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Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?  Oh! No! Not A......

I once gave a dinner party where, out of eight guests, one couldn’t eat dairy products, one had a gluten allergy, another was vegan and three hated fish.  I thought the obvious solution was to use tomatoes.  This worked well until another guest’s face suddenly swelled up like a balloon and her husband said: “I think my wife forgot to mention she is allergic to tomatoes.”  At least the wine went down well if you exclude the guest who was allergic to sulphur in white wine.  She did at least bring her own bottle!

One of these days I shall have a BYOM - bring your own meal - party.  It would be a lot less work. But I do get a sense of satisfaction when I put home cooked food in front of guests.  I have had to master the art of nonchalantly throwing together a vegetarian meal together for the growing band of friends and acquaintances who, when asked over for a meal,  mention, just as I am putting the ‘phone down,  “Oh, by the way, I ‘m a vegetarian but don’t worry a salad will do!”

I always reply: “No problem” and then search endlessly though my cookbooks sighing heavily and changing my mind each time I find something which will blend in with my other, meat-eating guests.

Vegetarian cuisine is just like non-vegetarian cooking - it’s not easy to produce something quickly.  From time to time we experiment with a veggie fortnight – and at the end of it I am surprisingly tired with all the cooking I have done. I have had to think about the menus far more carefully but, on the other hand, we have eaten something new and interesting most days.

Through trial, some error and the guidance of some helpful cookbooks, I have developed a selection of recipes that my family and friends have enjoyed, and that can be cooked in advance and frozen. So I’m passing on a couple of these recipes to those of you who, like me, are not very confident when entertaining a vegetarian. They also reflect my philosophy that good food is good food – meat notwithstanding. The ingredients can be found in most French supermarkets.

“By the way, I’m a vegetarian…”  It’s a remark designed to strike terror into the heart of any host. Veggie? Normal veggie or vegan? What about dairy allergies? Sara Dobson offers some hope to the frazzled hostess.

Basic Vegetable Soup  

Serves four

1 small bulb of fennel  

3 medium carrots  

3 medium potatoes

2 leeks   

Salt and pepper

1 litre vegetable stock (can be made with two stock cubes)

3 tbls olive oil

4 tbls chopped parsley

Grated cheese to serves (Cheddar, Comte or Cantal are all good)

Method

1. Peel and dice the potatoes and carrots.

2. Slice of the base of the fennel and cut of the fronds on top. Discard these. Chop the remaining fennel into small pieces.

3. Thinly slice the leeks.

4. Bring the stock to the boil or boil a litre of water and dissolve the two stock cubes in it.

5. Heat up the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the vegetables and gently fry them (sweating) without colouring until they are soft.

6. Add the hot stock and bring back to the boil.

7. Simmer until all the vegetables are really well cooked (about 40 minutes).

8. Using a blender (hand held ones are good), puree the soup and add the chopped parsley. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

9. When serving, add the grated cheese to each portion and give a quick stir.

Options:

· if you want a more earthy consistency, add 150g of red lentils (lentilles de corail) when you add the stock.

· This recipe is easily adapted to reflect the vegetables in season but carrots, potatoes and leeks (or onions) are a good base for most vegetable soups.

Mushroom and Butternut Squash Fricassee

Serves four  

300 g sliced mushrooms

500 g diced butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes

1 large leek, sliced

200 ml Greek yoghurt

1tsp fennel seeds

1tsp made mustard

1tsp grated nutmeg

200 ml coconut milk

Salt and pepper

Olive oil for frying

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C. Sprinkle the squash cubes with a little salt and dry roast for 30 minutes.

2. Fry the sliced leeks until soft and add the sliced mushrooms. Continue cooking until the mushrooms are just cooked

3. Add the squash, fennel seeds and nutmeg and fry for a further five minutes, stirring gently.

4. Add the yoghurt, mustard, coconut milk, salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

5. Serve with boiled rice and a green vegetable.

Options:

· If you would like to add meat for some of your guests, you can separate the fricassee before serving and add chunks of ham or cooked chicken

· This dish can be cooked in advance and gently reheated.

Pretty picture, but where’s the meat?

Good old butternut squash - the perfect standby!

Click here to download the recipe

Sara Dobson has lived for many years in France.  She is an accomplished hostess and cookery expert with several cookery books and articles to her name.

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