Bosh boys’ vegan recipes

Classic Lasagne

SERVES 6–8
Ingredients
2 onions
100g sun-dried tomatoes, plus 2 tbsp oil from jar
3 carrots
3 celery sticks
1 sprig fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 garlic cloves
700g chestnut mushrooms
300ml red wine
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp red miso paste
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp dried oregano
2 tsp soy sauce
2 x 400g tins chopped plum tomatoes
800ml water
500g dried lasagne sheets
salt and black pepper
salad leaves, to serve
For The Béchamel
125ml olive oil
125g flour
1.25 litres unsweetened plant-based milk
1½ tbsp nutritional yeast

Method
Peel and quarter the onions and blitz them in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the sun-dried tomato oil to the large pan on the heat and sauté the onions, stirring, for 5–6 minutes
Meanwhile, peel the carrots and pulse them in the food processor with the celery until minced. Remove the leaves from the rosemary and thyme and finely chop. Peel and grate the garlic and add it to the pan. Stir for one minute. Add the carrot, celery, rosemary and thyme, reduce the heat slightly and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 12–15 minutes
Meanwhile, thinly slice the sun-dried tomatoes. Pulse the mushrooms in the food processor until finely minced. Add to the pan along with the sun-dried tomatoes. Stir, increase the heat slightly and sauté, stirring, for 8–10 minutes
Pour in the wine, increase the heat and stir constantly for 5–6 minutes, until nearly all the liquid has evaporated. Add the tomato purée, miso paste, balsamic vinegar, oregano and soy sauce and stir for one minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and water. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and season
While it is simmering, make the béchamel. Put the second pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the flour and stir for 3–5 minutes. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Add the nutritional yeast and stir until smooth. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer until the béchamel thickens to the consistency of custard. Taste and season.Preheat the oven to 180C
Now, layer up your lasagne. Spread a quarter of the ragu into the lasagne dish. Spoon over a quarter of the béchamel.Cover with lasagne sheets, breaking them if necessary to make a complete layer with no gaps. Repeat three times, reserving some béchamel to cover the top completely. Garnish with a few rosemary leaves. Cover with foil and put on the lowest shelf of the oven. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving with the salad leaves. The leftovers will taste amazing the next day – simply bring back to piping hot in the oven or microwave

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 medium red onions
1 celery stick
3 garlic cloves
4 sun-dried tomatoes, plus 2 tbsp oil from the jar
1 sprig fresh rosemary
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 large carrot
500g mushrooms
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp yeast extract (e.g. Marmite)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
250ml red wine
100ml vegetable stock
400g pre-cooked puy lentils salt and black pepper
For The Potato Topping
1.2kg Maris Piper or other floury potatoes
40g dairy-free butter
150ml unsweetened plant-based milk
1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Method
Preheat oven to 180C. First make a start on the potato topping. Peel and chop the potatoes into large chunks. Put in a saucepan, cover with cold water and add a generous pinch of salt. Put over a high heat, bring to the boil and cook for 12–15 minutes. Drain into a colander and leave to dry. Tip back into the pan
Now to the filling. Peel and finely dice the red onions and celery. Peel and grate the garlic. Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes. Remove the leaves from the rosemary and thyme by running your thumb and forefinger from the top to the base of the stems (the leaves should easily come away), then finely chop. Peel and finely chop the carrot. Put the mushrooms in the food processor and blitz to mince
Put the second saucepan over a
medium heat. Pour in the sun-dried tomato oil. Add the onion and a small
pinch of salt. Fry for five minutes, stirring. Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary and thyme and cook for 2 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and stir for 4–5 minutes
Add the mushrooms, turn up the heat slightly and stir for 2–3 minutes, until the mushrooms start to sweat. Reduce the heat and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally
Stir the tomato purée into the pan. Add the yeast extract and balsamic vinegar and stir for one minute. Add the red wine, stock and lentils, turn up the heat and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Taste, season and take off the heat
Mash the potatoes. Add the dairy-free butter, milk and mustard to the potatoes and mash until really smooth. Taste and season
Spread the filling over the bottom of the lasagne dish. Spoon the potato into the piping bag, if using, and pipe tightly packed walnut-sized whips of potato all over, otherwise spoon over the potato and spread it out with the back of a spoon, then drag over a fork to make rows that will catch and brown in the oven
Put the pie in the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes, until starting to crisp and turn golden brown. Remove and serve

New York-style Baked Strawberry Cheesecake

cheesecake

Serves 10–12
Ingredients
400g cashews
120g light digestive biscuits
120g ginger biscuits
100ml light olive oil
pinch of salt
300g dairy-free white chocolate
2 lemons
340g silken tofu
300g icing sugar
2 tbsp coconut oil
3 tsp vanilla extract
400g strawberries
50g golden caster sugar

Method
Preheat oven to 180C. Put the cashews in a pan of hot water and boil for 15 minutes until soft and rehydrated (alternatively, soak them overnight in cold water). Drain. Put all the biscuits in a food processor and blitz to crumbs. Add the oil and a pinch of salt and pulse to mix. Tip into the lined cake tin and press firmly until well compacted and even. Put in the oven and bake for 15–20 minutes, until firm. Remove and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 110C and put the tray back in
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate. Pour 3cm hot water into the small saucepan and bring to the boil | Lower to a simmer. Put the heatproof bowl on top of the pan, ensuring the water doesn’t touch the bottom. Break the chocolate into the bowl and leave to melt (alternatively, melt in the microwave in 15-second bursts). Remove and leave to cool. Separate two tablespoons from the main batch
Zest the lemons into the liquidiser then cut them in half and squeeze in the juice. Add the main batch of chocolate, the silken tofu, drained cashews, icing sugar, coconut oil and vanilla extract and blend until smooth
Layer up your cheesecake. Lightly brush the biscuit base with the reserved two tablespoons of melted chocolate. Pour over the cheesecake mixture and shake gently to level it. Lightly run your finger over the surface to get rid of any bubbles. Put the tin on the hot baking tray and bake for 80–90 minutes, until set but still slightly wobbly in the middle. Remove from the oven and run a thin spatula or knife around the edge to separate the cake from the tin, then leave it to cool to room temperature. Transfer the cheesecake to a plate. Refrigerate
Hull the strawberries and halve or quarter them. Put them into a medium saucepan with the sugar. Put the pan over a medium heat and stir. Macerate for 2–3 minutes so the sugar melts and strawberries soften slightly. Set aside to cool then pile on to the cheesecake. Serve
■ BISH BASH BOSH! by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby (HQ, Harper Collins).

About The Author

Catherine Scott

Catherine Scott is Associate Features Editor for Yorkshire Post Newspapers. A self-confessed foodie, she is also a judge of the Deliciousyorkshire/Yorkshire Post Taste Awards.

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