If you’re after something a little special, look no further! We’ve got some really fun recipes that are perfect for a dinner party or a celebration. They can mostly be made in advance so you can appear cool as a cucumber at any meal you’re hosting.
We’ve got: 1) an Asian-inspired feast of Thai soup with spring onion pancakes and spiced vegetable dim sum; 2) Pulled jackfruit and re-fried bean burritos with sweetcorn salsa and guacamole; 3) Roasted veg lasagne with cashews; and 4) Smokey, cauliflower wellington with a chargrilled pepper and bean duxelle. We’ll be adding more so watch this space!
1) Asian-inspired feast: Thai soup, spiced vegetable dim sum, mango salsa, and spring onion pancakes with ginger & soy dip
We had a lot of fun making these dishes, and even more fun eating them! The soup is a little like a Thai Tom Yum Soup with it’s fragrant combination of lemongrass, lime juice, coconut, garlic and ginger. We’ve got some steamed vegetable dim sum dumplings that melt in the mouth, and a stack of crispy spring onion pancakes to dip in some lovely gingery soy sauce. Our mango salsa with chilli, basil, coriander and lime will drive you mad. Give it a go! This serves 4-5.
Thai soup
Ingredients: 1.5L vegetable stock; 1 lemongrass stalk; 4 garlic cloves; 1/2 onion; 5cm chunk of root ginger; 3 kaffir lime leaves (or bay leaves); 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 carrot; 100g dried mushrooms; 1 courgette; handful of cherry tomatoes; 200ml coconut milk; handful of fresh coriander; 1/2 tsp brown sugar; juice of 1 lime.
In a large pan, add the stock and the finely chopped lemongrass and place on a medium-high heat. After 5 mins, add the finely chopped garlic, onion, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, and soy sauce. Chop the dried mushrooms and add to the stock. Simmer for ~15 mins. Chop the carrot and courgette into half-moons and add to the soup with the halved tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes more then pour in the coconut milk and add the coriander, sugar and the lime juice. Taste, and (if needed) add a little more soy sauce, lime juice or sugar for a balance of salty, sour and sweet.
Spiced vegetable dim sum (steamed dumplings)
Ingredients: Vegetable filling – handful of dried mushrooms; handful of large flat-cap mushrooms; glug of olive oil; 1/2 onion; 4 garlic cloves; 5cm chunk of root ginger; 1 red chilli; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar; handful of sunflower and sesame seeds; 1/4 cabbage. Dough – 400ml tin coconut milk; 500g self-raising flour; pinch salt.
First prepare the filling. Soak the dried mushrooms in boiling water and set aside while you prepare everything else. Chop the flat-cap mushrooms and dry-fry in a pan for 5-10 mins. Add the finely chopped onion with a little oil and cook for 5 mins. Pop in the crushed garlic, grated ginger, finely sliced chilli, soy sauce, and cider vinegar. Chop the soaked mushrooms and add to the pan with the water they were in. Finely slice the cabbage and throw that in, then cook everything for a further 5-10 mins. In a separate pan, toast the sunflower and sesame seeds and then combine all the ingredients together in a bowl.
For the dumpling dough, simply mix the coconut milk with the flour and salt, and bring together into a dough. Divide into 15 pieces and roll each into a little ball, then flatten with your hands. Add a scoop of the filling to each and fold it up, pinching the edges together to seal. Place each one, sealed side down, on top of a square of baking paper and steam for about 10 minutes, until puffed up and piping hot. Use a steamer if you have one, or (like us) improvise by placing your dumplings a few at a time in a colander over a large pan of boiling water, with a lid covering them all. If you have any leftover dough, try making a few sweet ones with dark chocolate and chopped walnuts inside!
Mango salsa
Ingredients: 1 large mango; 1 large red chilli; handful of fresh coriander and basil; scattering of peanuts; 1 tsp sugar; 2 tbsp lime juice; 1 tsp soy sauce.
Chop the mango into small pieces finely slice the chilli, then combine all the ingredients together into a bowl. Easy.
Spring onion pancakes with ginger and soy dip
Ingredients: Pancakes – 250g plain flour; 500ml water; 2 large spring onions; 60ml sunflower oil; pinch salt; oil for frying. Ginger and soy dip – 3cm chunk of root ginger; 60ml soy sauce; 3 tbsp water.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, water, oil and salt, then add in the chopped spring onions. Heat a large frying pan to a high heat with a little oil, and add a ladle-full of the mix at a time, flipping each pancake half way through cooking (1-2 minutes on each side). They should be thin and crispy.
Make the dip by finely slicing the ginger and mix together with the soy sauce and water in a small bowl.
2) Pulled jackfruit and re-fried bean burritos with sweetcorn salsa and guacamole
Pulled jackfruit is popping up all over the place, so we thought we’d give it a go and see what all the fuss is about. We sauteed the jackfruit with onion, garlic, a mix of spices, and some lovely homemade adobo sauce. It was a fun experiment (and this recipe is really delicious), but roasted squash or sweet potato would be a great substitute if you can’t spot a tin of jackfruit. With a batch of freshly made tortillas, re-fried beans, guacamole, sweetcorn salsa, and some crunchy leaves, this is absolute heaven and easy to avoid all plastic packaging too! Serves 4.
Ingredients:
Pulled jackfruit – 300g of tinned jackfruit (in brine; drained weight); 2 tbsp coconut oil; 1/2 red onion; 4 garlic cloves; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tbsp smoked paprika; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 1 tbsp chilli powder; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 3 tbsp adobo sauce (keep reading for the recipe); 3 tbsp lime juice.
Adobo sauce – 2 fresh tomatoes; 3 garlic cloves; 4 tbsp cider vinegar; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tbsp chilli powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1/4 tsp cinnamon; 1/4 tsp ground black pepper; 3 tbsp olive oil.
Re-fried beans – 400g tin black beans; 2 garlic cloves; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 tbsp ground cumin; 1 tbsp adobo sauce.
Sweetcorn salsa – 2 large tomatoes; 1/2 can sweetcorn; 1/4 red onion; juice of 1/2 lime; 2 tbsp fresh coriander.
Guacamole – 2 ripe avocados; 1 garlic clove; 1/4 red onion; juice of 1/2 lime; salt and pepper.
Tortillas – 300g plain flour; 1/2 tsp salt; 150ml water; 3 tbsp olive oil.
First make the adobo sauce. In a food processor, whiz the garlic and the tomatoes together until finely blended. Add 100ml water and all the remaining ingredients except the olive oil, then blend until smooth. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then pour in the sauce and bring to the boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer (uncovered) for 20 mins. You’ll need 4 tbsp for this recipe, and any leftover sauce can be kept in an air-tight contained in the fridge and used in a chilli or any other Mexican dish.
Drain the jackfruit and slice the tougher ‘core’ from the rest of the fruit. Chop the core into smaller pieces, then use your hands to pull the rest of the flesh into shreds. Heat the coconut oil in a large pan over a medium heat and sauté the finely chopped onion and garlic for a few minutes until softened. Add the pulled jackfruit, the remaining ingredients, and 100ml water. Cover the pan and cook for 20 mins, stirring occasionally.
For the re-fried beans, heat the oil in a pan and add the finely chopped garlic and the cumin. After 2 mins, add the drained beans and cook on a low heat for about 20 mins, using a masher to break them down as they cook. Stir in the adobo sauce and cook for a few minutes more.
Whip up a guacamole by mashing the avocados together with the finely chopped onion and garlic, the lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. For the salsa, chop up the tomatoes and mix together with the sweetcorn, finely chopped onion, lime juice and fresh coriander.
To make your own tortillas, mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl, then add the water and oil and bring together into a dough with your hands. Knead for 5 mins then divide into 8 equal balls. There’s no need for this to rise, so it’s pretty quick. On a floured surface, roll each as thin as you can, into a circle(ish) and dry-fry in a large pan on a high heat for 1-2 mins on each side. Keep fresh in a tea towel while you cook the rest.
We like to serve up by laying all these scrumptious pots out on the table, then everyone can make their own burrito by piling up their tortilla as they like.
3) Roasted veg lasagne with cashews
This is a rich and beautiful version of a classic, with real depth of flavour. The trick is slow cooking, allowing the tomato sauce to cook down and develop it’s beautiful intensity. The white sauce is made with roasted cashews, certain to satisfy with it’s moreish umami taste. Serves 6.
Ingredients: Lasagne sheets. Roasted veg – 3 courgettes; 1 aubergine; 2 bell peppers; 1/4 squash, peeled; 2 tbsp olive oil; salt & pepper. Tomato sauce – 1 white onion; 1 red onion; 1 carrot; 4 garlic cloves; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp dried basil; pinch cayenne pepper; pinch cumin; 1 bay leaf; 1 tsp smoked paprika; glug olive oil; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 2 tins chopped tomatoes; 250ml vegetable stock; 1 400g tin kidney beans; 1 400g tin chickpeas. White sauce – 1 tbsp olive spread; 2 tbsp flour; 750ml oat milk; 2 tbsp nutritional yeast; handful of cashew nuts; 1/2 tsp mustard powder; 1/4 tsp ground cumin
Roasted veg – chop the veg into bite-size pieces and roast with the oil and seasoning for 30 mins at 180°C.
Tomato sauce – finely chop the onions and carrot and saute gently in a glug of olive oil for 5 mins until softened. Add the chopped garlic and the spices and cook for a few more mins. Add the tomato paste and fry for a minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and the stock and cook for 10-15 mins. Add the kidney beans and chickpeas and cook for 10 more mins. Use a potato masher to break everything down and thicken the sauce, then add in the roasted vegetables and season.
White sauce – melt the olive spread in a large saucepan and mix in the flour, then slowly add the oat milk, a little at a time, whisking well to keep it smooth. Toast the cashews in a baking tray for about 10 mins at 180°C and bash them up, then add to the white sauce with the remaining ingredients. Keep the sauce on the heat, whisking all the time until you have a lovely thick sauce.
Layer up the lasagne, starting with the tomato sauce, then lasagne sheets, then white sauce, repeating twice more. Don’t forget the lasagne sheets as I have been known to do. Bake at 180°C for 45 mins, until bubbling. Enjoy!
4) Smokey cauliflower wellington with a chargrilled pepper and bean duxelle
This was a fun experiment, and it worked like a dream! We saw a picture of this in The Guardian where it was described as looking like a football wrapped in shortcrust. Ours does too, but we think it tastes amazing so here’s our interpretation if you want to give it a go. Serves 6.
Ingredients: roasted cauliflower: 1 whole cauliflower; 1 tbsp smoked paprika; 3 cloves garlic; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp olive oil; freshly ground pepper. Duxelle: 1 onion; 4 garlic cloves; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tin kidney beans; handful of cashews; 4 sun-dried tomatoes; 2 peppers; olive oil. Shortcrust pastry: 250g flour (75g wholemeal, 175g plain), 125g olive spread.
Marinade the cauliflower whole overnight in a blend of smoked paprika, finely minced garlic, soy sauce, olive oil and freshly ground pepper. Rub this marinade into the cauliflower with your hands to get it into all the nooks! Once marinated, roast at 180°C until tender, about 45 mins.
Make the duxelle – chop the peppers in half and remove the seeds, then place skin-up under a hot grill until the skins have blackened. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and chop the peppers finely. Fry a finely chopped onion in a glug of olive oil, then add the minced garlic and tomato paste for a few more mins. Add the drained kidney beans, chopped cashews, sun-dried tomatoes, and the peppers. Take off the heat and mash the mixture up a little with a fork.
Make the pastry – rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add just enough cold water to combine and roll into a ball. Rest in the fridge in a sealed container for at least 30 mins (or overnight if you like).
Assemble – roll out the pastry and spoon half the mixture onto it, spreading it out evenly. Place the cauliflower upside down on top and spoon the remaining mixture onto the base, pushing it down into the florets with the back of a spoon. Carefully wrap the pastry around the whole cauliflower until it is sealed completely, then turn the right way up and pop three small wholes into the top for air to escape.
Bake at 200°C for 45 mins, until golden.
