Vegetarian recipe I've just invented

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Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 9:19 am

My wife says that we should eat less meat. OK. But I hate vegetarian meals. They are usually so flavourless. Now, I have got into the habit of making a large beef lasagne on Sunday night, and we have it for dinner on Sunday and Monday nights.

So, tonight I have just put together a vegetarian meal that I thought that I would like. My wife and 15 year old son have just told me that I can make it whenever I like, they loved it.

So may I introduce to you, the dish I've yearned for all these years, the one and only true, Curried Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Lasagne.

Quote:

Curried Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Lasagne

400 gm pumpkin
2 medium sweet potatoes (in NZ, use kumara)
2 onions
2 courgettes (aka zucchini)
3 cloves garlic
1 capsicum/red pepper
Cooking oil
1 450 gm tin of pulped or diced tomatoes in juice
3 tsp Tikka Masala paste
400 gm fresh lasagne sheets
Butter, flour and milk as required for bechamel sauce
Mustard to taste
Grated cheese
Small head of brocolli
Chicken stock (approx 1/2 cup)

Slice the pumpkin and sweet potato (kumara) approx 10 to 15 mm thick, cut the capsicum into eighths. Bake until pumpkin and sweet potato (kumara) are brown. Pan frying is an alternative, but baking will give the finished product a fuller flavour.

Dice the onion and courgette, add crushed garlic, pan fry. Add the Tikka Marsala paste and stir over heat.

Cut brocolli into small flowerettes, microwave in 10 to 15 mm of chicken stock.

Mash the baked onion/courgette/garlic. Dice the baked red pepper and add. Mash the baked pumpkin/sweet potato (kumara), add to the onion/courgette/garlic mix. Add the tin of diced tomato and juice. Add the microwaved brocolli and chicken stock. Mix roughly so you have an homogenous mixture.

Grease an ovenproof dish approx 190 mm (7 1/2 inches) wide x 280 mm (11 inches) long x 60 mm 2 1/2 inches) high with butter. Layer the vegetable mix about 10 to 15 mm thick on the base of the dish, cover with a layer of the lasagne. Place another layer of vegetable mix and lasagne on top, with another layer of vegetable mix and lasagne on top of that.

Make a Bechamel sauce, approximately 2 to 3 cups. Add mustard to taste to the Bechamel sauce. Cover the top layer of lasagne with the Bechamel sauce.

Stand for 45 minutes to an hour. This will allow the fluids in the vegetable mix and Bechamel sauce to be absorbed into the lasagne. Cover the Bechamel sauce with grated cheese.

Bake in a 180�C (350�F) oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cheese and Bechamel sauce browns.

Stand for 15 minutes, serve. Six servings.

OK, OK, true vegetarians wouldn't use chicken stock - but it was the only stock we had in the fridge.

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 9:29 am

That sounds delicious. Any chance you can Fedex me a doggy bag? Very Happy

By the way, I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of editing your recipe to add "aka zucchini" for the benefit of our North American friends who may have no clue what a courgette is. Laughing

Baiting Guru Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 3193

Excellent timing. My SO bought some pumpkin seeds yesterday; so when we've grown it...

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 8:59 pm

sounds good but I'm not overkeen on pumpkin. Need to figure out something to substitute.

Still maintain that I'm really a vegetarian. OK I eat beef, but cows eat grass, so by eating steak, i'm simply eating recycled grass Confused

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 9:46 pm

I'd just increase the sweet potato, or use butternut squash and eliminate the pumkin, Mike.

Great recipe Nelson! I will certainly try it. Very Happy

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:12 am

Eight wrote:

I took the liberty of editing your recipe to add "aka zucchini" for the benefit of our North American friends who may have no clue what a courgette is. Laughing

Isn't that a type of dog?

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:12 am

Sounds ideal for these cooler nights and the vege shop is 15m closer than the butchers. I'll let you know what my wife thinks if she survives the experimentation (my cooking, not your recipe Laughing

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