Turmeric roulade with harissa stew

Serves 8

125g butter
175g plain flour
1 tsp turmeric
750ml warm milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 eggs, separated
big handful of roughly chopped
fresh basil

For the filling:

400g ricotta cheese
250g fresh spinach

For the stew:

1 onion chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs harissa paste
2 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
juice and zest of one lemon
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
200ml vegetable stock
500g canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed and cooked
large handful of spinach

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6 and grease and line two swiss roll tins, each measuring 23 x 33cm.

Start making the roulades. Melt the butter in a pan, add the flour and turmeric and cook for three minutes to make a spicy roux. Add the milk to the roux a little at a time, stirring continuously over the heat to make a thick sauce. Season to taste.

Take the pan off the heat and beat in the egg yolks and basil. Whisk the whites until stiff, then fold them into the cooled sauce.

Divide the mixture between the trays and spread it evenly. Bake for 15 minutes until risen and springy. Turn out onto wire racks and leave to cool.

For the filling, season the ricotta with salt and pepper, then spread a very thin layer on each sponge base. Lay the spinach over the top.

Roll up each of the roulades firmly and wrap first in greaseproof paper and then in foil. Chill in the fridge until the following day.

For the stew, first fry the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add the harissa, potatoes, lemon zest and juice, pepper, tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are almost cooked.

Add the chickpeas and spinach to the stew and stir well to heat through.

Reheat the roulades, still wrapped in foil, for about 10 minutes at 180°C/gas 4. Cut each one into thick slices and serve one or two slices on top of each portion of stew.

Oyster mushroom and tofu laksa

Serves 4

2 red chillies, deseeded
25g fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 lemon grass stalk, trimmed, outer layer removed and chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds, dry-fried and ground
few sprigs fresh coriander
1 tbs tamarind sauce
50ml vegetable oil
250g plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
500ml vegetable stock
400ml can coconut milk
125g tofu, cut into big chunks
250g oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tbs light soy sauce
200g medium-thick egg noodles
chopped spring onions, mint leaves, sliced red pepper and lime wedges, to serve

Put the chillies, ginger, garlic, lemon grass, coriander seeds, fresh coriander, tamarind sauce and oil in a food processor, and blend into a smooth paste.

Fry the paste in a wok until it becomes aromatic. Add the tomatoes and cook for five minutes, then add the stock and coconut milk and bring to the boil. Add the tofu, mushrooms and soy sauce and simmer gently for four minutes.

Meanwhile cook the egg noodles in boiling water for four minutes. Drain and divide into four deep bowls.

Ladle the spicy coconut broth over the top of the noodles. Serve garnished with spring onions, mint leaves and red peppers, and accompanied by lime wedges, so that diners can squeeze the juice into their soup.

Dill and basil frittata with roasted peppers

Serves 2

2 red peppers
a little olive oil
4 eggs
100ml single cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbs each chopped fresh basil and dill
75g mature cheddar cheese, grated
vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
pecorino or parmesan shavings, to serve
extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Rub the peppers with olive oil, then place in a roasting tin.

Roast the peppers for about 20 minutes until charred. Remove from the oven and put them into a plastic bag to sweat, then peel off the skins and slice the peppers into thick strips. Beat the eggs and cream together, then season and add the herbs and cheese.

Heat some oil in a 24cm frying pan, pour in the egg mixture and cook for 4 minutes, until almost set. Place the pan under a preheated hot grill for a minute to finish cooking the frittata.

To serve, cut the frittata into six wedges. Layer three wedges of frittata with strips of pepper in between on each plate, finishing with frittata. Scatter over some pecorino or parmesan shavings and drizzle with olive oil.

It's an incredibly simple dish to make, but by slicing and stacking the frittata and peppers, you make it look far more difficult than it really is. But you don't need to tell that to anyone.

White chilli

Serves 6

330ml bottle light Mexican beer
2 onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 red peppers, deseeded and finely chopped
2 jalapeños, finely chopped
3 smoked chillies, finely chopped
1 tbs ground cumin
400ml vegetable stock
bunch fresh coriander
50ml rice vinegar
pinch salt
400g each canned cannellini and butter beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbs chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
250g cheddar or asiago cheese, grated
lime wedges and coriander to garnish

Put the beer, onion, garlic, peppers, jalapeños, chillies, cumin and stock into a large pan and simmer for 10 minutes.

Blend the coriander, vinegar and salt in a food processor to make a smooth paste. Add the coriander paste along with the beans to the pan with the spiced onion-chilli mixture, and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the oregano, chilli powder and smoked paprika. Serve sprinkled with grated cheese and garnished with lime wedges and coriander leaves.

Pear and almond tart

This is similar to a Bakewell tart. Serve with chocolate sauce.

Serves 8

For the pastry:

225g plain flour
100g butter
25g caster sugar
1 egg
a little milk to bind
For the almond filling:
225g butter
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
175g ground almonds
50g plain flour
finely grated zest of 1 lemon

For the pears:

4 pears, peeled, cut in half lengthways and cored
100g butter
75g caster sugar

To make the pastry, pulse the ingredients together in a food processor, using a little milk to bind them and to make a soft dough. Wrap this in cling film or greaseproof paper and chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Roll out the pastry and place in a greased 20cm tart tin. Chill for a further 20 minutes.

Cover the pastry with greaseproof paper, pressing it down into the corners, then weigh the paper down with baking beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes, then lift out the paper and beans and return the pastry case to the oven for a further 5 minutes until crisp and dry. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/gas 4.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Cream together the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the almonds, flour and lemon zest.

Fry the pears in the butter and sugar until just soft. Spread the almond filling in the pastry case, then press the pears, flat-side down, into the surface. Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is set.

Chocolate sauce

Serves 8-12

125g butter
125g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
125g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) broken into pieces
300ml water
20g cocoa powder

Place the butter, sugar and seeds scraped from the vanilla pod in a pan and heat until the butter has melted. Reduce the heat to low, add the chocolate, stir well. Add the water a little at a time. When about half the water has been added, stir in the cocoa. Cook gently, stirring, until all the water is added and the sauce has a good coating consistency. Serve warm.

• The Seasoned Vegetarian by Simon Rimmer is published by Mitchell Beazley, £14.99. To order a copy for £13.99 with free UK p&p go to observer.co.uk/bookshop or call 0330 333 6847.