Vegetarians; I need your help!

G

glitch

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,111
Edit My Images
Yes
I've been asked to cook for a friend's 30th birthday party and it looks like I'm going to be catering for around 20 people. The numbers aren't a problem as I like to cook, but there's a possibility I might have a couple of vegetarians amongst the group and that's what I'm concerned about. The thing is, I'm not a vegetarian and I rarely cook for anyone who is so I have little idea about what sort of things I could make that would go down well.

The concept of the meal is to both look and taste fantastic and the last thing I want is to have to bottle it for the vegetarians and come up with something totally different. I'd really like them to have the same dining experience, just without the meat content, but I don't know any vegetarians and none of the guests are supposed to know the menu until the day itself.

Can anyone who is a vegetarian or cooks regularly for one let me know if what I'm proposing sounds okay and fill any any of the '?????' blanks with suggestions? I fear I'm relying on the same ingredients for all the vegetarian alternatives and I'm not sure what else to use!

I've italicised the vegetarian options so they are clear.

Starter:

Pea soup with pancetta foam and parmesan croutons.

Mushroom soup with truffle foam and polenta croutons.

Or

Butter bean and sun-dried tomato soup with crème fraîche foam and polenta croutons

Fish course:

Lobster, crab and king prawn ravioli with shellfish sauce and fish velouté.

Spinach and ricotta ravioli with tomato confit and red pepper coulis

NB. Do vegetarians eat fish? Or is that only some?

Main course:

Saffron risotto with chicken, pancetta and chorizo and a parmesan crisp.

Wild mushroom risotto with a parmesan and truffle crisp.
 
Last edited:
Vegetarians don't eat fish, but Piscatarians do (but some people say they are veggie and still eat fish just cos it's easier, so you might want to check as fish would open the menu up loads!)

Also worth checking if they are super picky veggies, if they are many cheeses won't be suitable, you'd have to get veggie friendly cheese, but most veggies I know don't tend to worry about that, they just don't eat the actual meat.

You could try using Quorn/Tivall/Fry's products for the ???
Some of the Quorn range is awful but some is very versatile when used in a proper meal.

I will ponder on some other ideas though, it is tricky to think of something exciting.. you're doing well so far :)
 
I've given the birthday girl a list of things I need to know (i.e. allergies, extreme food dislikes, vegetarianism, etc) and we're all carnivorous so far with no allergies. If people eat fish but not meat that's the perfect situation. And as far as the cheese things goes, if they're that picky they can get a takeaway pizza.

Not overly convinced by the 'artificial meat' thing as I'd rather use fresh ingredients rather than a meat substitute, but it's something to consider if all else fails. My main worry is I'm focusing on fungi for the veggies and I don't want it to seem like I'm taking the easy option for them, assuming there are some.

Just please don't let there be any vegans.
 
glitch said:
And as far as the cheese things goes, if they're that picky they can get a takeaway pizza.
Click to expand...

One of them lovely none cheese pizzas :p

I am vege and that menu sounds damn tasty! Trying to think of some ideas to fill the ???????'s. I love mushrooms so that menu wouldn't put me off at all, but don't think liking them comes with being a vege :(

I wouldn't be afraid about offering an interesting salad as either the starter or 'fish course' (how posh is this do that is has a fish course!....or is that not a posh thing and just something I have missed out on as a life long vege?). A nice salad with nuts and blue cheese or something could go down well, in my opinion anyway....or even use the salad as a base for the ravioli.

Spinach and ricotta ravioli sounds good, not sure I would add anything else to the mix, sauce wise maybe a thin tomato sauce or maybe even something like an onion sauce?

Soup wise I guess you could swap it for tomato or mixed veg if wanting to avoid the mushroom.

Will add more if I think of anything.
 
glitch said:
Starter:

Pea soup with pancetta foam and parmesan croutons.

Mushroom soup with truffle foam and polenta croutons.

Fish course:

Lobster, crab and king prawn ravioli with shellfish sauce and fish velouté.

Spinach, ricotta and red pepper ravioli with I get mine here sauce and garlic bread or salad

NB. Do vegetarians eat fish? Or is that only some?

Main course:

Saffron risotto with chicken, pancetta and chorizo and a parmesan crisp.

Wild mushroom risotto with a parmesan and truffle crisp.
Click to expand...
Can I get an invite please!!!

I cook for some friends who are veggie, one does eat some fish the other does not. I use the site I linked to for pasta stuff, good luck with it though it sounds delicious :)
 
I'm veggie and it sounds fine.

Fish for a veggie is no-no. Don't assume anyone calling themselves a veggie will eat fish.
 
I'm not a veggie but my wife is. She doesn't eat fish and is careful about cheese - a lot of cheese is made using rennet (an extract from unweaned calves' stomachs). She's also careful about products that may contain gelatin - it seems to be slipping into things that you wouldn't think needed it. She also doesn't eat eggs - but that's a preference not an aspect of her vegetarianism! Mayo, meringue, cakes etc are all on our menu!

Don't be tempted to cheat and give the veggies non-veggie cheese - how would you like to have your principles ignored? Parmesan (the real stuff) isn't veggie but supermarkets often stock a fairly convincing substitute.
 
I'd second the Quorn suggestion. and lentils, as I veggie I can never get enough lentils :thumbs:

Proper vegetarians don't eat fish. If it's someone who classes themselves as a vegetarian I think it's unlikely they eat fish.

No idea what half the stuff is that you've mentioned in your post, but pasta is always popular with veggies..

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful!
 
I'd throw together a nice vege chilli made with bulgar wheat (vegemince is like rubber) for the lamb dodgers, as I have done in the past. If they're pescitarian, you're laughing!! :)
 
I'm vegetarian and it sounds good to me.

What time should I turn up and should I bring a bottle of wine?!!!!




Steve.
 
Jimmy_Lemon said:
One of them lovely none cheese pizzas :p
Click to expand...
Whoops! That would be a tomato and tomato pizza then!

Jimmy_Lemon said:
I wouldn't be afraid about offering an interesting salad as either the starter or 'fish course' (how posh is this do that is has a fish course!....or is that not a posh thing and just something I have missed out on as a life long vege?). A nice salad with nuts and blue cheese or something could go down well, in my opinion anyway....or even use the salad as a base for the ravioli.
Click to expand...
I like the idea of your salad. All that means is doing something slightly different for the carnivores, assuming there has to be meat or cheese in there.

I guess a fish course is quite a posh thing in certain situations, but in this case it's just so I can have time to cook the risotto from scratch. The ravioli and any of the accompaniments can be made well in advance and just cooked while I'm serving the soup.

Jimmy_Lemon said:
Spinach and ricotta ravioli sounds good, not sure I would add anything else to the mix, sauce wise maybe a thin tomato sauce or maybe even something like an onion sauce?
Click to expand...
I like that! That means I could tomato confit to sit the ravioli on and then, using susie's suggestion, a red pepper coulis to accompany it in place of the shellfish sauce. It would even look the same as the other one!

The idea is to have one large ravioli in the middle of the plate with a swirl of sauce round it and a little foam type sauce over the top. So assuming the filling is perhaps a little smaller than a golf ball, would that be too much spinach and ricotta?

Jimmy_Lemon said:
Soup wise I guess you could swap it for tomato or mixed veg if wanting to avoid the mushroom.
Click to expand...
I like that idea! I might even do an onion soup, although that's more French than Italian.

susie said:
Can I get an invite please!!!
Click to expand...
If you'll be my commis and you're a dab hand with a dishcloth!

Nod said:
Don't be tempted to cheat and give the veggies non-veggie cheese - how would you like to have your principles ignored? Parmesan (the real stuff) isn't veggie but supermarkets often stock a fairly convincing substitute.
Click to expand...
That's a whole different debate right there, but I do hope the vegetarians amongst the group say if they won't eat certain types of cheese as I don't think it's a widespread thing. Don't fancy having people tell me on the day, although that's up to them as they've been given ample opportunity.

Ewan said:
I'd second the Quorn suggestion. and lentils, as I veggie I can never get enough lentils :thumbs:
Click to expand...
Ooh, that's a good shout. I could do something with puy lentils.

candlestick said:
I'd throw together a nice vege chilli made with bulgar wheat (vegemince is like rubber) for the lamb dodgers, as I have done in the past. If they're pescitarian, you're laughing!! :)
Click to expand...
Love the idea of using bulgar wheat for a chilli (duly noted) but that would mean I'd need to do a chilli for the carnivores and I'm more on an Italian theme for this meal.

Steve Smith said:
I'm vegetarian and it sounds good to me.

What time should I turn up and should I bring a bottle of wine?!!!!
Click to expand...
Arrive at six for dinner at seven and bring something to accompany the meal!
 
Nod said:
She's also careful about products that may contain gelatin - it seems to be slipping into things that you wouldn't think needed it.
Click to expand...
Gelatine is a good point. I'm pretty sure nothing but the dessert will need it, but I'll use Agar Agar instead so everyone can have the same thing.
 
pacef8 said:
proper veg myself so no chicken or fish . Can i recommend a good boook if you like your italian stuff.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silver-Spoo...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234386706&sr=8-1
Click to expand...
I'm so sorry, I managed to completely ignore your response.

Do you happen to have the Ottolenghi book? I was bought that for a recent birthday and found it completely disappointing, so I'd value your opinion if The Silver Spoon is in any way similar before I hit the 'Add to Shopping Basket' button.
 
I'm not a veggie but I'd say wild mushroom risotto would be a winner. Very tasty dish and pretty easy to prepare. It's got to be my favs :) Also, I personally wouldn't do a mushroom soup starter and a mushroom main course.
 
I must be losing it. I should just do the pea soup I'm doing for the rest of us and omit the pancetta foam, thereby making it a vegetarian option.

I could then just do something like a crème fraîche foam and it would look pretty much the same.
 
Mohain said:
I'm not a veggie but I'd say wild mushroom risotto would be a winner. It's got to be my favs :)
Click to expand...
What sort of mushrooms would you want in a risotto?

I'd usually use dried porcini mushrooms that I'd hydrated but I was also thinking of things like chanterelles, black trumpets, honey fungus, etc.
 
bacon sandwich, lots of tomato sauce, conversion complete, no need for veggie menu :p

Sorry :(
 
glitch said:
What sort of mushrooms would you want in a risotto?

I'd usually use dried porcini mushrooms that I'd hydrated but I was also thinking of things like chanterelles, black trumpets, honey fungus, etc.
Click to expand...

Now that sounds like a rissotto I would enjoy. Reading your OP, the first thing I thought of was risotto, they are easy to make veggie or non veggie (Like soups) and so many options. I'll start dribbling in a minute.

BTW, your menu sounds absolutely delicious. Whatever you do, don't publish your address, you'll have a horde of TPers turning up on your doorstep! :naughty:
 
The wife is veggie. Every time we go to a restaurant, the veggie option (singular) is always Risotto! She HATES risotto! When people ask us for dinner and say what do you eat, She says anything but Risotto.

What I usually do is the same meal for all, but I substitute the Meat For Quorn. So Mexican Chicken becomes Diced Mexican Quorn Pieces , Chicken in Wine or Pork in apple become Quorn Fillet in..... She likes the way she is not made to feel different.
 
glitch said:
What sort of mushrooms would you want in a risotto?

I'd usually use dried porcini mushrooms that I'd hydrated but I was also thinking of things like chanterelles, black trumpets, honey fungus, etc.
Click to expand...

Porcini's are always a winner. You can get a good dried wild mushroom selection from Waitrose. I really like Wood Ear. Nice and crunchy :)
 
What about the rather beautiful enokitake? I hear they are rather tasty but have never cooked with them before.
 
How about a nice venison casserole and then pull the meat out just before you serve it.

:D
 
glitch said:
What about the rather beautiful enokitake?
Click to expand...

I've had the white cultivated "Flammulina velutipes" a few times before and to be honest I've always found them rather bland. Look great though :) Never tried the "Wild Enokitake".
 
Last edited:
Also, if they eat fish, you could try roast pumpkin (if you can still get it) and lobster risotto. You can replace the pumkin for butternut squash if needed (not sure if pumpkins are available this time of year?). Cut the squash/pumkin into smallish cubes, brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and roast for 20-30 mins. Carefully stir into risotto toward the end of the cooking. Yum :)
 
Mohain said:
I've had the white cultivated "Flammulina velutipes" a few times before and to be honest I've always found them rather bland. Look great though :) Never tried the "Wild Enokitake".
Click to expand...
Oh, if that's the case I might not bother then. I've seen them in my local Waitrose a few times and always thought they looked rather cute. If they don't taste of much then I might not bother and just stick with their Cooks' Ingredients Wild Mushrooms which seems to have all I need.

Although it might be fun to buy some enokitake for some photographs. I'm wondering if you could wrap a cluster of them in a strip of pancetta and grill them. Cut the stalks off at the base of the pancetta and you'd have a neat little starter.

Mohain said:
Also, if they eat fish, you could try roast pumpkin (if you can still get it) and lobster risotto. You can replace the pumkin for butternut squash if needed (not sure if pumpkins are available this time of year?). Cut the squash/pumkin into smallish cubes, brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and roast for 20-30 mins. Carefully stir into risotto toward the end of the cooking. Yum :)
Click to expand...
That's not a bad idea, that.

I might even be able to spare some lobster from the ravioli, depending on numbers.
 
Been playing around with the new lighting set-up today so figured I'd use the opportunity to test one of the dishes out for suitability.

Saffron risotto with chicken, pancetta and chorizo and a parmesan crisp;

Risotto-_2_.jpg


Special thanks to Canon Bob for the loan of the ST-E2 that's effectively made this possible to do!
 
I'm veggy. //ducks thrown shoes/kippers/pork pies

I detest fake meat - quorn etc - what is the point of a flavoured lump of blandness that exists only to be used in 'meat' recipies as a substitute?

I agree about avoiding 'standard' options. While I make a very decent lasagne, it is a tad irritating that everywhere offers the same thing - and generally not as good as I make myself.

Check fish - some do, some dont.

Mushrooms can be iffy - I'm not too partial since a cousin of mine gave me wild 'room risotto with what turned out to be self picked and mildly poisonous mushrooms. A week in bed means that I'm now reluctant to eat them. Two courses with 'rooms may be too much.

I'm not sure about pasta followed by risotto - quite heavy. What about a roulade or timbale? Depends if they eat eggs (I do - I know hypocritical [PLEASE DON'T TRY TO BYPASS THE SWEAR FILTER] etc).

Sounds a splendid menu though. What wines are you planing? Should I wear a suit?
 
who? said:
I'm veggy. //ducks thrown shoes/kippers/pork pies

I detest fake meat - quorn etc - what is the point of a flavoured lump of blandness that exists only to be used in 'meat' recipies as a substitute?
Click to expand...
I'm glad you have the same opinion as me. I might be in the minority here but I see meat substitute as a bit of a cop out.

who? said:
Mushrooms can be iffy - I'm not too partial since a cousin of mine gave me wild 'room risotto with what turned out to be self picked and mildly poisonous mushrooms. A week in bed means that I'm now reluctant to eat them. Two courses with 'rooms may be too much.
Click to expand...
Definitely just going to be a wild mushroom risotto. The soup will probably be pea, just without the pancetta foam.

who? said:
I'm not sure about pasta followed by risotto - quite heavy. What about a roulade or timbale? Depends if they eat eggs (I do - I know hypocritical [PLEASE DON'T TRY TO BYPASS THE SWEAR FILTER] etc).
Click to expand...
It's literally one large ravioli with the lightest, softest pasta used to make it. So it's more about the filling than the pasta itself and the risotto isn't a massive portion.

Like the roulade or timbale idea though. What ingredients did you have in mind?

who? said:
Sounds a splendid menu though. What wines are you planing? Should I wear a suit?
Click to expand...
Black shirt, black trousers, black shoes. You'll be our waiter for the evening!
 
glitch said:
Black shirt, black trousers, black shoes. You'll be our waiter for the evening!
Click to expand...

I'll bring an extra large thumb!

on the timbale/roulade, tbh I look to see what looks good in the greengrocers and work with that. I think that these days people have pretty much forgotten about food having seasons. You get aubergine/tomatoes/etc all year - much of it crap - so people in the uk forget that ingredients can be excellent - at the right time - and mediocre when shipped in from kenya or whatever at the wrong time of year.

And on that note - what about pheasant instead of chicken in the meaty risotto? Given chorizo and parmesan it could easily take a stronger flavour than chicken.
 
I'm on a limited budget per head, so it's got to be chicken. But it will be beautiful, tasty chicken, poached in a lovely chicken stock so it'll be packed with flavour and as tender as you like.
 
glitch said:
I'm glad you have the same opinion as me. I might be in the minority here but I see meat substitute as a bit of a cop out.
Click to expand...

I think in this situation where you have a fancy menu, then yeah meat substitutes may be a bit of a cop out! But I think generally they are great, not all veggies give up meat because they hate the taste.

Personally I used to adore bacon and chicken and do miss them, it wasn't about the taste, it was the ethical issues attached. So for me, meat substitutes are heaven sent :)

Without them, it's an onslaught of stuffed pepper halves and mushroom risottos - both of which I am not fond of at all!

Good luck with the meal though, you seem like a fabulous cook and I'm sure whatever you do will go down well! And I think it's grand the care you're taking for the veggies :)
 
Ewan said:
Vegetarian lasagne. Absolutely delicious, any vegetarian will love you for giving them it :thumbs:
Click to expand...
Problem is I'm not intending to do a meat lasagne for the rest.

Having said that, I'd be interested to see what you'd want in a vegetarian lasagne. Name me some ingredients?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top