Vegetarian Tapas

I love tapas, and I love Italian food. So on Saturday I decided to make an Italian tapas for dinner. There is little else more satisfying then snacking on food with a bottle of wine. I absolutely love the combination of tomatoes, olive oil, bread and cheese. Just writing it makes my mouth water.

So here are the six recipes of my vegetarian tapas, and it can all be done in 45 mins or less.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

4 large mushrooms
1 ciabatta loaf; torn into chunks
1 clove of garlic; finely chopped
1 onion; sliced
A big bunch of flat leaf parsely; finely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Butter for greasing

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion off for around 15 minutes until soft and sweet, stir occasionally. Meanwhile rub the mushrooms with a paper towel to get excess dirt off and remove the stalks from the mushrooms, set aside. Place the mushrooms in an oven dish which has been lightly greased with some butter. Take the torn ciabatta and blitz them in a food processor so they become breadcrumbs ( I add the stalks from the mushrooms to the breadcrumbs so nothing goes to waste.) The onions should be done by now, so add the garlic and after about 30 seconds add the breadcrumbs, parsley and season with salt and pepper, mix well. Transfer this mixture into each mushroom, and then place in the oven for around 20 mins.

Broad bean and pea hummus

Ingredients

200g of frozen broad beans
250g of frozen peas
3 tbspn of Extra virgin olive oil
Good pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper
Juice of half a lemon

Method

Boil the peas and broad beans in some boiling water for around 3-4 mins until cooked. Drain then add to a food processor. Blitz for 10 seconds. Then add the remaining ingredients and blitz for another 30 seconds. Check and adjust the seasoning and transfer to a bowl.

Wilted kale with garlic

Ingredients

150g Kale
1 clove of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Some water

Method

Heat the water in a pan, you'll need around an inch of water. Then add the kale so it wilts down. Then add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and drizzle with oilve oil.

Tomatoes & Basil

Ingredients

Fresh tomatoes (you decide how many)
A good bunch of basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Slice the tomatoes and transfer onto a plate. Then drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and place a torn piece of basil on each tomato. Set aside.

Garlic Tomato bread

Ingredients

1 loaf of sourdough baguette
1 or 2 coves of garlic
1 fresh tomato; cut in half and de seeded
Extra Virgin olive oil

Method

Slice the bread and grill both sides so they are lightly toasted. Once you take them off the grill, rub the garlic clove on each slice, then take one half of the tomato and rub each slice with the tomato. Drizzle with some olive oil.

Halloumi

Ingredients

Halloumi

Method

Slice the halloumi and dry fry them on both sides until cooked.

Serve all the above with a lovely bottle of wine. Share eat drink and enjoy.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

It's snowing and what better way to warm up then a hot bowl of this flavoursome soup. This is a great way to eat butternut squash. It's a fantastic vegetable with a whole load of goodness, full of potassium, vitamin C and a great source of fibre.

This recipe gives you a soup with a creamy texture as the butternut, once roasted has a dense and soft texture. I use chilli to add some heat, and I also cook the onions on a medium heat for a good twenty minutes. This adds a sweetness without adding any sugar. I guarantee that this soup will melt the snow away, and make you feel warm from the inside.

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash
1 onion; sliced
1 clove of garlic; finely chopped
1/2 a red chilli; finely chopped
1 cube of ginger; peeled and grated
800 ml of vegetable stock (I use Marigold Swiss vegetable vegan bouillon)
Some oil
Salt & pepper

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Peel the butternut squash deseed it and cut it into cubes. You'll need a sharp peeler and knife for this. Season with salt and pepper and coat with some olive oil. Place on an oven sheet and roast for about 35-40 mins until soft. Set aside. Meanwhile heat some oil in a pan and on a medium heat cook the onions for a good 20 minutes. The longer you cook the onions the sweeter they become. Keep stirring the onions so they don't stick. After twenty minutes, add the chopped garlic and chilli and ginger. I love this bit as a lovely aroma emanates from the pan now. Then add the roasted butternut squash. Stir and add the vegetable stock. Cook with the lid on for another twenty minutes, so the stock has a chance to cook and blend with the squash.

Once cooked, blend in a food processor and serve with warm bread.