Romy Gill’s vegan samosas and avocado chutney

There are many ways of making samosas. I prefer this as it reminds me of my grandmother.

Makes 12-16 samosas

For the pastry

plain flour 200g, plus more for dusting

salt ½ tsp

nigella seeds ½ tsp

sunflower oil 6 tsp

water 80-100ml

For the filling

potatoes 2 large, peeled and diced small

sunflower oil 4 tsp, plus extra for deep frying

frozen peas 50g, defrosted

ginger 1 tsp, grated

green chillies 1-2, chopped finely

fennel seeds 1 tsp, crushed

coriander powder 1 tsp

amchoor (mango) powder 1 tsp

nigella seeds 1 tsp

garam masala 1 tsp

fresh coriander a handful, chopped

salt 1 tsp

For the avocado chutney

ripe avocado 1

fresh mint 30g

green apple 1

green chillies 2

spring onions 3

lemon juice of 1

salt 1 tsp

For the samosa pastry, sieve the flour into a bowl. Add the salt, nigella seeds and oil. Rub the oil into the flour with your hands until it looks like breadcrumbs, then slowly add the water as needed and bring the dough together. Knead the dough briefly until it forms a ball – it should be smooth and soft. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave the dough to rest at room temperature for an hour.

Cook the potatoes till just tender but not mushy. Drain and cool.

Heat the 4 teaspoons of sunflower oil in a frying pan, add the peas and cook for few minutes.

Add the ginger, chilli and all the dry spices and cook for 1 minute. Add the cooked diced potatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes, tossing through the spices in the pan. Add the chopped coriander and 1 tsp salt, and keep cooking for 2-3 minutes on a low heat. The veg should be well coated with spices. Check the seasoning. Remove from heat and cool.

For the chutney, add all the ingredients to a food processor and whizz it into a paste. Transfer to a bowl and cover till needed.

Heat a frying pan on a very low heat. Divide the rested pastry into 6-8 equal-sized balls. Roll each ball into a circle on a lightly floured work surface to approximately 15cm diameter. Cook a piece of rolled dough till warm on both sides then removed from the pan and cut in half.

Brush the edges with water. Bring the straight edges together to make a cone and add the filling. Pinch and seal the open edge and then crimp the edge with a fork. Repeat with remaining dough and potato filling.

Half-fill a deep heavy-based pan with oil and heat to 180C. (Alternatively, heat until a cube of bread dropped in, bubbles and rises and turns golden brown.) Deep-fry the samosas, two at a time, for 4-5 minutes until light brown and crisp. Drain excess oil on kitchen roll.

Serve the samosas with the avocado chutney or a ketchup.

Romy Gill is the chef-owner of Romy’s Kitchen, in Thornbury, Gloucestershire

Marianna Leivaditaki’s vegetarian Cretan ntakos with goat’s cheese, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, almonds and sage

Marianna Leivaditaki’s vegetarian Cretan ntakos with goat’s cheese, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, almonds and sage. Photograph: Martin Poole/The Observer

Cretan ntakos is without a doubt the best quick snack during the summer months. It is traditionally a cold dish made with barley rusks, grated tomatoes and creamy fresh mizithra cheese. It’s usually made when the tomatoes are so ripe you can smell them being grated from a distance. This version is served warm and is richer as the topping is cooked slowly. It is absolutely delicious and a great alternative when the fragrant sun-ripened tomatoes are not available.

Serves 6

small barley rusks 6 (find them in Greek shops or make your own at home by drying out good-quality bread in the oven until completely dry)

goat’s cheese 250g, a fresh, creamy, tangy and vegetarian one

For the topping

olive oil 80ml

fresh sage leaves a small bunch, removed from the stems

garlic 2 cloves, chopped finely

red romano peppers 3, diced

sun-dried tomatoes 50g, chopped

aubergine 1 large, diced

almonds 100g, blanched

cherry tomatoes 100g, roughly chopped

salt and pepper

For the dressing

olive oil 6 tbsp aged red wine vinegar 2 tbsp

salt

For the topping, heat a pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Gently place the sage leaves in the oil and fry until crispy. Remove the sage from the pan and place on kitchen roll to get rid of excess oil.

Add all the remaining topping ingredients to the same pan and cook gently with a lid on until all the ingredients are soft, creamy and sweet. This may take about 20-25 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and remove from the heat.

Place all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.

To serve, place the rusks under cold water for one second (to assist softening). Place them on a plate and top with the goat’s cheese. Spoon the topping over the cheese and finish with the dressing and finally the crispy sage leaves.

Marianna Leivaditaki is head chef at Morito Hackney Road, London E2

Greg and Lucy Malouf’s vegan fregola with courgette, citrus and basil

Greg and Lucy Malouf’s vegan fregola with courgette, citrus and basil. Photograph: Alan Benson

Fregola is one of our favourite things! It’s a toasted semolina pasta from Sardinia and utterly gorgeous to look at, as the individual grains are variegated shades of cream through to dark chestnut brown, depending on the level of toasting. It has a nutty flavour, which goes really well with sharp citrus fruit. We especially love the bitter-sour tang of ruby grapefruit, but clementines, tangelos or blood oranges (when in season) are also lovely.



If you’re making your own citrus oil, you’ll need to start a day ahead of time.

Serves 4

vegetable stock or water 1 litre

fregola 150g

salt and freshly ground black pepper

citrus oil (see recipe below – or buy a good quality mandarin oil)

hazelnuts 50g, blanched

ruby grapefruit 1

orange 1

baby courgettes 2, cut into tiny dice

spring onions 2, thinly sliced into rounds

basil leaves 10g, shredded

mint leaves 10g, shredded

pea shoots 18g, or snow pea tendrils if available

For the citrus oil

grape seed oil 125ml

olive oil 125ml good-quality, mild flavoured

oranges zest of 2

bay leaf 1

coriander seeds ¼ tsp

For the citrus oil, combine the oils in a small saucepan. Use a microplane grater to zest the oranges over the oil, to capture any oils that are released as you grate. Add the bay leaf and the coriander seeds. Heat gently, just to blood temperature, then remove the pan from the heat. Leave to infuse for 24-48 hours, then strain and decant into a sterilised bottle or jar and keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Bring the vegetable stock to the boil and cook the fregola for 10 minutes at a healthy simmer. When cooked it should be tender, but still have a slight bite. Tip into a sieve to drain for a few minutes, then tip into a shallow tray. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle on a tablespoon of citrus oil. Toss and leave to cool.

Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast the hazelnuts for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown. Chop roughly and set aside.

To prepare the grapefruit and orange, use a very sharp knife to peel them, taking care to remove all the bitter pith. Holding the fruit over a large mixing bowl to catch the juice, carefully slice each segment out of its skin casing and into the bowl.

To assemble the salad, add the courgette, spring onions, herbs, shoots and chopped hazelnuts to the fregola. Add a few tablespoons of citrus oil and toss gently to mix everything together well. Serve straight away.

Adapted from New Feast: Modern Middle Eastern Vegetarian by Greg and Lucy Malouf (Hardie Grant, £20)

Andi Oliver’s vegan roast pumpkin with coconut and tamarind gravy with coconut rice and peas

Andi Oliver’s vegan roast pumpkin with coconut and tamarind gravy with coconut rice and peas. Photograph: Martin Poole/The Observer

For some, rice and peas is a forgettable side dish but when you add coconut milk – and serve with roasted pumpkin – the whole pot becomes a thing of beauty.

Serves 4-6

For the coconut rice and peas

dried black-eye beans 250g

thyme a sprig

onion 1, peeled and halved

water 300ml, approx

long-grain or jasmine rice 500g

coconut milk 400ml

salt to taste

For the roast pumpkin

pumpkin, butternut squash or summer squash 500g

rapeseed oil or any neutral oil you prefer

red chilli 1, finely chopped

garlic 1 clove, finely chopped

coconut milk 400ml

ground turmeric 10g

tamarind concentrate 15ml

ground cloves 4g

molasses 10ml

chopped coriander, spring onions and green salad to serve

For the rice and peas, put the black-eye beans, thyme and the onion into a saucepan with the water and boil vigorously for about 45-60 minutes, until the peas are soft. Fish out the onion and discard.

Add the rice and coconut milk to the soft peas in the saucepan, then add more water as needed until the contents of the pan are covered. Season with salt.

Put a lid on the saucepan, turn the heat down very low and leave the rice and peas to cook. It will take around a further 40 minutes. (If you find the liquid has been absorbed but the rice is not as fluffy as you’d like add a little more water and leave the lid on so that the contents steam for a further 10 minutes.)

For the roast pumpkin, preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Peel, deseed and cut the pumpkin or squash into decent-sized wedges, coat with a splash of the oil and sprinkle fairly liberally with salt to season well. Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes, until tender.

Splash a little oil into a pan, add the chilli and garlic, soften for a couple of minutes, pour in the coconut milk, then add the turmeric, tamarind, cloves and the molasses and warm through. Add the roasted pumpkin or squash and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken, then serve over the rice and peas, topped with chopped fresh coriander and spring onions alongside a fresh crisp green salad.

Andi Oliver is the chef-owner of Andi’s, London N16

Peter Gordon’s vegetarian freekeh, walnut, chard, mushrooms and tahini mascarpone

Peter Gordon’s vegetarian freekeh, walnut, chard, mushrooms and tahini mascarpone. Photograph: Lisa Linder

This is another way to cook freekeh, instead of simply boiling it; here it’s cooked more like a rice pilaf. Serve it either in one large bowl as part of a meal or as a starter. Use colourful rainbow chard if you can find it, and you could also use a variety of different mushrooms. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8 as a starter or side

olive oil 1 tbsp

red onion 1, thinly sliced

garlic 2 cloves, thinly sliced

ginger 2 tbsp, finely chopped or grated

walnuts 100g, coarsely chopped

freekeh 200g, rinsed and drained

cider vinegar 1 tbsp

butter 60g

medium-thickness leek ¾, thinly sliced

portabello mushrooms 4, sliced, or a variety of types

rainbow or swiss chard 300g

tahini 2 tbsp

lemon juice 1 tbsp

mascarpone 200g, at room temperature

flat-leaf parsley 1 small bunch, coarsely chopped (including stalks)

First cook the freekeh. Heat a medium–large saucepan over a medium–high heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook until caramelised, stirring often. Add the walnuts and cook for 30 seconds, coating them in the oil, then add the freekeh and 500ml of water. Bring to the boil, then cover the pan and lower the heat to a simmer and cook until it is almost cooked but still a little al dente, about 10-12 minutes. Turn off the heat, mix in the vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt, and leave to cool with the lid on.

While the freekeh is cooking, place a medium pan on a medium heat. Add the butter and cook until it turns nut brown. Add the leek and cook until it wilts, stirring as it cooks. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they, too, begin to collapse. Add salt to taste.

Next, prepare the chard. Cut the leaves from the stalks and wash both the leaves and stalks to remove any grit. Thinly slice the stalks crossways and put to one side. Roll up the leaves and shred them. Add the stalks to the mushroom mix and cook for 2 minutes, stirring from time to time. Stir in the leaves and taste for seasoning. Cover the pan and turn off the heat.

Mix the tahini and lemon juice together to a paste, then mix in the mascarpone until combined.

To serve, place the freekeh on your plates and spoon the mushroom and chard mixture on top. Dollop on the mascarpone and sprinkle with the parsley.

From Savour by Peter Gordon (Jacqui Small, £25)