These vegetarian dishes will satisfy ‘all the table’

By Erin Pride-Swaney / Special to The Herald

January. The month when some people like to talk about meatless Mondays, juice cleanses and probiotic smoothies. The post-holiday diet is a mad-dash recovery from a few months of indulgence, and as much as I want to join into this holistic reset, I don’t want to compromise flavor.

Sabrina Ghayour — author of the best-selling cookbook “Persiana” — released a new cookbook last year that meets the needs of the new year. “Bazaar: Vibrant Vegetarian Recipes” doesn’t feel like a health book. No avocado toast. No paleo bread. No kale salad.

Well, OK — a warm kale salad. But it’s there for the flavor, not to endorse a fad diet.

I enjoy vegetarian cookbooks that celebrate the humble, oft-forgotten vegetable. Recipes where you could add meat, but don’t miss it. Iranian-born Ghayour has compiled dishes to reflect Middle Eastern flavors, but has kept the ingredients simple and accessible. This isn’t a regional cookbook, but rather one that encourages cooks looking to spice up their veggie dishes.

“I have written this book with meat-eaters in mind,” writes Ghayour, “ because I felt it is we who really need the most help and inspiration when it comes to preparing simple meals without meat, which have plenty of flavor and satisfy all the table.”

Satisfying “all the table” is a tall order, but Ghayour’s recipes aren’t overly complicated, use mostly ingredients common to our pantries and don’t skimp on things like cheese, butter and olive oil. Her salads are a grand mix of textures and flavors, and her mains are delicious and satiating.

Ghayour’s lemon, black pepper, pecorino and cabbage rice is a take on risotto. She uses basmati rice instead of the usual arborio, since she finds it’s more often included in the pantry. Her inspiration is the Italian spaghetti cacio e pepe — spaghetti with pecorino and lots of black pepper — and the cabbage crunch is from the mild and leafier savoy. But it’s the lemon zest and black pepper that bring home the flavors. Nutty and robust Pecorino cheese is younger than Parmesan and made from sheep’s milk. It’s the perfect foil for the tart lemon zest and ground pepper.

Risotto is the sort of dish we might make for a special occasion, but I find I also enjoy it as a simple midweek meal. It’s almost a whole hour uninterrupted at the stove. Shake up a cocktail, and it’s “me” time. Alternatively, if one of the kids is particularly squirrely, it’s the perfect dish to stick them on. Non-stop stirring gets the wiggles out every time — or at least reduces them. (Still make yourself said cocktail and congratulate your brilliant parenting skills.)

In the theme of serving “all the table,” I selected the baked sweet potato with coconut and thyme, which is vegan. The coconut here is a can of whole coconut milk, which forms the substitute for cream, butter and cheese in this scalloped potato-type dish. Cooked coconut milk can be a bit overwhelming as a flavor, but plenty of sliced garlic, black pepper and fresh thyme bring these Jamaican-inspired flavors to life. This dish is a tad on the sweet side, because of the nature of sweet potatoes and coconut milk. But I recalled those marshmallow-covered sweet potato casseroles of bygone Thanksgivings, and tucked in. The dish is homey and simple and works well along a pork chop or browned shiitakes and greens.

There are recipes which play more to Ghayour’s heritage, like the smoked eggplant, pepper and walnut salad. Charring the eggplants and red peppers in winter weather is an endeavor, but mix up a warm version of your favorite cocktail and it’s even more “me” time. (Maybe don’t let the squirrely one help this time.) After the fun of burning your food, tossing the smoky red pepper and eggplant with parsley, lemon, garlic and pomegranate yields a bright dip for warmed bread.

Combining two or three dishes from “Bazaar” does indeed serve “all the table,” and meat-eating guests will feel well-fed and happy — if not from your lovely vegetarian dinner, certainly when you finish with a slice of Ghayour’s tart and creamy raspberry and mascarpone no-bake cheesecake.

Smoked eggplant, pepper and walnut salad with pomegranate

Find pomegranate molasses in the specialty aisle of the grocery store, at Asian markets or online.

4 large eggplants

3 large red peppers

½ cup chopped walnuts

1-2 handfuls flat-leaf parsley (reserve some for garnish)

2 fat garlic cloves, crushed

⅓ cup olive oil, plus extra to serve

Juice of ½ lemon

Pinch of ground cinnamon

⅓ cup pomegranate molasses

½ cup pomegranate seeds

Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Flatbread, to serve

Blister and char the eggplants and peppers, either on a barbecue, flame grill or on the flame of your gas stove. Really blacken the skins until they are hardened and completely burnt. Lining your stove with foil will prevent you having to deal with a very heavy cleanup, as the juices can be messy.

Place the eggplants on a heat-proof surface or baking pan and let cool for about 20 minutes until they are just warm and you are able to handle them.

Place the peppers in a food bag, tie it shut, and set aside to let them sweat for about 20 minutes. Once this time has elapsed, the blackened, charred skins should slide easily off until you are left with just the roasted flesh. Coarsely chop the flesh and place in a large mixing bowl.

Using a large metal spoon, scoop the flesh out of the eggplants and place it in a wire sieve to drain off any of the excess juices. Discard the charred skins. Coarsely chop the flesh into smallish chunks and add them to the roasted peppers. Mix together gently.

Add the walnuts, parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to the bowl. Give all the ingredients a good stir until they are evenly combined.

Serve the eggplant smoothed out flat on a large platter. Drizzle with the pomegranate molasses, scatter with the reserved parsley and the pomegranate seeds, then drizzle lightly with olive oil. Serve immediately with flatbread.

Serves 6-8.

Lemon, black pepper, Pecorino and cabbage rice

If you can’t find pecorino, asiago works nicely.

Olive oil

1 white onion, very finely chopped

1½ cups basmati rice

½ cup butter

1¼ to 1½ quarts boiling water

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (mill it coarsely)

3½ ounces pecorino cheese, finely grated, plus extra (optional) to serve

½ large Savoy cabbage, shredded into ribbons

Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

Heat a large saucepan over a medium-low heat and add enough olive oil to coat the base of the pan. Add the onion and cook for about 8–10 minutes, or until soft and translucent, without browning.

Add the rice and half the butter to the saucepan and stir gently for a minute or so. Then begin adding the boiling water a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly, ensuring that each ladleful of water is absorbed before adding the next. Don’t be tempted to increase the heat to speed up the process — you don’t want the liquid to evaporate too quickly, as the rice won’t cook properly. Once you have used 1⁄3 of the water, check the rice to see if it has cooked through (the grains should not be hard in the center). Continue stirring and adding water this way until the rice is cooked to your liking.

Add the pepper and pecorino and stir rapidly to ensure the mixture becomes creamy and smooth. Now stir in the cabbage, followed by the remaining butter. Lastly, mix in the lemon zest. Take the pan off the heat and ladle the risotto into serving bowls. Drizzle a little olive oil over each serving, then scatter over some pecorino, if desired. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.

Raspberry and mascarpone no-bake cheesecake

A delicious take on the queen of quick desserts — the no-bake cheesecake. To really serve “all the table,” you can easily make this gluten-free by using gluten-free graham crackers or a pre-made gluten-free graham cracker crust.

9 ounces graham crackers

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

2⅔ cups full-fat cream cheese

1 cup mascarpone cheese

2¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

3⅓ cups raspberries

1¼ cups pomegranate seeds

Line a 9-inch springform cake pan with nonstick parchment paper.

Place the graham crackers in a food bag and crush with a rolling pin until finely ground, or blitz in a food processor. Transfer the crumbs to a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter, and stir to combine. Tip the mixture into the lined baking pan and use a spatula to flatten it out into a smooth, even layer. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Beat the cream cheese, mascarpone and confectioners’ sugar together briefly in a large mixing bowl until just combined, then add the raspberries and continue to stir until evenly mixed. The mixture becomes just a little thicker once the raspberries are stirred in, and their added moisture will not make the mixture too runny. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove the cheesecake crust and the cream cheese mixture from the refrigerator and carefully spoon the cream cheese mixture onto the crust to fill the pan. Use a spatula to smooth out the surface until flat and even. Ensure the pomegranate seeds are dry, then scatter them on top of the cheesecake in a layer that covers the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight.

To remove the cheesecake from the cake pan, gently place it on a small overturned bowl, then unlatch and remove the sides of the pan. Carefully peel away the nonstick parchment paper and slide the cheesecake onto a large serving plate or platter. If the cheesecake has not set firmly enough for you to remove it cleanly from the pan, place it into the freezer for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 8-10.

— Reprinted from “Bazaar” by Sabrina Ghayour, with permission from Mitchell Beazley.