Meanwhile, make the cheesy sauce. Put the dairy-free butter into the medium hot saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon until it melts, then gradually add the flour to the pan, stirring vigorously until you have a doughy paste. Gradually pour in 500ml of the milk, whisking all the time until you have a thick, creamy sauce.
Grate the dairy-free cheese. Add the cheese, nutritional yeast, jalapeños, garlic powder, paprika and mustard to the pan, stirring constantly, until the cheese has melted and combined with the sauce. Add the rest of the milk and keep stirring until the sauce has a thick, creamy consistency. Taste, season to perfection with salt and pepper and turn the heat right down.
Take the tray out of the oven and turn on the grill to hot. Add the cauliflower and broccoli to the pan of cheese sauce. Add the spinach and fold so that everything is well covered in sauce. Pour into the lasagne dish and smooth out with the back of a wooden spoon.
Pour the panko breadcrumbs into a dish and drizzle over the remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil. Toss to coat. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top of the cheesy vegetables.
Put the lasagne dish under the grill until golden, 1–5 minutes depending on your grill, so watch it closely. Remove the dish from the oven. Spoon into bowls. Snip over the chives to garnish, if using, and serve with the salad on the side.
We’ve been refining this dish for some time now to achieve the perfect balance of a beautifully light but comfortingly warm katsu sauce. Katsu is amazing with the mighty aubergine. You can also make double the sauce and freeze half, it will keep for a month (defrost it overnight in the fridge before reheating).
SERVES 4.
175g plain flour.
½ tbsp salt.
250ml unsweetened plant-based milk.
150g panko breadcrumbs.
2 aubergines (about 300g each).
4 spring onions.
white sesame seeds, for sprinkling.
500g cooked basmati rice, or use 2 x 250g bags microwavable basmati rice, to serve.
vegetable oil, for frying.
FOR THE KATSU SAUCE.
1 large onion.
1 small carrot.
5cm piece fresh ginger.
2 garlic cloves.
2 tbsp sesame oil.
1 tbsp olive oil.
1½ tsp soy sauce.
1 tbsp curry powder.
350ml vegetable stock.
1 lemon.
2 tsp garam masala.
1 tsp sugar.
1 tbsp cornflour.
2 tbsp water.
Fine grater or Microplane. 2 large frying pans. Liquidiser. Whisk. Line a large plate with kitchen paper.
First make the sauce. Peel and dice the onion. Peel and grate the carrot. Peel the ginger by scraping off the skin with a spoon, then finely grate. Peel and grate the garlic.
Put one frying pan over a medium heat and warm the sesame oil. Add the onion and fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring. Add the carrot and olive oil and stir for 5–6 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and curry powder and stir for 2 minutes, then transfer to the liquidiser along with the vegetable stock. Blend. Pour back into the pan and return to a medium heat.
Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice of half into the same pan, catching any pips with your other hand. Sprinkle over the garam masala and sugar and stir. Reduce the heat to low. Taste and add more salt and lemon if required. Put the cornflour and water into a small dish and mix together with a fork. Pour into the pan and stir to thicken.
Now make the batter. Put the flour, salt and milk into a mixing bowl and whisk to a smooth batter. Tip the breadcrumbs into a separate bowl.
Trim the aubergines and cut into 1cm-thick slices. Tip them into the batter and toss to coat. Pick out one slice and roll it around in the breadcrumbs, covering it completely. Repeat to coat all the slices.
Fry the aubergine. Pour the vegetable oil into the second pan until it’s 2cm deep. Put the pan over a medium heat and heat until a wooden spoon dipped into the oil starts to bubble around the edges. Carefully add the aubergine slices and fry in batches for 3–4 minutes on each side, until crispy and deep golden. Transfer to the kitchen paper for a minute to soak up any excess oil.
Meanwhile, heat the rice, if necessary, or cook following the instructions on the packet, then divide among plates. Arrange the crispy aubergine on top and drizzle over the katsu sauce. Thinly slice the spring onions and sprinkle them over with the sesame seeds before serving.
Tzatziki is a wonderful dip for things like nachos and crudités or simply spread over bread, so make an extra batch of it to use in another meal. You can make these mushrooms a day ahead and reheat them. If you don’t fancy bread, this would make a really great salad box.
SERVES 4.
2 red onions.
2 garlic cloves.
400g shiitake mushrooms.
3 tbsp olive oil.
2 tbsp red wine vinegar.
2 tsp dried oregano.
1 tsp dried thyme.
1 tsp dried rosemary.
½ tsp smoked paprika.
½ tsp sugar.
1 tsp salt.
1 large tomato.
½ head baby gem lettuce.
4 Greek pitta breads (roughly 20cm in diameter)
FOR THE TZATZIKI.
½ cucumber.
1½ tbsp salt.
1 lemon.
1 small garlic clove.
4 fresh mint leaves.
10g fresh dill.
200g thick coconut yoghurt.
a drizzle of olive oil.
salt and black pepper.
Fine grater or Microplane. 2 frying pans. Clean tea towel. Cut out 4 23 x 23cm squares of parchment paper.