MEAT-FREE MONDAYS

Cauliflower pizza with mozzarella & zucchini

Going vegetarian for one day is not only good for your wallet but it’s a healthy way to kickstart your week too

Kūmara cannelloni

Cauliflower pizza with mozzarella & zucchini

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

1 small cauliflower, trimmed, cut into florets ¼ cup coarsely grated cheddar 1 egg, beaten lightly ¾ cup coarsely grated parmesan (see Notes) ½ cup tomato passata 2 small zucchini, sliced thinly into ribbons 1 cup fresh basil leaves 1 fresh small red chilli, sliced thinly 100g buffalo mozzarella, torn coarsely 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp finely grated lemon rind or strips 1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Line two oven trays with baking paper; mark a 22cm round on paper, then turn paper over. 2 Process cauliflower until finely chopped. Place in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap; microwave on HIGH (100%) for 12 minutes or until tender. (Alternatively, you can steam cauliflower, but do not boil it as this will make the crust too soggy). Drain. When cool enough to handle, place cauliflower in the centre of a clean tea towel. Gather ends together, then squeeze excess moisture from cauliflower. 3 Combine cauliflower, cheddar, egg and ¼ cup of the parmesan in a large bowl; season. Shape cauliflower mixture into the marked rounds on trays; smooth the surface. Bake for 25 minutes or until bases are golden. 4 Spread bases with passata; top with half the zucchini and basil, the chilli, mozzarella and remaining parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and crisp. 5 Meanwhile, combine oil, lemon rind and juice, and remaining zucchini and basil in a medium bowl; season to taste. 6 Top pizzas with zucchini salad to serve.

Notes Traditionally, parmesan and pecorino are made with calf or lamb rennet. When buying, check ingredients to see that the cheeses are vegetarian. You can layer the kūmara slices and filling mixture instead of rolling them, if you prefer. Any leftover kūmara trimmings can be chopped and cooked in soups and mashes. 8 Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Stir ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat, without boiling, for 4 minutes or until cheddar melts and sauce thickens slightly. Season to taste. 9 Serve kūmara cannelloni topped with cheese sauce, extra parmesan and extra thyme; drizzle with remaining oil.

SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS

3 medium orange kūmara, unpeeled 500g fresh ricotta 1 egg, beaten lightly 2 spring onions, sliced thinly ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped ¼ cup fresh chives, finely chopped 2 Tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped 1 cup finely grated parmesan (see Notes) 1 cup grated pecorino cheese (see Notes) 100g sourdough bread, crust removed, torn into small pieces ¼ cup pine nuts ½ tsp ground nutmeg 1½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup shaved parmesan, extra 2 Tbsp fresh thyme sprigs, extra

CHEESE SAUCE

1 cup cream ¾ cup coarsely grated cheddar

1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Place one of the kūmara on an oven tray. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender; cool. Reduce oven to 160°C. 2 Meanwhile, peel remaining kūmara. Using a mandoline or V-slicer, cut sweet potatoes lengthways into 3mm thin slices. Trim slices to 5.5cm x 12cm rectangles; you will need 36 rectangles. 3 Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Season. Add half the kūmara slices; boil for 1½ minutes or until softened. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon; place on a tray to cool. Repeat with remaining kūmara slices. 4 When cool enough to handle, remove skin from baked kūmara and roughly chop the flesh; add to a food processor with ricotta and process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in egg, spring onion, parsley, chives, thyme and half the cheeses. Season. 5 Oil a 22cm x 26cm roasting pan. Place a heaped tablespoon of filling at the short end of a softened kūmara slice; roll to enclose filling. Place, seam-side down, in pan. Repeat with remaining filling and kūmara slices, placing cannelloni in pan in a single layer. 6 Combine sourdough, pine nuts and nutmeg in a medium bowl with 1 tablespoon of oil and remaining cheeses; sprinkle over the kūmara cannelloni. 7 Bake for 15 minutes or until top is golden and crunchy.

Rigatoni with zucchini & chilli

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

8 zucchini flowers with stems attached ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 6 small green zucchini, sliced thinly crossways 400g rigatoni pasta 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, extra 2 fresh long red chillies, seeded, sliced thinly 3 cloves garlic, crushed ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind ¾ cup finely grated parmesan (see Notes) 180g buffalo mozzarella, torn

1 Discard yellow stamens from centre of zucchini flowers; trim the stems. Cut zucchini flowers and attached stems in half lengthways. 2 Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat; cook zucchini flowers and sliced zucchini, in batches, for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender. Transfer to a bowl; cover to keep warm. Reserve the pan. 3 Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain; reserve ¾ cup (180ml) of the cooking liquid. Return pasta to the pan; cover to keep warm. 4 Add extra oil to reserved frying pan; cook chilli and garlic over medium heat for 3 minutes or until chilli is softened. Stir in parsley and lemon rind. Add oil mixture, zucchini and ½ cup of the parmesan to pasta in pan; toss well to combine. Add the reserved cooking liquid as necessary. Transfer to a large warmed serving bowl. Add mozzarella to bowl and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan to serve. Season to taste.

Kale & walnut tarts

SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS

40g butter, melted 2½ cups ground LSA (linseed, sunflower seed and almond meal) 6 eggs 30g baby kale leaves, chopped finely 1/3 cup chopped roasted walnuts 2/3 cup ricotta, crumbled 11/3 cups milk 2 tsp finely grated lemon rind 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped 60g snow pea tendrils or rocket 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush six 10cm loose-based fluted tart tins with half the melted butter. Place the tins on an oven tray. 2 Combine LSA, 2 eggs and remaining melted butter in a medium bowl; season. Press LSA mixture onto base and side of tins. Bake for 10 minutes; set aside to cool. Reduce oven to 160°C. 3 Divide kale, walnuts and ricotta among tart cases. Whisk remaining 4 eggs, milk, lemon rind, garlic and tarragon in a large jug until combined; season. Pour egg mixture over filling in tart cases. 4 Bake tarts for 30 minutes or until just set. Leave tarts in tins for 5 minutes to cool slightly but remove from tins while still warm (see Tart tip). 5 Meanwhile, combine the snow pea tendrils or rocket, lemon juice and oil in a small bowl; season to taste. 6 Serve tarts topped with snow pea tendrils or rocket mixture.

Tart tip Remove the tarts from the tins while they are still warm to prevent them from sticking.

Potato & olive-filled banana peppers

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

40g butter 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp dried oregano 600g potatoes, cut into 1cm pieces 3 large tomatoes, cut into 1cm pieces 1 cup pitted green olives, chopped coarsely 2 cups coarsely grated cheddar 8 red or yellow banana peppers 50g watercress 1/3 cup fresh oregano leaves

TOMATO SAUCE

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 medium red onion, chopped coarsely 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 Tbsp ground cumin 2 tsp dried oregano 800g canned diced tomatoes ½ cup water

1 Preheat oven to 180°C. 2 To make the filling, heat butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat; cook garlic, cumin, dried oregano and potato, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until potato is browned. Add tomato and olives; cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Transfer to a large bowl; cool. Stir in grated cheddar. 3 Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, make a small horizontal cut in each pepper 1cm below the stem, then make a lengthways slit, starting from the horizontal cut and ending 1cm from the tip, taking care not to cut all the way through; discard membrane and seeds. Carefully divide filling among peppers. 4 Make tomato sauce. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; cook onion, garlic, cumin and oregano, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion softens. Add tomatoes and the water; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes. 5 Pour tomato sauce into a small ovenproof dish; position peppers on top of sauce. Cover and bake for 40 minutes or until chillies are tender. Serve topped with watercress and fresh oregano.

Vegetable tip Banana peppers are sweet in flavour when ripe and have a lighter flavour than capsicum, with very little heat.

Tip If you prefer not to serve with an egg, try a sprinkling of coarsely chopped toasted walnuts scattered over the risotto before serving.

Mushroom, cavolo nero & quinoa risotto

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

10g dried porcini mushrooms ½ cup boiling water 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 200g swiss brown mushrooms, whole or halved 100g mixed mushrooms (enoki, oyster etc) 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 cup quinoa, rinsed 1.25 litres basic vegetable stock 1 sprig fresh thyme 100g cavolo nero, sliced thinly 120g goat’s cheese, crumbled 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan (see Notes, page 122) 4 eggs 1 Place porcini mushrooms and the boiling water in a heatproof bowl; stand for 5 minutes. 2 Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat; cook onion, stirring, for 3 minutes or until soft. Add swiss brown and mixed mushrooms; cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until browned and tender. Add garlic; cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. 3 Stir in quinoa, stock and thyme. Remove porcini mushrooms from water, reserving the soaking liquid; chop coarsely. Add porcini and soaking liquid to pan; bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Discard thyme. Add cavolo nero; stir until wilted. Remove pan from heat; stir in goat’s cheese and half the parmesan. 4 Meanwhile, half-fill a large frying pan with water; bring to the boil. Break one egg into a cup, then slide into pan; repeat with remaining eggs. When all eggs are in pan, return water to the boil. Cover pan and turn off heat; stand for 4 minutes or until a light film of egg white sets over yolks. Remove eggs, one at a time, using a slotted spoon; place the spoon on a paper towel-lined saucer to blot up any poaching liquid. 5 Serve risotto topped with eggs and remaining parmesan. Season with pepper.