Aubergine and lentil lasagna

Serves 4-5

For the ragù

50g soy mince
100g red lentils
One medium to large onion
3 fat cloves garlic
One tin chopped tomatoes
5 tablespoons tomato purée
½ teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon sugar
A glug of tomato ketchup
12 tea spoons Bisto favourite gravy granules (veggie friendly)
One tablespoon dried basil
One tablespoon fresh basil
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch paprika

For the white sauce

75g butter
70g flour
500ml milk
Nutmeg

Glug of olive oil
One medium to large aubergine
125g packet of mozzarella
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Nutmeg

4-5 plain lasagna sheets
4-5 spinach lasagna sheets

Slice the aubergine lengthways and salt by placing in a large baking tray, covering with salt and leaving for 30-40 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion, chopped. Stir for five minutes then add the garlic, chopped, cook for another five minutes. Add the soy mince and lentils and stir well to ensure they are coated with oil. Add the tin of chopped tomatoes and 200ml water. Turn the heat right down and keep stirring for another fifteen to twenty minutes, adding the tomato purée, ketchup, cocoa powder, sugar, gravy granules, basil (in whichever order you like) and enough water to ensure the mixture doesn’t stick to the pan. Season with nutmeg, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a smaller pan on a low heat and add the flour when the butter is bubbling. It should form a paste. Stir. Then, gradually add the milk and stir until absorbed. Repeat the process until you have the desired consistency. Keep cooking on a low heat, stirring all the time and adding more milk or water if required. Season well with salt and ground black pepper. Generously grate nutmeg into the sauce and stir.

Turn off the heat for the ragù and white sauce. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.

Rinse the aubergine and pat dry with kitchen roll. Fry in olive oil for five minutes on both sides until golden.

Spread half the ragù evenly on the bottom of a large, rectangular baking dish. Add a layer of half the aubergines. Pour a third of the white sauce on top and spread out evenly. Place the spinach lasagna sheets on top, breaking off pieces from the corners if necessary to make the sheets fit the dish. Add the remaining ragù and spread out evenly on top of the lasagna. Add the rest of the aubergines in a layer. Cover with white sauce and spread out evenly. Add the plain lasagna sheets. Top with the remaining white sauce and spread the mozzarella evenly on top.

Bake for 35 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Cottage Pie

Vegetarian cottage pie

British food often gets a bad press, but at it’s best it’s comforting, simple and, most importantly, easy to make. My favourite is probably cottage pie. It may take a little bit of time but it’s worth it - you can prepare the filling as the potatoes for the mash are cooking then, once it’s in the oven it looks after itself. I first started cooking this dish from a student cookbook my mum gave me when I went away to university. Bizarrely, in my opinion, it uses a layer of diced potatoes for the crust instead of mash. Why go to the bother of peeling and boiling potatoes if you don’t put the little extra effort necessary into making mash and doing it properly?

Although it’s a traditional winter warmer, a comfort food based around the classic combination of gravy and mash (I‘m not sure what‘s so great about this combination, maybe the contrast between dry crispiness and wet richness), I can’t stop myself from eating it all year round.

It’s customary for cottage pie to have carrots in it but I have issues with cooking carrots (in my opinion, one of the most delicious raw, snacking vegetables is ruined by cooking it). I quite often use peas or whatever other vegetable I happen to have around - beans and leeks work well - instead.

Serves 4

For the filling:

400g Quorn mince
1 Medium - large onion
1 large clove garlic finely chopped
12 heaped teaspoons Bisto ‘beef’ or ‘classic’ gravy granules (Bisto beef granules are suitable for vegetarians, supermarket own brands may be too)
12 heaped teaspoons frozen peas
4 tablespoons tomato puree
4-5 tablespoons tomato ketchup (tomatoes finely chopped is another addition I make sometimes, but it depends on how tomatoey you like it)
Up to 600 ml water
Salt and pepper

For the mash:

75ml milk
12 medium sized potatoes
Hard cheese eg cheddar, Red Leicester, Edam
Two tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper

Peel the potatoes and cut into small cubes. Place in a large pan with water and bring to the boil. Put a lid on the pan and simmer briskly for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the onion and garlic and place in a pan with the water. Bring to the boil. Add the Quorn mince and stock, stir well and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato ketchup and tomato puree. After about ten minutes (of the 15 minutes), add in the peas. The mixture should be thick and not too runny. Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper.

At this point, turn the oven on to start heating up.

By now, the potatoes should be cooked. Drain most of the water out, maybe leaving a little in the bottom. Mash smoothly using a masher or fork. Add in the milk and mash some more. Add in the butter and mash some more. Grate in cheese to taste and stir well. Add more water or milk if desired. Season with salt and pepper. Sometimes I also put some herbs in such as parsley.

Spoon the Quorn filling into the bottom of a large, shallow dish. Make sure it’s evenly distributed.

Put a layer of mash on top, making sure all the filling is covered up. Smooth with a fork (I like this bit as the ridges go brown and crispy when it’s cooked). Grate some cheese on top, to taste.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Freeze any leftovers and reheat for lunch or future dinners.