3 Cheap Vegan Recipes From Bosh! That Won’t Cost The Earth
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Henry Firth and Ian Theasby are fast becoming the kings of vegan cooking.
The lifelong friends – better known by their brand name, BOSH! – made history in 2020 with the first ever vegan cookbook to reach number one in the Sunday Times Bestsellers chart.
The Sheffield lads have since excited more than half a billion people with their plant-based recipes and now, they’re back with a new book aimed at rebranding veganism.
BOSH! on a Budget contains more than 80 thrifty recipes designed with affordability in mind. There’s a misconception that veganism is expensive, say the authors, when in reality, these recipes are based on cheap veg and many lend themselves to batch cooking.
“People have often said that vegan food is dull, difficult and even unhealthy. With our books and recipes we’ve proved otherwise, creating delicious recipes that are so easy, anyone can cook them,” the pair say.
“With this book, we promise to bust once and for all the mistaken belief that vegan food has to be expensive to taste great. The fruit and veg that are the building blocks of vegan cuisine are just plain delicious, with the added bonus of being cheap to boot!”
To give you a taster before you splash the cash, they’ve provided HuffPost UK with these sneak peek recipes from the book.
Ian’s Simple Shakshuka
This dish is a brunch-favourite but can also work any time of the day. The vegan ‘eggs’ are guaranteed to delight.
Serves 2
You will need a large frying pan and a blender.
Ingredients
1 red pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large white onion
1 fresh red chilli
3 garlic cloves
Handful fresh coriander
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
½ tsp ras el hanout
1½ tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1X 40Qg tin chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
salt
For the ‘egg’ yolks
½ yellow pepper
½ tbsp plant-based mayo
1 heaped tsp tahini
½ lemon
salt
For the ‘egg’ whites
4 tbsp dairy-free yoghurt
½ lemon
salt
To serve
1 spring onion
4 pitta breads
Method
Blacken the peppers Light your largest gas ring or preheat your grill to high.
Put the red and yellow peppers directly on the flame or under the grill for 10-15
minutes, turning them every 5 minutes, until blackened on all sides. Set aside
in a bowl to cool and steam with a plate over the top.
Cook the vegetables Place the frying pan over a medium heat and pour in
the olive oil. Peel and finely chop the onion and add it to the pan. Halve the
chilli, dice one half and finely slice the other. Peel and grate the garlic cloves.
Add the diced chilli and garlic to the pan and stir, cooking for 5 minutes.
Finely chop the coriander stems and add them to the pan, reserving the
leaves. Add the oregano and the spices. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree and sugar and stir for 5-10 minutes, until the mixture is getting darker and sticky. Add the vinegar to the pan and let it bubble away and evaporate. Add the tinned tomatoes, bay leaves and cinnamon and a good splash of water and leave to simmer for 8-10 minutes, until thickened and combined. Lower the heat and keep warm until needed.
Peel the peppers Rub the burned skin from the cooled peppers with your
fingers. Seed and roughly chop the peppers• Add the red pepper to the
shakshuka. Put the yellow pepper in the blender.
Make the ‘egg yolk’ Add the plant-based mayo and tahini to the blender
with the yellow pepper. Squeeze in the juice of the lemon and season with
salt. Blend to a paste.
Make the ‘egg white’ Put the yoghurt in a bowl. Squeeze in the juice of
the lemon and season with salt. Mix to combine
Finish the shakshuka Remove the bay and cinnamon sticks from the pan. Taste the shakshuka and adjust the seasoning if necessary. If it looks dry,
add a splash of water and stir it in. Make sure it’s nice and warm. Press the back of a spoon into the mixture to make 4 wells. Spoon a tablespoon of the ‘egg white’ into each well. Use a teaspoon to add a spoonful of the ‘egg yolk’ into the centre of each white.
Serve Grill or toast the pittas. Scatter the reserved coriander leaves over
the shakshuka. Finely slice the spring onion and scatter it over along with
the sliced red chilli. Serve the pittas alongside for dipping.
Chunky Mushroom Turkish Pide
Pide look like boat-shaped Turkish versions of pizza, their sides gathered up and pinched together to hold a thick layer of delicious filling. The dough recipe could happily be rolled into a round and repurposed as regular pizza base.
Serves 4.
You will need:
Large mixing bowl and clean work surface dusted liberally with flour or mixer fitted with the dough hook. A large frying pan. Line a large baking sheet. Rolling pin.
Ingredients
250g strong white bread flour
1 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
½ tsp caster sugar
½ tsp salt
150ml warm water
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
For the filling
2 red peppers
500g mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
Big pinch of salt
1 red onion
2 garlic cloves
1-2 tbsp harissa paste or tomato paste
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
Small bunch of fresh parsley
1 lemon
salt and black pepper
Method
Make the dough Add the flour, yeast, sugar and salt to the bowl or mixer
and mix to combine. Add the water and the 1 tablespoon oil and mix
together. Knead well for 10 minutes either in the mixer or
by aggressively bashing the dough on to the floured surface, punching and
turning it and folding repeatedly, until smooth and springy. Put
in a bowl, cover loosely and leave to rise for 1 hour, or until at least doubled
in size.
Make the filling Trim and finely chop the peppers and mushrooms. Place
the frying pan over a high heat and add the olive oil. Add the chopped
peppers and mushrooms to the hot oil with the salt. Fry for 10 minutes,
stirring regularly, until the water has evaporated and the vegetables are
cooked down and starting to turn golden. Peel and finely chop half the red
onion and add it to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes. Peel and grate the garlic directly into the pan. Add the harissa or tomato paste and stir well, then add the spices and stir again. Remove from the heat. Finely chop half the parsley and stir it through the mixture. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Halve the lemon and squeeze in the juice of half. Set aside to cool.
Bake the pides Heat the oven to 200°C. Tip the risen dough on to a
clean surface, roll it into a log and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Roll each
piece into an oval about 10cm wide and 20cm long. Transfer to
the lined baking sheet. Spoon the filling over the middle of each oval, leaving a
2cm dough border around the edges. Fold the edges up and over the filling
around the edges of the pides and pinch together at the ends to create boat
shapes• Press a little to make sure the edges stick to the filling and don’t flare out during baking. Brush with olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the
dough is deep golden and the bottoms are crisp.
Serve Finely slice the remaining red onion and put the slices into a small
bowl. Squeeze over the juice of the lemon half and toss to coat. Pick the parsley leaves and mix them with the lemon and onion. Remove the
baked pides from the oven and top them with the onion and parsley mixture•
Slice each pide diagonally into three pieces and serve.
