Since I mentioned veggie mince in the last post, I thought I'd put up a few quick tips on using fake mince. Veggie meat substitutes are actually pretty good these days, it's just a case of knowing how to use them and how not to use them.
Where veggie mince is concerned, my top tips would be:
1. For some reason, I find it makes much better chilli than it does bolognese. It is quite hard to get veggie mince bolognese anywhere approximating the richness of proper bolognese, whereas I actually find fake mince chilli just as nice as beef chilli.
2. It's a good idea to add a teaspoon or two of Marmite and some tomato puree when you add the mince, or maybe even some red wine - just something to give it a bit of body or it can seem bland and wimpy.
3. It takes remarkably little time to cook, so you can just add it to your sauce right at the end - but I find it's nicer if you add it at a slightly earlier stage to let it cook in and absorb the flavours. It doesn't seem to like being cooked for *ages*, though.
4. My favourite brand used to be one called just "Vege Mince", but I can never find it these days so I use Quorn Mince, which is definitely better than it used to be.
Part of the reason this occurs to me is because I made veggie mince chilli at the weekend with jacket potatoes and it was good veggie comfort food. Anyway, my chilli recipe is:
1. Chop an onion and some garlic; fry it for a few minutes in some oil.
2. Add a tin of tomatoes and a tin of kidney beans, together with around 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp coriander, 2 tsp paprika, chilli powder to taste, salt and pepper, and maybe a shake of mixed herbs and a shake of cinnamon.
3. Leave it to simmer for 20 minutes or so, then tip in a bag of veggie mince. You might need to add a bit of water for the mince to cook in, but I didn't find this necessary last time I did it.
4. Add a good teaspoon of Marmite and a great big squeeze of tomato puree - taste it and add more seasonings if it seems at all bland.
5. Cook it for a further 10 minutes or so and serve. Like most chillis it often improves the next day.
I'd normally opt for this veggie chilli with rice or jacket potatoes (mmm). Mark also makes a mean bean chilli with no fake meat content at all, which personally I think is yummier if you're doing wraps/burritos. Maybe I'll prod him into posting the recipe some time.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Lentil & spinach lasagne
Mmm, lasagne. This is one veggie lasagne I like and made for dinner today - I've also made it for non-veggie friends and they seemed to like it.
My other favourite veggie lasagnes are roast butternut squash & goats cheese and mediterranean vegetables (ie ratatouille). If you really want though, you can make a passable fake beef lasagne with veggie mince.
WHAT WE ATE
This is where my tendency to not measure things becomes unhelpful, but roughly I used:
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1 small grated carrot
200g red lentils
1 tin tomatoes
squeeze tomato puree
dried herbs (thyme, basil, bayleaves)
1 200g bag of spinach
two big flat mushrooms
1 pint milk
half a block of mature cheddar
3 tbsp flour
a big knob of butter/marg
a smidge of grated nutmeg
WHAT WE DID
1. Fry off the chopped onion and garlic in oil for a few minutes, add the grated carrot and give it a few more minutes.
2. Add the tinned tomatoes, the lentils, and one-and-a-half of the empty tin's full of cold water.
3. Bring to the boil, add the herbs and tomato puree and some salt & pepper, then turn it down and leave to simmer for at least half an hour (give it a stir every so often so the lentils don't stick to the pan).
4. While it's cooking, chop the mushrooms, wash the spinach and fry them both in a little oil for a few minutes. You might need to add the spinach in batches if there's too much to fit in the pan, but don't cook it for too long or it'll go rubbery and gross. Set it aside off the heat.
5. When the lentil bolognese is nearly done, make the cheese sauce (see post on cauliflower macaroni cheese if you're not sure how).
6. Assemble the lasagne - I normally smear a bit of cheese sauce on the bottom to stop it sticking, and then go in the order: pasta, cheese sauce, lentil bolognese, spinach & mushroom. Finishing obviously with a nice thick layer of cheese sauce and some extra grated cheese on top.
7. Oven it at about 180 degrees celsius for 30-40 minutes.
8. Yum.
My other favourite veggie lasagnes are roast butternut squash & goats cheese and mediterranean vegetables (ie ratatouille). If you really want though, you can make a passable fake beef lasagne with veggie mince.
WHAT WE ATE
This is where my tendency to not measure things becomes unhelpful, but roughly I used:
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1 small grated carrot
200g red lentils
1 tin tomatoes
squeeze tomato puree
dried herbs (thyme, basil, bayleaves)
1 200g bag of spinach
two big flat mushrooms
1 pint milk
half a block of mature cheddar
3 tbsp flour
a big knob of butter/marg
a smidge of grated nutmeg
WHAT WE DID
1. Fry off the chopped onion and garlic in oil for a few minutes, add the grated carrot and give it a few more minutes.
2. Add the tinned tomatoes, the lentils, and one-and-a-half of the empty tin's full of cold water.
3. Bring to the boil, add the herbs and tomato puree and some salt & pepper, then turn it down and leave to simmer for at least half an hour (give it a stir every so often so the lentils don't stick to the pan).
4. While it's cooking, chop the mushrooms, wash the spinach and fry them both in a little oil for a few minutes. You might need to add the spinach in batches if there's too much to fit in the pan, but don't cook it for too long or it'll go rubbery and gross. Set it aside off the heat.
5. When the lentil bolognese is nearly done, make the cheese sauce (see post on cauliflower macaroni cheese if you're not sure how).
6. Assemble the lasagne - I normally smear a bit of cheese sauce on the bottom to stop it sticking, and then go in the order: pasta, cheese sauce, lentil bolognese, spinach & mushroom. Finishing obviously with a nice thick layer of cheese sauce and some extra grated cheese on top.
7. Oven it at about 180 degrees celsius for 30-40 minutes.
8. Yum.
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