Right then, Mr and Mrs Bagpuss are holding a small dinner party for friends, what can I cook them? They are vegetarian.

[bagpuss]

One is rather fond of mushrooms and aubergines as I recall, but as I haven't cooked for them since about 2003 I would really appreciate some ideas for something other than stuffed mushrooms followed by some sort of Italian aubergine and mozzarella bake (DH turned his nose up at the thought of this). Also, DH is a real meat eater and gets quite grumpy at the thought of vegetables so I need to cook something that is substantial enough to satisfy his appetite too. Help!

I'll give you titles and if you like the sound of any of them I can give you recipes. Hope that's ok?

Aubergine and pesto towers
Mushroom and brandy pasta
Aubergine and goats cheese pasta
Goats cheese with mushrooms, served with pasta
I often do veggie pasta and then either a piece of fish or steak on top for my dh. This actually works terribly well and is not as hideous as it sounds. In fact a standard dish chez teddy is mushroom pasta with salmon

Do they eat cheese? Most vegetarians do so how about a red onion and goats cheese tart or wild mushroom risotto. Risotto is very substantial and really easy.

Do something Asian - if you all like spicy food that is.

Or have a look at the Christmas vegetarian thread for some ideas.

Ooh, Stressteddy, what is the recipe for Aubergine and pesto towers please?

Yes we all eat cheese but DH not keen on goats cheese. Risotto a good idea too. Could maybe do as a starter? Actually thinking about it it is just DH that is the difficult one really . Thanks for the ideas though and keep them coming .

Very easy

Slices of aubergine - griddle em for 5 mins

Then transfer them to a roasting tin - add pesto to half of the slices and goats cheese (or not, if for your dh!) to the other half. Put in oven (medium) for about 15 mins
Then stack in towers to serve

Serve with anyhthing

Dressed salad
Rocket salad
wedgy chips
mini jacket potatoes

Hope that helps

risotto is rather filling even in small amounts so may make a better main course.

Slightly more supper-y but very nice is sweet potato chili.

Or a vegetable red curry?

Thanks all, good point about the risotto. Will run these ideas past DH later. Thanks for that recipe stressteddy .

Carrot and coriander soup
Spinach souffle
Tomato and feta tart
Wild mushroom risotto

Mushroom Stroganoff - from the Cranks recipe book? I think I could recall it here, if you fancy it. With a foil wrapped and roasted salmon fillet for the DH. Stroganoff recipe suggests serve with rice or noodles, but it is good with mash potato.

Quite like the sound of stroganoff, is the Cranks one easy to do? (bearing in mind I'd rather do a lot of stuff in advance then I can catch up on the gossip with mates ).

From memory, and I would really need to look it up again, but the general gist is - an onion, some sticks of celery, loads of mushrooms (as they seem to melt away), two bayleafs, marmite, water, plain flour and soured cream.

You gently cook onion and celery in some oil til soft. You add mushrooms (large pieces, not slices - see above). Here memory fails me slightly, I think you add some plain flour to the pan to make a roux. When flour cooked through, you add water a bit at a time and stir/whisk and teaspoon of marmite (or to taste, but the overall dish does NOT taste of marmite), plus bayleaf. (This might be the stage when you add the mushrooms actually - when you have your sauce - so they don't go all slushy). Cook until you have nice gobbets of mushroom in a thickened vaguely marmite gravy.

When ready to serve, reheat gently and stir in the soured cream.

Oven roasted veg & halloumi

Chuck chunky slices of red and yellow pepper, courgette, aubergine, carrot, butternut squash or sweet potato (or both), red onion and unpeeled garlic cloves into a baking tray. Drizzle over olive oil and chuck in a few sprigs of rosemary. Bake in a hot oven for about 30 mins. Remove from oven and place some thick-ish slices of Halloumi / Helim cheese on top of the roasted veg (At this stage you can also add mushrooms and/or cherry tomatoes if you like, although this will make the veg more 'mushy'). Bung back in oven for about 15 -20 mins. Serve with a really nice, light mixed-leaf green salad with a balsamic dressing, some yummy crusty bread and lashings of wine .

mushroom risotto
with porcini, wild mushrooms
they can taste meaty ifykwim

my trusty veggie "dinner party" menu

soup (e.g. spicy butternut squash, tomato and basil), followed by a mushroom (porcini v. nice) risotto, served with a salad, followed by poached pears with chocolate sauce or an apple gallette?

i would always cook delia's spinachh and ricotta lasagne

but twiglett cooked it recently and was underwhelmed..

Mary Berry's lentil and aubergine moussaka is really yummy as it has mango chutney in it. I find the meat-eaters have seconds!

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red pepper and spinach crumble?

roast red peppers, add to a cheesey sauce with parmesan in, also add spinach that's just "wilted" (recently discovered you could just put bag you buy it in microwave and zap it - nice!)

stir together, put bread crumbs, grated cheese and pinenuts on the top

lovely with baked pots and can be made in advance

(think this was GH Christmas recipe a few years ago. really is very nice and more more special than most of the veg stuff I make)

Blimey, you lot are fantastic . Thanks for the tip off cod, I will go and have a look in WH Smith tomorrow. I have just realised that we have quite a few vegetarian friends which is perhaps why we always seem to go out or do take aways at home when we socialise with them.

Bossy Kate, your menu sounds nice. I do have a spicy butternut squash soup that I like to do, which usually goes down well. The other idea I had was to do something mexican, but I didn't think that it would be special enough.

Also found recipe for chocolate and ginger cheese cake in a Gordon Ramsay book I have and was thinking that would make a good pud - at least that is the easy bit!

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No, no fish. Aubergine curry may be a winner though.

Cod, you have reminded me that while in M&S today I was choosing good tights and some beads and was thinking to myself that you had said on your blog about jet beads so off I trotted to have a look - what would MN do without you eh?

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Yes, very nearly bought one! Also need to check out the glittery eye liner, though am a little unsure.

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