/2 tbsp sunflower seeds, toasted Discard the melon seeds, then, using a melon baller, form the flesh into neat balls (reserve any odd pieces of melon for a fruit salad).

Stir in the stem ginger and syrup. Serve in individual sundae glasses, topped with the sunflower seeds. Preparation time: 10 minutes Minted Pea Soup in a Moment Serves 4 1 vegetable stock cube 1 small onion, finely chopped 450 g/1 lb minted frozen peas 30 ml/2 tbsp mint jelly (clear conserve) Salt and freshly ground black pepper 60 ml/4 tbsp crme frache 15 ml/1 tbsp chopped fresh mint Bring about 900 ml/1 pints/3 cups of water to the boil and add the stock cube and onion. Add the peas, bring back to the boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Cool the mixture slightly, then liquidise or process until smooth. Sieve (strain) to remove any skins.

Stir in the mint jelly, season to taste and heat through. Serve in individual bowls with a tablespoonful of crme frache and a sprinkling of fresh mint on the surface of each one. Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Spicy Chick Pea Dip with Crudits Serves 4 For the dip: 400 g/14 oz/1 large can of chick peas (garbanzos), drained 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1 shallot, finely chopped 2.5 ml/ tsp chilli powder A pinch of ground cumin 30 ml/2 tbsp mayonnaise 45 ml/3 tbsp soured (dairy sour) cream Salt and freshly ground black pepper Paprika, for sprinkling For the crudits: 2 large carrots, cut into long fine strips 5 celery sticks, cut into 5 cm/2 in lengths 1 large red (bell) pepper, cut into long fine strips 1 large bag of tacos Place all the ingredients for the dip, apart from the paprika, in a processor or liquidiser and process until smooth. Serve the dip in a bowl, sprinkled with the paprika. Surround with the crudits and tacos. Preparation time: 10 minutes Pimiento and Aubergine Rolls Serves 4 2 medium aubergines (eggplants) 45 ml/3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 400 g/14 oz/1 large can of pimientos, drained 1 garlic clove, crushed 3 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped 100 g/4 oz/ cup garlic and herb cream cheese 30 ml/2 tbsp torn fresh basil Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.