Tasty meat-free suggestions for keeping body and soul together in Lent

Kate Ford, doyenne of the meatfree table, offers her suggestions for these days of abstinence:

Parsley Soup with peas 

Serves 4 
1 onion 
2 tbsp olive oil 
2 large potatoes (400g)
1 litre vegetable stock
300g frozen peas 
30g fresh parsley 
½ lemon

Peel the onion and chop finely. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. Fry gently over a low to medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut into small dice. Add the potato and vegetable stock to the pan, and season well with salt and black pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Finely chop the parsley stalks, setting aside the leaves for later. Add the frozen peas and parsley stalks to the pan, then simmer for a further 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove about a third of the vegetables to a bowl. Add the parsley and the juice of half a lemon to the soup, then blitz to a very smooth purée in a blender or using a hand blender in the saucepan.

Tip the reserved vegetables back into the saucepan – these will provide a lovely chunky texture to the otherwise smooth soup. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve.

Rich Lentil Ragù with red wine

Serves 4 
1 red onion 
1 carrot 
2 tbsp olive oil 
5 mushrooms 
2 cloves garlic 
2 tsp smoked paprika 
2 x 400g tins lentils
180ml red wine 
500g passata 
2 tbsp tomato purée
pinch dried oregano or thyme 
125 ml milk or (dairy-free milk)
nutmeg

This rich lentil ragù is cooked with red wine, herbs and mushrooms until thick and glossy. Perfect with pasta, and ideal for freezing.

Peel and finely chop the onion and carrot. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan or casserole and gently fry the onion and carrot for 3-4 minutes.

Finely chop the mushrooms and add to the pan, along with the smoked paprika and crushed garlic. Stir and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes.

Drain and rinse the lentils and add to the pan, then pour in the red wine. Turn up the heat and let it bubble for 2-3 minutes. Add the passata, tomato purée and dried herbs (if using) and season generously with salt and pepper. Simmer for 12-14 minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy.

Stir through the milk and grate in a little nutmeg. Simmer for a further 2 minutes. Season to taste, then serve.

Polenta Cake with plums & lemon syrup 

For the plum topping: 
4 plums 
3 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tbsp plain flour
For the polenta cake:
200g butter (or dairy-free block margarine)
200g caster sugar 
200ml plain or dairy-free yoghurt 
200g ground almonds 
100g polenta 
1 tsp baking powder 
2 lemons 
pinch salt 
3 tbsp icing sugar

This pretty-as-a-picture polenta cake with plum topping is surprisingly easy to make, with a luscious lemon syrup. You can serve it with cream or ice-cream.

Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan)/ 325°F/Gas Mark 3. Grease a 25cm (9 inch) cake tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Grease around the edges of the greaseproof paper and the piece on the bottom; both will be touching the plums.

Sprinkle the brown sugar for the topping into the bottom of the cake tin, making sure it covers the base fairly evenly. Sprinkle the flour on top of the sugar.

Halve the plums and remove their stones. Slice them fairly thinly, then start arranging the slices in the bottom of the tin, overlapping slightly. Keep adding plum slices in the gaps until all the slices have been used.

In a food mixer or large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar for the cake, until pale and fluffy. Add the yoghurt, ground almonds, polenta, baking powder, the zest of the lemons (keep the lemons as you will need their juice later) and a pinch of salt. Mix slowly until just combined.

Tip the cake mix over the top of the plums, spreading it carefully so as not to disturb the plums, then place the cake tin onto a large baking tray in case of any small leaks.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer or knife comes out clean. When the cake comes out of the oven, prepare the lemon syrup. Mix the juice of the lemons with the icing sugar, then heat gently (30 seconds in the microwave or in a small saucepan) until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Spoon the lemon syrup over the cake and leave it in the tin until completely cool. Place a plate over the top of the tin, flip over and carefully turn out and peel off the greaseproof paper. Serve warm or cold.

Kate Ford is a food blogger, recipe developer and writer with a passion for really tasty vegetarian and vegan food. Her recipes have appeared in ‘Observer Food Monthly’, ‘Cook Vegetarian’ and ‘Vegan Life Magazine’.

(Photo: Courtesy Kate Ford.)

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