Current menu from a Vegetarian Restaurant

Now this is the type of food  I would like to see more Restaurants offering  A long way from vegi burger and pasta

Starters

V, WF, O	Chickpea & Okra Soup
V, WF	Cream of Broccoli Soup
V, WF	Cream of Sweet Potato Soup
V	Gazpacho Soup (cold soup)
V, WF	Vegetable Fritters with Mango Chutney
V, WF	Aubergine Dip with crudités
V, WF	Cauliflower & Almond Soup
V, WF	Gram Dal Vadai with Coconut Sambal

Mains

V, WF, O	Moroccan Style Leeks with Rice & Salad
V, WF, O	Green Lentil Vegetable Curry with Rice & Salad
V, WF, O	Mexican Bean Casserole with Rice & Salad
V, WF	Savoury Pancake filled with Four Beans & Potato served with Chilli Sauce & Salad
WF, O	Butter Beans Roast with Mushroom Sauce OR Spicy Tomato and Orange Sauce, served with sautéed Vegetables
V, WF	String Hopper Briyani mixed with stir fried vegetables served with Salad, mild/hot
WF, O	Vegetables Risotto with Salad (vegan or non vegan)
V, WF, O	Tofu & Vegetables in Coconut Sauce with Rice & Salad
	House Salad with Cottage Cheese, Fruits & Nuts
V, WF, O	Stuffed Aubergine (Courgette, Pine Nuts, Tomato) with Rice
V, WF, O	Sweet Potato and Parsnip Hot Pot with Rice & Salad
V, WF, O	Sweet Potato and Aubergine African cooked in Peanut Sauce with Rice & Salad
V, WF, O	Squash, Chickpea & Potato Curry with Rice & Salad
	Spinach and Chickpea Florentine with Salad
V, WF	Aubergine in Peanut Sauce with Rice & Salad
V, WF, O	Mungdal and Potato Curry with Rice & Salad

Old Cheese Pudding Recipe

Ingredients:
2 oz Breadcrumbs
1.5 oz grated cheese
1 oz Butter
0.5 pint of milk
1 egg
Seasoning to taste


Method:

Heat the milk and add the butter, breadcrumbs & seasoning.
Soak for half an hour until thick.
Add the yolk of the egg & cheese & mix.
Whisk the egg white until stiff then fold into the mixture.
Pour into a buttered pie dish and bake for half an hour in a moderate oven.

This basic dish could be customised by the addition of herbs and vegetables.

From the Metro recipe book (South  Metropolitan Gas Company) 1920/30s

Is it so difficult ?

Why is it that when a pub offers a minimum of vegetarian food
they fail to manage a simple thing like serve 100% of the advertised option.
I mention this as a vegetable chilli with nachos, rice and sour cream
was supplied minus the sour cream. Might not seem a big issue but it was 25% of the
dish advertised. After calling this to the attention of the bar staff the sour cream
was supplied but  no apology for the mistake. How difficult is it to do the job correctly.
Oh and why chilli for Sunday well because the nut roast was not available (they forgot to order any according to the bar staff).
Never mind the Sunday roast beef dish was dreadful anyway ( over cooked and long standing veg,deep fried roast spuds instant mash and beef of indeterminate heritage). I should know better by now.
Another chain pub off my visiting list!

Lentil Souffle

This is a dish your gran or great gran may have made

Ingredients

1 gill (0.5 cup) red  lentils
0.5 gill (2 fluid oz) Cream
0.5 oz nut butter
yolks of 2 eggs
whites of 3 eggs
Paprika
seasoning

Method:
Soak lentils & stew with a small qty of water until a thick puree is formed the run them through
a sieve.
Add the butter, seasoning,yolks & cream, fold in the stiffly whipped egg whites.
Put into a greased souffle dish and bake in a moderate oven till well risen and set. (about 20mins)
Sprinkle with paprika .

This recipe from The Metro Recipe book supplied by the South Metropolitan Gas Company
1930s

An interesting base that cries out for a little customisation.
Please let us know if you try this out

I am not adverse to the occasional meat dish as long as the animals from which the meat is derived have been reared in an ethical and caring manner, but mostly I eat vegetarian dishes which I  really enjoy and I feel very fit and healthy from this. Humans do not need to eat  animal products to survive & our farming land would be far better employed for alternative food production . I find that one of the biggest mistakes people make regarding vegetarian food is  that they try to make it emulate meat  ,Why ?. There are an endless range of great vegetarian dishes that stand on there own merit and this is without the addition of soya or quorn. So a largely vegetarian culture could lead to greater productivity from much of our farm land, a healthy and more cost effective diet for our selves, a more agreeable existence for remaining livestock and less live stock farming could lead to an improved environment.
So where's the problem, eat a little good quality meat if you wish, be adventurous with vegetarian options and enjoy a great healthy life. Oh and Pubs, think beyond the token vegi option covered in cheese and give us some real alternatives.