Unless it was this weekend and I’ve missed it, Valentines Day must be coming up soon (if the number of adverts are anything to go by). So, for a change, I thought I’d cook Mrs T a meal. It will mean getting ingredients etc but we have just about every kitchen implement under the sun, so the only handicap is me. Budget whatever it takes – I just want to make the most amazing main course.
What would you advise?
PS She’s vegetarian, but don’t let that put you off – I’ll cook whatever is suggested then take the meat out at the last minute. If there’s mince meat in the recipe, then bear in mind that I’d need to pass it through a colander before plating up, then pick out the vegetables or something (unless the meaty bit is disguised enough for her not to notice).

Homemade pizza and a nice big bottle of very good wine.

Check out Mexican lasagne on the BBC web site.

How about a veggie lasagne or curry? Or just a massive bowl of cauliflower and broccoli cheese? Mmmmm!

steak and ale pie.

Steak and ale pie sounds good but I’d want to make a really good one and I’d need to make pastry and the gravy (which I’ve never done before, but willing to give it a go if it can be done). Do you have any instructions for making a really good one?

For vegetarian food – if you want simple and robust – Cranks’ Homity Pie

or if you want to push the boat out (in terms of effort and imagination)- get hold of Terre a Terre’s recipe book and cook one of the creations in there.

Mrs T does a wicked home made pizza – all from basic ingredients – throwing the pastry bit in the air and everything. I don’t think I could begin to improve on the one she does for us. Great suggestion though.

Steak and ale pie.

my way..

1. tablespoon of olive oil into saucepan. To which you add;
Beef pieces, large onion, red pepper, garlic, tea spoon of mild-chili powder, 2-3 oxo cubes, mushrooms .. touch of salt.

2. Put lid on saucepan. And simmer gently on low heat until its turned to a rich sauce.

3. Take lid off and carry on simmering. Until the sauce evaporates some and thickens.

4. Make up some thick bisto instant gravy .. add it to saucepan. Add half to 3/4 of a bottle of guinness 10-15mins before serving (enough to get consistency of sauce to your liking, add guinness too soon and you won `t taste it)

As for the pastry .. I cheat. Just some puff pastry from the supermarket. Baked on a tray and a section placed on top of the steak and ale sauce when you serve it.

Pretty easy eh?

I’ll cook whatever is suggested then take the meat out at the last minute. If there’s mince meat in the recipe, then bear in mind that I’d need to pass it through a colander before plating up

I do hope you’re joking… 😯

Paella

Ive found this easy to cook for the results you get. Only 1 pan is required – so minimal washing up after too. 🙂

Its also cheap, can use all sorts of veg and meat. A Chorizo sausage isn’t expensive. Dont even need to cook it with meat but a Chorizo does impart a lot of flavour.

Typical one id cook

2 peppers
A big onion or 2 smaller
Tumeric
Cumin
Chorizo sausage
Can of chopped or beaten up tomatoes
Frozen peas if any are about
Paella rice
Water

Key is to make sure when cooking it the water level stays roughly constant, keeping topping it up (if necessary) and try to get an even heat from the gas hob (make sure the pan is central).

Grilled trout, new potatoes? Followed by chocolate mousse?

That well known vegetarian meal, the trout.

Why not do a sunday lunch sort of of affair perhaps, just swap out the meat for something like a Quorn roast or nut roast or something?

Squash curry, Potato and spinach curry, Aubergine curry, home made flat bread, rice.

My vegi friend loves it! You do need a lot of different spices, but most of them are available in normal supermarkets. I can give you recipes if you’re interested.

Fillet steak, followed by sweet pigeon pie and custard?

Buy her a double whopper with cheese, slip the burgers out and tell her it’s a cheese salad muffin,
Put the burgers on Your double whopper with cheese, and have a quadruple whopper with cheese
Win win!

Buy her a double whopper with cheese, slip the burgers out and tell her it’s a cheese salad muffin,
Put the burgers on Your double whopper with cheese, and have a quadruple whopper with cheese

Been there, done that. Thanks for the suggestion though. I was looking for something that would “showboat” the culinary skills that I don’t have really. I really like the sound of that Guinness and steak pie. Aside from the fact that Mrs T doesn’t like Guinness or steak, it has to be a front runner. I quite fancy something like a prawn cocktail main course (minus the prawns) because there’s less cooking involved. Mrs T is the most amazing cook so I’d like to make something all from fresh ingredients if possible and as long as she doesn’t know that meat was involved, I should be ok.

My mrs is a vegi, roasted vegetables with garlic and herbs’ drizzled with some nice olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a nice piece of seared tuna always go’s down well
Edit, dead easy as well, low heat in oven, veg an bits in oven dish with a bit of oil, give em a turn now and then, 5mins before the end splash a bit of balsamic over them, pan fry tuna, shove on plate, reap rewards!

Do the red Thai curry recipe from the Gate Restaurant cookbook. It requires about half an hour’s preparation then the rest is easy peasy.
I use Paneer instead of Tofu as I prefer it.

Be warned, most veggies don’t like fake meat dishes

Haricot beans slowely stewed in a tomato based sauce, then mounted upon some freshly grilled bread. Garnish with pepper and a little cheese.

Isn’t that cheesy beans on toast? 😀

If you can get hold of a copy of this before the weekend:

Then you’ll be fine. Some brilliant recipes, easy to follow and really tasty. The Thai bean curry recipe is lovely 🙂

Does she eat fish? I’m assuming not but if she does I could suggest something else.

Anyway:
Starter – Baked Camembert with cranberry dressing
Bake (or fry) a piece of Camembert until runny in the middle (10 mins ish) and serve it on top of a rocket salad with some cranberry sauce and some crusty bread.

Main – Baby leek tartlet
Boil enough baby leek to give each person about 8 pieces that are 2 inches long. Put a round piece of cooked puff pastry (just used the pre made stuff from the supermarket) that is about 2.5 inches diameter on a plate, put 4 pieces of leek on top, add another piece of pastry, add 4 more leeks, add another piece of pasty and top with a soft poached egg. Top the whole lot with a grain mustard sauce (reduce 100ml of white wine to about 1/3 of it’s volume, add a good spoon of grain mustard and season well, stir in a couple of table spoons of crème fraise, done).

Dessert – Chocolate mousse
200g of dark choc, 6 whipped egg whites, fold together so you don’t loose the bubbles from the egg. Pour into wine glasses and chill for about 1 hour. Grate some more choc on top when you serve.

Sit back in the glow that you have just cooked her a very easy yet damn tasty meal.

My mrs is a vegi, roasted vegetables with garlic and herbs’ drizzled with some nice olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a nice piece of seared tuna always go’s down well

She’s not a vegetarian then, she’s a pescatarian. I appreciate this sounds pedantic but it’s not, it’s causes confusion and causes restaurants to offer wholly unsuitable fish dishes as their “vegetarian option.”

Be warned, most veggies don’t like fake meat dishes

Rash generalisation and, in my experience, largely untrue. I’d suspect though that the OP would know what his wife likes to eat. As it were.

Tinners, would you like my recipe for “thai chickenless noodle soup”? It’s fairly easy to make, and tastes amazing.

Rash generalisation and, in my experience, largely untrue.

In my experience it is true, not just with the mrs but the three other veggies I’ve had relationships with and the other veggies I know, so fair enough it may be a generalisation, but it wasn’t rash! I did think about it a little bit.
Didn’t know about the fish bit though, all but one ate fish and the one who didn’t ”didn’t like the bones” more than anything else

Don’t worry about the main. Just make chocolate Guinness cake. It’s a Nigela Lawson recipe. She’ll think you’re marvellous after a slice of that.

Lots of small dishes – maybe Italian theme? Caprese salad starter, a mushroom risotto, something pasta – veggie cannelloni and then a dark, chocolate based dessert. Keep ’em small – don’t want to be over-full and make sure you do all the washing up. Flowers (real ones!) on the table. DON’T drink loads and enjoy!!

Damn – wish I was getting the same now!!!

Rachel

In my experience it is true, not just with the mrs but the three other veggies I’ve had relationships with and the other veggies I know, so fair enough it may be a generalisation, but it wasn’t rash! I did think about it a little bit.
Didn’t know about the fish bit though, all but one ate fish and the one who didn’t ”didn’t like the bones” more than anything else

No offence, but you’re judging “all veggies” based on the actions of three people who aren’t actually vegetarian.

Doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things anyway. My point was really just that people are different. I’m actually in the opposite camp, I’d prefer to eat (for example) veggieburgers that are TVP / Quorn etc rather than those that are made from bits of carrot and peas all squooshed together. If a recipe calls for diced chicken, I’ll replace it with Quorn chunks rather than something random like cauliflower or broccoli.

[/quote]No offence, but you’re judging “all veggies” based on the actions of three people who aren’t actually vegetarian.

Non taken 🙂 I did admit it was a generalisation, just not rash! I was more thinking along the lines of fake joints of meat and and those fake mince pies and stuff, we use quorn in recipes for stews and things as well, allthough the burgers are foul IMO.
More than three, the mrs and three previously plus their pals, they all said they were veggie, lying gits!!!

Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Curry.

Boil chunks of sweet potato for a few mins, add cauliflower florets and simmer for 5 mins. Fry onion then put it all together with a big dollop of Tesco green thai curry paste and some coconut milk.

Big John – that sounds lovely and might be what I have tonight!!

Ta!

Rachel

Refried Bean Enchilada’s with home made Salsa
Salsa (this is the key bit):
1 Green Pepper, 1 Green Chili pepper (this is mild so adjust number to taste), 2 Cloves Garlic, 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds, 1 tin tomatoes, 1 handful /packet of Coriander, salt & black pepper
Method – pulse together in a blender. I like it quite chunky rather than pureed. It works best if the ingredients go in the blender in this order.

Refried beans – either buy a tin or take two tins of beans (haricot and kidney mixed are good) then mash, 1 onion diced, 1 red & 1 yellow pepper sliced into 1/4inch strips
Method – Fry onion and peppers until they’re slightly caramelized then add the refried bean mash and mix together. Make sure the beans have some crispy bits.

Spoon some of the refried bean mixture onto Tortillas, wrap and place in an overproof dish. Usually 2 enchiladas per person is enough. Pour over 1/2 to 3/4 of the Salsa, top with grated cheese (a medium cheddar is best) and (optional) sliced, de-stoned black olives.
Bake in a medium oven for 20 minutes or so.

Serve with sour cream and remaining salsa.

Mediterranean roasted veg lasagne.

roast veg in oven. peppers, onion, mushroom, courgette. etc.

add a few capers and olives.

home made pasta – i like it thick (maybe 3/4 on the pasta maker if 1 is thickest)

white sauce. (butter, milk, flour cheese)

layer it up. cheese on top. bake for 45-mins ish.

serve with a bit of salad.

feel free to email me for a proper recipe if you like. 😀

Lunge has the winner at the moment IMHO for presentation as well as taste. If you want an alternative easy starter you could take a small amount of goats cheese, add a piece of marzipan about half that size, wrap both together in a couple of sheets of butter fill tied up as a mini sack and put in oven for 10 mins or so. Super easy and looks a lot harder work than actually is

The Tyred household is vegetarian – Mrs Tyred’s favourite is slow roasted vegetables (aubergine, sweet potato, courgette, red onion, red peppers, whole garlic cloves, cherry tomatoes) done with fresh rosemary, ginger and demerara sugar. Cut the vegetables into big chunks, use loads of good olive oil, baste it all a few times and give it a couple of hours til it all starts to caramelise. Just so easy.

Have with couscous, good bread, freshly made tzatziki (also easy to make) and a good, flinty Pouilly Fume.

Mmmmmm.

butternut squash risotto topped with toasted pine nuts.
bake sliced squash with garlic, thyme and oil for 45 mins. gm6.then scoop the flesh into a pan with some butter and seasoning and keep warm.
make standard risotto recipe, make sure you use vermouth rather than wine, then stir in the squash at the end with a nob of butter.

Mediterranean roasted veg lasagne.

roast veg in oven. peppers, onion, mushroom, courgette. etc.

add a few capers and olives.

home made pasta – i like it thick (maybe 3/4 on the pasta maker if 1 is thickest)

white sauce. (butter, milk, flour cheese)

layer it up. cheese on top. bake for 45-mins ish.

serve with a bit of salad.

feel free to email me for a proper recipe if you like.

instead of using bechamel, try just spooning in some creme fraiche instead, just as nice imo, and so much less hassle/fat.

Just make a nice simple but tasty Risotto with celery and nice mushrooms, using veg stock of course. Maybe match it with some roasted baby veg like beetroot, carrot, kumara etc which if you roast then right at the end just flash quickly with a dash of balsamic will be lush. Match with a nice bottle of something you both like. Lovely. Risotto is easy.