Vegetarian Lasagne

I'm not fond of vegetable lasagne, so this one is made with a vegetarian mince. 

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 pack of frozen vegetarian mince (vary quantity depending on how many you're serving and how big your dish is - if you make too much the leftover cooked mince can be used to make a wee shepherd's pie!)

Dark soy sauce

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of tomato puree

1 vegetable stock cube

3 tablespoons of olive oil

Lasagne sheets

1 jar of white lasagne sauce (you could make it, but I like ready made!)

Handful of grated cheddar

A little olive oil for drizzling

Heat the three tablespoons of olive oil in a deep frying pan or heavy bottomed pan over a fairly high temperature. Add the chopped carrot and onion and cook until soft. When softened add the garlic.

Add the mince (frozen is ok) and a little more olive oil. Add the tomato puree and mix in the pan. Shake in a generous splash of soy sauce.

Put the stock cube in a jug and add about half a pint of boiling water. Add to the pan a little at a time. You don't want the mince swimming, but enough for it to soak up while its cooking. Turn down to a simmer and allow the mince to absorb the liquid.

When all the liquid has been absorbed and the mince looks cooked it is ready for the baking dish. Using up about half the mince, spoon a neat layer into the base of a fairly big baking dish and lightly press down. Cover with a layer of lasagne sheets and add a little under half a jar of the white sauce, spreading neatly to cover the lasagne sheets.

Add the rest of the mince and repeat the lasagne sheet stage. Empty the rest of the white sauce over the top, ensuring it is evenly over the lasagne sheets and make sure that they cannot be seen. Sprinkle over the grated cheese and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Pre-heat an oven to 180C and place the lasagne in for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on your oven's efficiency. When cooked the cheese should be just browning and bubbling. To check the middle pop a knife through the centre and make sure the lasagne sheets are soft and easy to cut.

Serve as soon as possible.

The Only Soup Recipe You'll Ever Need!

Well, that title may not appeal to everyone, but for me it is true. This is the ONLY soup recipe I ever use! Using basic quantities, you can make a creamy soup, using whatever vegetables you have to hand. It doesn't matter what you put in, so long as the overall weight to fluid ratio is about right. It doesn't really matter if you use slightly more or less vegetables to fluid, as it just means your overall soup will be thicker or thinner, which is largely down to personal taste anyway. It freezes well, so you can make up a cauldron full and have some on hand for lazy days.

Ingredients

16oz diced vegetables (It doesn't matter how much of each, or what selection use use) I use potato, sweet potato, leek, onion, cauliflower, parsnip and brocolli. Generally speaking, the more parsnip use put in the sweeter it will be; the more potato and cauliflower the creamier it will be. I like to have a good variety if I have it. This is especially useful for using up all those veg that are starting to get a bit rubbery in the bottom of the fridge :-)

2 vegetable stock cubes dissolved in 2 pints of boiling water (I use Tesco Value ones, 10p for 10 cubes!)

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried sage

Olive Oil

Make sure you weigh the diced vegetables, not the natural weight and remember that the smaller you dice, the quicker your vegetables will cook.

Put the vegetables into a large saucepan and add enough olive oil to  lightly coat the vegetables (usually a couple of tablespoons). Turn up the heat and sear the vegetables without burning. Once all the vegetables are coated and have had a go at the bottom of the pan, add the boiling stock water. Add the herbs. Give the pan a stir and bring to the boil, then simmer with the lid on until the vegetables are cooked through.

Pour the vegetables and the cooking liquid into a blender and blitz until smooth. Return to the pan and reheat if necessary. This can be cooked in advance and left in the pan for re-heating later.

Serve with bread.

If you make too much then leave it to cool and freeze.