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Vegetarian Most English people, for most of our history
have only eaten meat on special occasions such as feast days. The norm was
bread, cheese, fruit and ale. Although increasingly popular, traditional
English cuisine cannot be said to have a particularly extensive or exciting
vegetarian menu. Whilst some of the more traditional dishes can be made
veggie simply by omitting the meat and adding beans or pulses, or by using a
vegetarian substitute, such as vegetarian sausages, traditional cuisine
remains quite meat based. This said, there a number of good traditional
English vegetarian dishes in their own right. Bread and Cheese Bread and cheese, as a sandwich, a ploughman’s
lunch or just on its own with an apple is one of the most basic elements of
English cuisine.
Cheesy potato pie Made with a mix of potatoes, cheese, leeks,
courgettes and mushrooms.
Vegetarian Pie There is a wide range of vegetarian pies made
with various pureed or whole vegetables – eaten hot or cold.
Vegetarian Cornish Pasty
Pease pudding Pease pudding is basically slowly cooked, dried
peas. Although usually eaten with gammon, this traditional dish can be eaten
on its own or with an egg on top. The Indians make a sort of dhal out of it,
so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to develop similar ‘English’ dishes
that use a slightly runnier version. It could also form the basis of a ‘humous’ style dip. I also wonder what a pease pudding pie or pasty would be like – perhaps
lightly spiced. I do think we could do far more with this essentially very
traditional English dish.
Broad bean dip I once had a book on medieval England that
referred to ‘tick’ or ‘field’ beans being dried for winter and then ground
and made into some form of paste. My dad had heard of them, but I’ve never
really found a good reference to them. However, I think that the result would
have been some form of ‘mush’ that could be eaten with bread. Certainly,
broad beans are classed as ‘field beans’. I’m keen to establish some
‘English’ vegetarian dips that could be used for group meals and this looks
like a prime candidate to me. I’ve certainly eaten this sort of thing abroad
and it is very good.
Broad bean bake Broad beans have long been a part of our
cuisine, but I’m not sure just how commonly they were eaten as a pie or flan.
Nevertheless, this would seem to be a logical way of cooking an ingredient
long in our diet in a manner consistent with other cooking styles.
Kidney bean dip Another type of ‘field bean’ that has long been
eaten in England is the kidney or string bean. Whilst we normally eat these
young and with their shell, they probably were dried and ground into a paste
in medieval times. This is pretty similar to ‘refried beans’! My guess is
that it is an old Europe wide dish that we somehow lost on the way.
Vegetarian Pate There are many excellent vegetarian pates,
ranging from mixed veg, to mushroom to those wonderful multi-layered pates.
Parsnip and lentil pots Boil the parsnip and green lentils (with pearl
barley) separately. Fry some chopped or sliced onion in butter and then add
flour and milk until thickened. Layer the mashed parsnip, lentil/barley and
onion mixes into a greased tin and bake for about an hour. Sorry, I couldn’t
find a picture. Spinach and cheese pie Spinach with cheese is a winning combination,
whether cheddar, lancashire or cottage cheese. This
can be made into a pie, sometimes with mushroom added. I see no reason not to
develop this into small pastries for family gatherings – but would have to
admit that the middle eastern version made with feta cheese and filo pastry
would be hard to beat, although a tangy Lancashire cheese might just do it!
Broccoli flan Looks good!
Cabbage and hazelnut rolls An interesting dish from the south east. Mashed
potatoes and hazelnuts are added into a white sauce with pureed blanched cabbage.
The mix is left to cool, shaped into rolls and then coated with beaten eggs
and breadcrumbs and fried.
Groaty pudding A traditional dish from the Black Country made
from soaked groats (whole cereal grain), beef, leek and onion. Leave out the
beef for the veggie version! I think it would work if the beef were to be
substituted with lentils.
Nut roast The classic vegetarian meal for a Sunday. These
can be made from a variety of nuts, grains and mushrooms.
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