Veganuary 2019: Recipes from Chantelle Nicholson’s book ‘Planted’

(Photography by Nassima Rothacker)

Potato, celeriac, onion seed and thyme rostis with HP gravy

Traditionally, rostis are made with potato, but I really like the addition of the earthy celeriac in this recipe. Onion seeds deserve to be used more – they add so much flavour to a dish. HP Sauce makes a tangy gravy to serve alongside. Select potatoes that are floury, so they crisp up nicely when cooked, such as Maris Piper.

Serves 4

2 large floury potatoes, peeled and grated
250g celeriac, peeled (100g finely grated, 150g roughly diced)
½ onion, peeled and finely grated
1 tsp table salt
70g non-dairy butter
100ml non-dairy milk
1 tbsp onion seeds
¼ bunch of thyme, leaves picked
Freshly milled black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil

For the gravy

250ml roasted vegetable stock
3 tbsp HP Sauce

Put the potato, grated celeriac and onion in a large bowl. Mix in the salt and leave to sit for 10 minutes.

While the mix is salting, heat 30g of the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the diced celeriac to the pan and season well. Cook over a moderate-high heat until the celeriac is a dark golden colour and cooked through. Add the milk and cook for a further 3 minutes. Transfer the mix to a blender and blitz to a smooth puree. Keep warm.

Transfer the salted mix to a colander set over a bowl and press down to remove as much liquid as possible. Tip the grated veg onto a clean tea towel, wrap well and squeeze to remove all the liquid. Put the veg in a large bowl and add the onion seeds, thyme and black pepper.

Divide the rosti mix into 4 equal portions. Using 4 blini pans, or 2 large frying pans, heat the oil and remaining butter over a moderate-high heat. Press the mix into the blini pans, or shape into round patties, and fry for 4-5 minutes until golden. Gently flip over and cook the other side until golden.

For the gravy, pour the stock into a medium saucepan over a high heat. Bring to the boil and reduce until one-third remains. Whisk in the HP Sauce.

Serve the rostis with the caramelised celeriac puree and the HP gravy. Garnish the puree with onion seeds and thyme leaves.

(Nassima Rothacker)

Caramelised banana french toast, maple and smoked sea salt

French toast was one of my favourite foods when I was little. I loved the slightly gooey centre with the crisp, lightly salted outer layer. Lashings of maple syrup was always part of the drill too. Here, serving the toast with smoked sea salt balances out the sweetness.

Serves 4

8 x 2cm thick slices of brioche (see below)

For the caramelised bananas

100g caster sugar
50g non-dairy butter
2 overripe medium bananas, peeled and roughly chopped
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of table salt
150ml non-dairy milk
150ml oat cream
2 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
25g non-dairy butter, for frying
2 bananas, each cut in half lengthways, then widthways, to form 8 pieces in total

To serve

Maple syrup
Smoked sea salt

Begin by making the caramelised bananas. Put the sugar in a medium heavy-based saucepan over a moderately high heat. Gently shake the pan when the sugar begins to melt. Do not stir, as this may cause the caramel to crystallise. As it keeps melting, keep shaking and swirling the pan until a medium-coloured caramel is formed. Turn down the heat, add the butter and whisk well. When fully combined, add the chopped bananas, cinnamon and salt. Cook, stirring regularly, over a low heat for 10-12 minutes until a thick puree is formed.

Put the milk, oat cream and sugar into a bowl and mix with a stick blender until the sugar has dissolved. Pour into a rectangular deep dish that will accommodate four brioche slices in a single layer.

Spread the banana puree over half the slices of brioche and top with the remaining slices. Place the brioche sandwiches into the cream mix and spoon the mix over the top of the bread. Allow to soak on both sides for 10 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed to the centre of the bread. Melt half the butter in a large frying pan over a high heat. When hot, fry the sandwiches, in batches, until both sides are golden. Keep warm. Using the same frying pan, add the remaining butter. When hot, add the banana slices and cook on both sides until golden.

Serve the brioche and banana slices with maple syrup and sea salt.

Brioche

I love brioche and the challenge I set myself for this recipe was to create the same buttery texture and flavour created when you use dairy, butter and eggs. This final result works fantastically well.

350g plain flour
15g fresh yeast, or 5g fast-action dried yeast
15g caster sugar
1 tsp table salt
80g aquafaba
100ml coconut milk
50ml non-dairy milk
100g non-dairy butter
1 tsp olive oil, for greasing

Put the flour in a stand mixer bowl or a large mixing bowl. Keeping them in separate places on the flour, add the yeast, sugar and salt. Pour the aquafaba and milks into the centre of the flour and mix together, using a dough hook on your stand mixer on a low speed, or a firm wooden spoon, to form a smooth dough. When the dough is combined increase the mixer speed until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl. If doing by hand, knead on your worktop until the dough loses all its stickiness.

Add the butter and work in until completely mixed into the dough. Work until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl again.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave in a warm place to double in size. Gently tip onto a lightly floured worktop and form into a loaf shape. Place in a greased 18cm x 9cm (1lb) loaf tin and cover with clingfilm. Leave in a warm place to prove, again until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 175C/fan 155C/gas mark 3½ while the dough is proving for the second time.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Tip out of the loaf tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

(Nassima Rothacker)

Mushroom, spinach and truffle toast

Truffles have such a heady, fragranced flavour that is deep and rich in umami. I find some oils have a synthetic taste to them, so I always prefer to use truffle paste instead. It is not as intense, but it gives more of a true truffle flavour, with a wonderful heady aroma that oil sometimes misses. A little goes a long way, so keep a small jar in the fridge as it has a great shelf life. If you are not a fan, you can omit the truffle all together from the recipe.

Serves 4

15g dried porcini mushrooms 
25g non-dairy butter 
1 garlic clove, peeled and bashed 
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced 
25ml Madeira 
100ml oat cream 
¼ bunch of thyme, leaves picked 
1 tbsp truffle paste (optional) 
Sea salt and freshly milled black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil 
320g mixed mushrooms, washed 
100g baby spinach 
¼ bunch of tarragon, leaves picked and finely chopped
8 slices of sourdough bread

Put the porcini mushrooms in a small saucepan with 200ml water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for a further 30 minutes.

Heat the butter in a deep frying pan over a moderate heat. When hot, add the garlic and onion and season well. Cook until soft and lightly coloured. Add the Madeira and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the rehydrated porcini mushrooms, with their soaking liquor, and simmer for 1 minute. Add the oat cream and thyme and simmer for 1 minute. Finish with the truffle paste, if using, and blend using a stick blender until a chunky puree is formed. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Keep warm.

Heat the vegetable oil in a separate large frying pan. Fry the mixed mushrooms, seasoning well and working in batches so they colour rather than stew in an overcrowded pan. Once cooked, return the frying pan to the heat and when hot, add the spinach to quickly wilt.

Gently stir the tarragon through the mushrooms. Toast the sourdough, spread with the puree and top with the spinach and mushrooms.

‘Planted’ by Chantelle Nicholson is published by Kyle Books (£25)