The Vegetarian Option Book Review

Recently I was sent “The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkinson to review and try some recipes out of. I must say that this is another book that absolutely delights me!  I am a Meat and potatoes gal, but try hard to incorporate lots of veggies into our diets.  This book has made that endeavor so much easier, giving me a lot of inspiration.  There’s plenty of recipes and variety to choose from, making it hard to pick just a few to get started.  The first recipe I choose to make and post here is the Tomato Jelly with Basil Goat cheese. The description and the picture of it, made it too hard to pass up!

Tomato Jelly with Basil Goat Cheese

Serves 4

3/4 Cup Stock

2 Heaping Teaspoons Agar Flakes

1 lb. Ripest Tomatoes (cherry, small plum, or very ripe summer tomatoes) minced or processed to a mush

1 Scant Maldon Sea Salt

1 Scant tsp. Sugar

Pinch of dried chili flakes

1/4 lb. Soft Goat Cheese

1 Heaped Tablespoon Sour Cream

1 Small Clove Garlic, Crushed to a paste with a little Maldon sea salt

Small Handful Basil Leaves, minced

Freshly Ground White Pepper

Put the stock into a stainless steel pan, sprinkle the agar flakes over, but do not stir in.  Allow to come to a gentle simmer and then swirl the pan around over the heat, until the flakes begin to melt. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes and then add the tomatoes, salt, sugar and chili. Bring up to just under simmering point and then pass through a fine strainer suspended over a bowl.  Initially, simply allow the juice to drip through, then carefully move the tomato pulp around with a spoon to coax more juice out, but do not force or press it.

Meanwhile, thoroughly mix the goat cheese, sour cream, garlic, basil, and pepper together in a bowl. Spoon into the base of four small glass tumblers (or similar) dividing it equally. Now take the bowl of tomato liquid and place it over a large bowl filled with ice cubes and water. Taking a metal spoon, gently stir the liquid around until it just begins to gel; this will take about 10 minutes, but note that when it starts to gel, it will happen quite swiftly.

Spoon the jelly over the cheese mixture and refrigerate for about 1 hour. The jellies are best eaten then and there. Serve with teaspoons and eat with  thin, hot buttered toast. An elegant summer first course, best eaten out of doors.

Note that you can use unflavored Gelatin powder in place of agar, measurements staying the same, but gelatin is made with animal by products where the agar flakes are made with seaweed. Many vegetarians rely upon this seaweed derivative as a substitute.

Verdict: This was delicious! Smooth, creamy, melt in your mouth and extremely refreshing to me. The flavors and textures perfect, one complimenting the other. I will definitely make this again. This would be great for a dinner party.

The second recipe I choose was: Mum’s Potato Cakes.  I simply love potato cakes. I almost always peel and cook more potatoes than necessary for mashed potatoes just so I can enjoy potato cakes the next day. So my choice to make this was for pure indulgence and comfort on my part.

Mum’s Potato Cakes

Serves 4, for tea

1 1/4 to 1 1/2  pounds waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

Salt & Freshly ground Pepper

about 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour

Vegetable Oil

Plenty of Butter, to serve

Warm the oven in advance and put an ovenproof serving dish to warm up. Steam (for preference) or boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. If boiled, drain well and dry out in the pan over low heat for a few minutes.  Tip the cooked potatoes into a roomy pan, then immediately mash until fluffy, but not super smooth by any means. Tip out onto a counter or tray and allow to cool and dry out for about half and hour.

Once they are ready to handle, sprinkle the potatoes with salt and grind the pepper over them. Now, little by little, sift the flour over, working it into the potatoes with your fingers, using a gentle kneading movement, until the mixture is workable but with a slight trace of stickiness. You will almost certainly need the full 3/4 cup of flour, maybe a little more.

Roll out to about 5/8 inch thick and then cut into cakes the size of small cookies.  Take a skillet, add a little oil and gently heat. Dust each cake with a little flour and begin to fry them, 3 or 4 at a time. Do this ever so gently until pale golden, about 3 minute s on each side. Slide them directly into the warmed serving dish and put back into the oven to keep the potato cakes warm while you finish cooking the rest.

Once they are all cooked, cut slices of butter directly from the package and place one upon each potato cake. By the time you serve them, the butter will have reached that perfect state of half melted. You will need a small plate, a fork, and big napkins.

Verdict:

Pure Comfort Food! Absolutely Delicious!  Exactly as potato cakes should taste. Sometimes the simplest of recipes are the best. These didn’t last long at all.  Mark (Mr Fire) loved these! “Wow, these are good”,  were his exact words.  Next time I’d like to add a little onion to them and cook em up that way.

What I liked in the book was the wide variety and selections of vegetables, and for the most part, easy to find ingredients. (Although you will need a little more up scale market for some ingredients and produce.) While not every recipe has a picture, there is enough to give you the visual aid of what most of the recipes outcome should look like.  I also liked the ease of preparing the recipes, and is for all skill levels providing enough information to make the recipes work for even novice starting out cooks.  The quality of the book is first-rate, using the highest quality materials to ensure the book lasts a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will use it often. I highly recommend this as a needed book to round out and add to your kitchen arsenal of recipes!