Courgette Bake (Vegetarian esily changed to Vegan too)

I thought the meal before this one had come top shoulder to shoulder with all the meals I ever made, maybe even above...So I thought I will never be able to surpass it..how wrong was I, and is not even a meat meal...I was really surprised, I DECLARE THIS ONE THE BEST MEAL I EVER HAD.

My wife said the same, so did my kid (who normally a very good meal to him he classes it as aright) they classed this meal as EXCELLENT. Not sure if I should divulge it. :) lol
I can tell you is not a lasagna nor it's a gratin.

Receita em Português

Ok...ok.. I will give out the recipe, as it is very special not to share with my loved followers. Is like a lasagna but has no pasta, I used slithers of courgete instead of pasta, and is like a grattin but it is not a bechamel as it has no cheese appart from the lottle bit you can see sprinkled on top, is a white sauce like the one I made for the previous meal with ginger garlic and saffron, I used milk to make it, but for a vegan use soy milk (which I think will even improve further the flavour, and skip the sprinkling of cheese on top.

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 5-6)

• 2 large courgettes (slither them with a potato pealer, very thin slices)
  
• 6 large carrots (cut into half and then quartered leght ways)
  
• 150grs runner beans (destringed and sliced diagonally)
• 1kg baby new potatoes (others will do but these are the most tender)
• 1pkt of asparagus
• 2 chillis (thinly sliced)
  
• 1 large bell pepper (sliced) this has the most nutty taste...one can smell it when cutting it.
• 4 large garlic cloves (minced)
  
• 1 piece of ginger the size of 4 large garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 glasses of milk (soy if you vegan)
• 1 large spoon arrow root (or more cheaply corn starch) diluted in a little water.
• 1 celery heart (sliced)
• some butter
• some olive oil
• a little salt and black pepper
• a pinch of saffron
  

Well, put a large pan with boiling water on the stove and cook the new potatoes and the carrots, you want them fully cooked but still firm around 25-30 minutes, should do it but it is dependent on potato quality, so keep and eye on them, I use a pin to prickle them throught if it goes through effortessly then their're done. Once cooked drain them and half them, set them aside temporarily.

Prepare all the veg. Once is all prepared, you need to make the white sauce and the stirfry to go within the courgette slithers.

For the white sauce in a milk pan put alittle olive oil and seasoning (salt and pepper), once hot add half of the ginger and half of the garlic and the pinch of saffron, once golden pour the milk in stirring briskly. While stirring put in the arrow root powder dissolved in a little water (and optionally a large spoon of butter), continue to stirr until is thikens up, once done set it aside.

Now place a large wok on the stove add a little olive oil, once hot add a little seasoning + the remaining garlic, ginger also the bell pepper, chilli, runner beans and celery. Continuously stir-fry these it will take around 10 minutes, then add the potatoes, stirfry a further 3 minutes. Then is ready remove from the fire.

Set a pirex tray (or any other tray to go in the oven) drizzle olive oil on the bottom, then slither by slither carefully layer to cover the whole botom of the dish, then throw in the potato mixture, followed by the carrots, then the white sauce reserving a little for the top, place another layer of courgette slithers to fully cover the top (no gaps) than smeer the remaining sauce on top nad sprinkle a little cheddar cheese (if vegan i would sprinkle a little oregano and sweet paprika) and it goes in the oven 200c for around 20 minutes.

The asparagus blanch them for around 3 minutes then cook them in a generous amount of butter (if vegan after blanching them cook them in peanut oil "not fry" so low temp and toss them)

So there you are, a beautifull meal for all of you beautifull people ou there!!!

Fungi and Quorn Cooked in a Butternut Squash Sauce & Carrot and Tomato Rice (Vegan-Vegetarian)

Receita em Português AQUI

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 4)

• 1/2 Butternut Squash (very finely diced)
• 1 small onion (very finely sliced)
• 2 garlic cloves (very finely sliced)
• 1 courgette (finely diced)
• 300grs button mushrooms (whole)
• 200grs Quorn pieces
• 400grs rice
• 2 large carrots
• 1 tomato (skin removed to for rose, rest diced)
• 1 soup spoon of tomato paste
• 1/4 glass of water with a tea spoon of plain flour diluted
• 1/2 tea spoon of paprica
• 2 glugs of olive oil
  

Put a pan on the stove on high temp, cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil, then once hot add, half of the garlic half of the onion and the butternut, start stirring it and as it starts to stick and dry add a bit of water (vegetable stock is better) mix again letting it cook it will dry again pour a little more water. the process is repeated around 3 to four times until the butternut starts disintegrating into a paste, when that happens season it (salt and pepper) add about 1/2 glass of water (or veg stock) and now add the courgette, Quorn and the mushrooms, put a lid on and reduce flame to minimum, letting it simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.

While that is doing let's do the rice, put a pan with water and salt on the stove on high, then pour the rice in and give it a stir, it will take approx 10-12 minutes until fully cooked, once done strain it passing also boiling water through to remove starch then add the carrot sauce.

While the rice is boiling you put a frying pan on the stove, with a little olive oil and once hot add the carrot, remaining garlic and onion as well as some seasoning, stir fry it for about 3-5 minutes and add a little water (or veg stock) and then let it cook another 10 minutes and at this stage will join the rice.

With all taking the 15 minutes the sauce takes to be ready all will be ready at the same time, so remove the lid from the butternut sauce and add the water with flour this will thicken the sauce further making it extremely smooth and nice.

Plate it up and eat it, it has a delicate sweetish taste due to the butternut which is in my opinion quite divine. If you want a meat one just replace the Quorn with the meat of your choice.