Friendly advice on veggie food for all diets

Jane and Ramin Mostowfi's new book, Modern Vegetarian Cooking at Home (Infinite Ideas, 16.99) reflects their love of Middle Eastern, North African and Mediterranean food which is primarily vegetarian and easy to adapt to dairy and gluten-free cooking.

Butternut Risotto Fritters

Serves 8

For the risotto fritters

1 large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm cubes; a little olive oil; salt and pepper; 50g butter; 3 banana shallots, peeled and dice; 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped; 1 large bunch thyme – discard the stalks and chop the leaves; 500g arborio rice; 200ml white wine; 750ml vegetable stock; 100g finely grated parmesan-style vegetarian cheese; 100g grated smoked vegetarian cheddar, grated; 1 large bunch of chives, chopped 4 eggs, beaten; 100g breadcrumbs (gluten-free if needed); 100ml vegetable oil.

For the aubergines and asparagus

2 medium aubergines; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; salt and pepper; 3 tbsp olive oil; juice and zest of 1 lemon; half a bunch of fresh thyme, stalks removed and leaves chopped finely; 1 small red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped; 2 tsp cumin; 1 tsp paprika; 1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped; 1 large bunch of asparagus, woody end cut off; a little vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Place the butternut squash on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and roast in the oven for 20-25 min.

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the shallots and sweat for 2-3 min. Add the garlic and thyme, cook for a minute, put the rice in the pan, stirring well. Add the wine and cook on a medium heat until absorbed. Then add half the stock and allow the rice to cook, stirring occasionally. Once that liquid has been absorbed, mash the roasted butternut squash and add it to the risotto with the cheeses, the chives and the rest of the stock. Stir well and season with salt and pepper.

Allow the rice to continue cooking, stirring occasionally until all liquid has been absorbed. Make sure it is cooked through but still firm. Spread it on a large tray or dish and leave to cool for 30 min.

Top and tail the aubergines, and cut each one into three round slices. Place them on a baking tray, drizzle with vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 10 min. Blend the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, the thyme, chilli, cumin and paprika. When the aubergine pieces are cooked, put them in a dish and pour the marinade on top, then sprinkle on chopped spring onions. Cover with foil, keep warm. When the rice is cold, divide it into 16 equal portions and mould in to round balls. Dip the risotto cakes into the egg and then in to the breadcrumbs. Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan and fry for two min on each side until golden, transfer to a baking tray and cook in the oven for 10 min. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook asparagus for 3 min. Cool with cold running water. Heat up a griddle pan, brush the asparagus with oil and grill for a minute on each side.

Stuffed portobello mushrooms

Serves 6-8

4 small or medium sweet potatoes, cut into quarters; 2 sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped; 2 tbsp olive oil; 25g butter; 4 decent-sized portobello mushrooms; 4 tbsp crme fraiche

For the pistachio pesto:

1 large bunch of basil leaves; 50g pistachios (shelled weight); 50g parmesan-style vegetarian cheese, grated; 1 clove of garlic, crushed and chopped; 100ml olive oil; salt and pepper

For the feta stuffing:

300g feta, crumbled; 50g pine nuts; 1 medium bunch of basil, chopped;1 sprig of rosemary, leaves finely chopped; 50g drained sun-dried tomatoes from a jar, very finely chopped, freshly ground black

pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Toss the sweet potato wedges in a bowl

with the rosemary and olive oil, put them into an oven dish.

Cook for 25 min and move them around a couple of times so they cook evenly.

Mix the feta stuffing ingredients together.

Blend all the pesto ingredients together with a hand blender .

When the wedges are ready take them out. Cover the dish with foil and keep warm. Increase the oven temperature to 220C/gas mark 7.

Remove stalks from the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Fry the mushrooms for two min on either side.

Take them out and fill with the feta stuffing.

Then place them on an

oiled baking sheet and

cook in the oven for 8-10

min, by which point they should be golden brown on the top.

Pumpkin and caramelised shallot tarte tatin

Serves 8

16 medium banana shallots, peeled; 100ml olive oil; 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 50g soft dark brown sugar; salt and pepper; 1 small pumpkin (about 1.5kg) peeled, deseeded and diced into 1.5cm cubes; 1 pack ready-rolled pastry; 50g butter; 2 egg yolks, beaten

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Put shallots in a deep baking tray. Scatter them with half the oil, the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and season with salt and pepper, mix well. Cover tray with foil and bake for 30 min. Then remove the foil and bake them for another five min. Allow to cool. While the shallots are cooking, place the diced pumpkin and the rest of the oil and some salt and pepper in another baking tray and cover that with foil too. Bake for 20 min. Allow pumpkin to cool.

You will need eight tatin pans or a large Yorkshire pudding tray. Lightly flour a clean surface and roll out the puff pastry to 5mm thick. Cut out eight circles to fit in the tatin pans or line the depressions of the tray. Cut the butter into eight pieces, one piece in each pan. Put the caramelised shallots on top, follow them with the roasted pumpkin and cover with the puff pastry. Brush the beaten egg over the pastry to stop it burning. Bake in the oven for 25 min, turn them upside down and serve with rocket topped with vegetarian cheese.

Food For Friends: Modern Vegetarian Cooking at Home