Let Me Entertain You

The awkward vegetarian. That's how I've felt for the last 28 years. The one who always has to check the vegetarian options on a menu, in a restaurant, on packaging. The one who needs to remember to book the vegetarian option when attending dinners, weddings or booking airlines. The one who has to remind the host in advance; sorry, I don't eat meat or fish or quorn substitute. The one who is a nightmare for those who are catering.

Just recently I went for a girly evening at a friend's house. She delighted in telling me she had made things easy for herself by cooking a quorn lasagne instead of a meat and a vegetable one. Yikes. I normally find the texture of quorn to be like meat. However, I was hungry and she had gone to a lot of care and effort so I ploughed in. I have to say it was actually very tasty. Yes, it did feel a bit like eating mince but with each mouthful I told myself it wasn't, it was okay to be eating it.

Roll on two weeks and I find myself hosting a dinner party for eight. As I would be working on the day of the event I had to prepare the day before. What to feed everyone? Yes, you guessed it, lasagne. I set to work making meat lasagne for 6, vegetarian lasagne for myself and enough for whoever was curious enough to try it and a single vegetarian lasagne for my gluten free friend.

The starter was goats cheese on toasted ciabatta, caramelised onions and roasted pepper with salad (minus the ciabatta for my gf friend). Desert was a gluten free sunken chocolate amaretto cake with amaretti cream (whoops, make that just plain double cream for gf girl) and a shot of amaretto liqueur.

Needless to say she was very grateful. Certainly it was better for her than a recent party where they'd served pork pie and peas with a vegetarian cheese and onion pasty for the veggies. There was nothing for her and she had to succumb to a bag of crisps to see her through the evening.

Perhaps, after all this time, it's not me that's the awkward one. 

The Luck of the Irish

St Patrick's Day yesterday and, although not Irish, I decided it was a great excuse to make a Vegetarian Irish Stew and Champ. Not to mention Irish Barmbrack cake. 

The stew was made from onions, mushrooms, celery, carrots, turnips, potatoes and lentils with Guinness*, paprika, bay leaves, Dijon mustard and seasoning and slow cooked for several hours. Irish Champ is mashed potato creamed with spring onions, milk, butter and seasoning. It was a truly heartwarming lunch for such a cold, snowy day.

*Guinness may contain isinglass, a fish product, in its filtration process.

I have to confess this meal left me stuffed and satisfied. It was several hours later that I managed a slice of Barmbrack (rich fruit loaf). I'm not a Guinness drinker and only have a very occasional "water of life" aka Irish Whiskey. Slainte! 

Life of Pie

Mothers Day today and I have been treated to a delicious nut roast dinner. I felt I should have gone for the butternut squash and sweet potato pie to celebrate British Pie Week. It would've made a great article and photo for my blog but I really fancied the roast dinner.

What constitutes a pie? I love a cheddar and balsamic onion tart courtesy of Waitrose or Aldi and Higgedy pies are delicious but all of these are topless. I also like them the other way up; a nice veggie casserole or leeks in a cheesy sauce topped off with a puff pastry hat. The definition says a pie normally has a top and base made of pastry although some say they should have sides too. That's a lot of pastry. There are also pasties, patties, pastries, tarts, tartlets and turnovers. Some would argue to include lattice top pastry and even mashed potato as in shepherds pie. The British Pie Awards will not entertain these versions saying "we don't want tarts anywhere near the British Pie Awards." Well that's told me then!

Last summer I tried a spanakopita which is a Greek savoury filo pastry with a filling of spinach, feta, onions and eggs. Is this a pie? 

I actually don't care. It was delicious.

Hot Chocolate Drinking Chocolate

People up and down the UK have been battling the elements this week with many having to stay at home for a snow day. The best thing about sledging, snowballing or taking a brisk walk is returning home to a hot chocolate drink.

I have a few memories of good hot chocolate. The first was in Bournemouth in the 1970s after watching The Three Musketeers at the cinema. Tall glasses with fresh whipped cream - dreamy. The second is with my own family whenever we went to the seaside. Armed with a flask of hot chocolate, a bag of marshmallows and a can of whipped cream it was the perfect way to warm up sea-swimming shivery children. There are many happy occasions when I have sipped the dark stuff; too many to mention here. However, a cup of melted chocolate on the coast in Tuscany last year was the best by far.

Whilst often thought of as a junk-food, it is actually a powerful elixir combating anxiety and stress and boosting mood and vitality. It is thought to be an aphrodisiac. Napoleon carried chocolate during his military campaigns knowing it would give him energy. Harry Potter was told it would help fight off the depressive feeling left by the dementors. I know chocolate always makes me feel happy!

If there are more snow days ahead this week, get an extra comfort fix by watching The Polar Express. The tap dancing waiters serving hot chocolate add another feel good factor.

Just to clarify; cocoa is made with cocoa powder and hot chocolate is made with small pieces of solid chocolate. Both are delicious.