Going without meat once a week is easy with these Angela Day recipes.
On the menu:
Mediterranean quinoa quiche
Vegetable pie
Sorghum and mushroom curry
Cheesy parsnip sausages
Yellow dahl and cauliflower curry
MEDITERRANEAN QUINOA QUICHE
Serves 6-8
CRUST
180ml quinoa
500ml water
5ml salt
45ml pesto
250ml grated Parmesan
1 egg
FILLING
15ml olive oil
1 brinjal, small cubes
salt and pepper
125ml olives, pitted, chopped
60ml sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
100g feta, crumbled
4 eggs
250ml cream
125ml grated Parmesan
30ml pesto
salt and pepper
CRUST: Combine the quinoa, water and salt in a pot and bring to a boil.
Turn down the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed.
Turn off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and transfer to a bowl.
Add the pesto, Parmesan and egg to the quinoa and mix well.
Grease a 23cm pie dish. Firmly press the quinoa mixture along the bottom and up the sides of the prepared dish using the back of a spoon.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20-25 minutes until crisp. Remove and set aside.
FILLING: Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the brinjal until golden. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine with the olives, tomatoes and feta and transfer on to the baked quinoa base.
Whisk together the eggs, cream, Parmesan, pesto, salt and pepper and pour over the vegetables. Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until set.
VEGETABLE PIE
Serves 6-8
30g butter
1 bulb of fennel, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5ml chopped garlic
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
5ml dried oregano
250g button mushrooms, sliced
60ml flour
250ml milk
250ml vegetable stock
250ml frozen peas
60ml chopped parsley
60ml chopped chives
salt and pepper
250g bought puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
Melt the butter in a large heavy-based pot and fry the fennel, onion, garlic, carrots and sweet potato for 5 minutes.
Add the oregano and mushrooms and fry for a further 5 minutes.
Add the flour to the vegetables and stir to coat for 2 minutes. Pour in the milk and stock and simmer until thickened – 10 minutes.
Stir in the peas and chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour into an ovenproof dish and cool.
Brush the rim of the dish with egg wash. Unroll the pastry and cut to fit the dish.
Place on top of the vegetables and brush with egg wash. Cut a small slit in the middle of the pastry.
Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes, until pastry is golden and cooked through.
SORGHUM & MUSHROOM CURRY
Serves 4-6
1 cup uncooked sorghum grains, soaked overnight in cold water
750ml vegetable stock
45ml olive oil
1 bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
10ml ground cumin
10ml ground coriander
10ml curry powder
5ml turmeric
a pinch of chilli flakes
250g button mushrooms, sliced
125ml chopped coriander
Drain the sorghum and add to a pot with the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and cook until tender, about 20-30 minutes.
Drain and reserve 250ml of the cooking liquid.
Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat and fry the onions and garlic for a few minutes.
Add the spices and fry until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and cook until coated in the spices, about 5 minutes.
Add the sorghum and the reserved stock and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 10-15 minutes.
Stir in the chopped coriander and serve.
CHEESY PARSNIP SAUSAGES
Makes 16-18
1kg parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
250ml cashew nuts, roasted and chopped
125ml grated cheddar
250ml grated Parmesan
4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
125ml chopped fresh parsley, plus 60ml extra
500ml fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper
oil, for frying
Boil parsnips in salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well. Put them back in the pan over a low heat to dry out for 5 minutes. Mash and cool for 10 minutes.
Add the nuts, cheddar, half the Parmesan, the tomatoes, the parsley, half the breadcrumbs and the egg. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
Shape the mixture into sausages.
In a bowl, combine the rest of the Parmesan and breadcrumbs and extra parsley.
Roll the sausages in the crumb mixture, place on a baking tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat about 30ml oil in a frying pan and fry the sausages, in batches, until golden.
YELLOW DAHL AND CAULIFLOWER CURRY
Serves 6-8
30ml sunflower oil
10ml cumin seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
5ml crushed garlic
15ml grated fresh ginger
1 green chilli, seeded and chopped
5ml salt
10ml ground coriander
5ml cayenne pepper
5ml turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
250ml yellow split peas (dahl)
400g tin of coconut cream
250ml vegetable stock
1 small cauliflower, cut in florets
100g green beans, trimmed and cut into 4cm lengths
Heat the oil in a large pot and lightly fry the cumin seeds until fragrant and popping.
Add the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli and salt and fry for 5 minutes.
Add the coriander, cayenne, turmeric and cinnamon stick and cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and cook for a further minute.
Stir in the potatoes and dahl until well coated. Add the coconut cream and stock and bring to a boil.
Turn down the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
Add the cauliflower and beans and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
* The Angela Day cookery column is published in The Star, the Cape Argus, the Daily News and the Pretoria News.