A MONTH OF MEATLESS MONDAYS

Are you trying to cut down on meat eating? Join the meatless Monday brigade. Or, perhaps, you´re meatless on Fridays for Lent (begins March 2 with Ash Wednesday)? Here are some menu ideas, mostly Spanish, for meatless meals, all vegetarian, some vegan. There’s one new recipe, a rich vegetable terrine, plus links to other recipes that have appeared on the blog. 

Fish and shellfish are not “meat,” so, unless you are keeping vegetarian, you might search on the many recipes for seafood. Spain’s beloved potato tortilla and most of its variations are also vegetarian. 

Vegetable Terrine (Pastel de Verduras)

 

This terrine, chock-full of vegetables and rich with cheese, is perfect for special occasions. There's a piquillo pepper cream sauce to serve with it. For a vegetarian meal, add a tomato-noodle soup as a starter and a saffron rice pilaf with mushrooms as a side. Sliced and served cold, the terrine makes a terrific sandwich filling. Spread the piquillo cream sauce on the toasted bread. (Recipe for terrine and sauce are below.)

Fideo Noodles with Tofu and Vegetables (Cazuela de Fideos con Tofu y Verduras)

Sometimes called "pasta paella," this traditional noodle dish, usually made with seafood, has been reinvented as a vegan dish, with tofu and seaweed standing in for the seafood. It´s packed with flavor. Serve a big salad with the noodles. (The fideo recipe is here.)

Best-Ever Veggie Burger (Burguer Vegetariana)

 I have tried dozens of veggie burger recipes, and I think this is the best of all. The rice makes it all stick together, so it doesn’t need egg. The mushrooms contribute the necessary umami whammy. Olive oil keeps the burgers juicy. Smoked pimentón adds that char-grilled essence. Carrots give some texture. I use TVP (textured vegetable protein, a soy product) in this, but coarse, dry breadcrumbs can be substituted.

Serve the burgers on toasted buns with eggplant fries (dust eggplant strips with flour and fry until golden in olive oil) and coleslaw with olive oil dressing. Piquant herby green sauce stands in for mayonnaise. (Recipe: Best-Ever Burgers)

Zucchini Boats Stuffed with Quinoa (Canoas de Calabacín con Quinoa)

Chewy quinoa and smoky pimentón give this vegetarian main dish a meaty flavor. Serve avocado toasts as a starter and sliced tomato salad on the side. (Recipe: Zucchini Boats Stuffed with Quinoa and Vegetables.

Chard and Cheese Pie (Torta de Acelgas con Queso)

This chard and cheese pie has pine nuts and raisins in it. The flaky pastry is made with olive oil. Serve the pie hot or cold. It would be good with mushroom soup as a starter. (Recipe: Chard and Cheese Pie) 

Spinach with Chickpeas (Espinacas con Garbanzos)

Here´s a traditional Spanish tapa dish that's vegan. The basic ingredients are chickpeas and spinach, Olive oil, plenty of garlic, pimentón (paprika) and cumin flavor the combo of vegetable and legumes. (Recipe: Spinach and Chickpeas)

Vegetable Terrine

Pastel de Verduras

Change the taste of the terrine by using different cheeses. A semi-cured Manchego or smoky Idiazábal, a creamy gallego or a pungent Asturian blue. Any cheese that melts smoothly, such as Gruyere or Cheddar, will work. 

You will need about 6 cups of chopped vegetables for the terrine. I´ve used wide romano beans, carrots, onion, leek, red bell pepper and zucchini. Other possibilities are peas, mushrooms, florets of cauliflower or broccoli, asparagus cut in 1-inch pieces, quartered artichoke hearts. Some vegetables such as green beans, cauliflower and artichokes should be par-boiled before incorporating with the sautéed vegetables. Cool the vegetables and strain off accumulated liquid before adding them to the egg mixture. 

I used a food processor to grate the cheese and to mix the milk and eggs for the custard mixture.

You´ll need a 4-cup loaf pan or mold (in Spanish, a “plum-cake” pan) to bake the terrine. Lining the bottom with baking parchment guarantees easy unmolding. The terrine can be baked low and slow (350ºF for 60+ minutes) or hot and fast (400ºF for 45 minutes). It´s done when a skewer comes out clean.  Place the loaf pan in a larger pan of hot water. 

Let the terrine set 15 minutes before unmolding. Use a serrated knife to slice the terrine. Don´t use much pressure, but use a sawing motion to cut through the pieces of vegetables to prevent dislodging them.

Serves 6-8.

1 cup green beans cut in 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup chopped onion

1 leek, sliced

1 cup red pepper cut in 1-inch pieces

1 cup diced zucchini

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 ounces cheese, grated (about 2 cups grated)

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup evaporated milk

½ cup milk

1/8 teaspoon smoked pimentón picante (hot paprika)

Thyme leaves

Par-boil the beans in boiling water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and refresh them in cold water. Reserve.

Sauté chopped vegetables in olive oil.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the carrots and onion and sauté on moderate heat 5 minutes. Don´t let them brown. Add the leek, red pepper and zucchini. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Continue sautéeing until the carrots are beginning to soften, 5 minutes. Add the par-boiled green beans. Turn up the heat and cook 2 minutes more to cook off most of the liquid the vegetables give off. Remove the vegetables to a bowl and allow them to cool.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Oil a 4-cup loaf pan and line the bottom with a piece of baking parchment. Set the loaf pan in a larger pan.

In a mixing bowl (or food processor) combine the cheese, eggs, evaporated and regular milk. Season with pimentón, thyme and ¼ teaspoon salt. 

Drain the vegetables (save the liquid for another use). Stir the vegetables into the egg mixture.

Carefully ladle the vegetable-egg mixture into the loaf pan. Add hot water to the larger pan to a depth of 1 ½ inches. Place the pan in the oven. Bake until the egg-milk mixture is set and a skewer comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

Remove the pans from the oven. Remove the loaf pan from the pan of water. Allow the terrine to set for 15 minutes before unmolding it onto a serving plate.

Allow to set 15 minutes before unmolding.

Piquillo Cream Sauce

Crema de Pimientos Piquillos

1 (185-gram) can piquillo peppers

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup cream

Empty the contents of the can of peppers into a blender. Add the garlic and vinegar. Blend to make a smooth puree. Pour the puree into a small saucepan and add the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer 5 minutes until the sauce is slightly reduced. Serve the sauce hot or cold.