Need an impressive looking but hard-to-cock-up vegetarian meal for 6 people - any ideas?

[deathbyprocrastination]

Catering for two couples next week. Both are amazing hosts and we've never had them over before so I feel quite a lot of pressure to cook something amazing. They are all vegetarian and my veggie repertoire is very narrow and not at all fancy - can anyone suggest something that ticks those boxes and can, ideally be mostly prepared in advance so that I'm not faffing in the kitchen the whole time the guests are with us? Thanks so much in advance

I absolutely love indian food but have in mind that one of the guests isn't particularly keen on it so was going to steer clear to be on the safe side

great ideas @DoThePropeller don't suppose you have a good recipe for white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake?

I'd cook meze to start (well buy in mostly !) and a tangine with couscous for main, really hard to cock up and tangine can be made earlier in the day and reheated to serve. baklava for dessert ideally with rose kulfi and chopped pistachios (I buy from Indian supermarket)

Love the idea of loads of fancy bits. Not least because you can buy alot of it in premade (marinated vegetables; nice bread and cheese etc).

Really good quiches and salads also.

If it were winter I'd recommend my veg standby which is a broccoli and cauliflower cheese wellington with a mushroom, brandy cream sauce.

@motogogo

I'd cook meze to start (well buy in mostly !) and a tangine with couscous for main, really hard to cock up and tangine can be made earlier in the day and reheated to serve. baklava for dessert ideally with rose kulfi and chopped pistachios (I buy from Indian supermarket)

Oh bliss!!!

We've tried lots of things on our meat free days and two that we come back to a lot are this nut roast and vegetarian lasagne. Both really delicious. You could add extra complementary dishes with the big roast (we have small rosemary roast potatoes as it's usually a Sunday roast swap). The lasagne has sweet potato in and has lovely flavours, a little spicy. I would recommend for a dinner party doing individual lasagnes in small dishes though as in my 13 year old's tactful words 'it looks like a car crash on a plate'. Lovely until you cut it!

Butter bean and vegetable biryani. Easy as to make and tastes delicious

Got to head off but will return to this thread later. Thanks again for all your brilliant ideas and for taking the time to post

I do a yummy salad with rocket and green leaves, and then roasted butternut squash with cumin and optionally chilli flakes, scattered with toasted pine nuts and shavings of parmesan or a good vegetarian substitute (I have "veggie" friends who are ok with parmesan), and then drizzled with balsamic vinegar. You put the squash on just before you serve while it's still warm and it's delicious. You can add Parma ham and chicken if you're serving meat eaters.

@deathbyprocrastination

These ideas are exactly what I was after. You're all brilliant.

I particularly like the look of this:
annajones.co.uk/recipe/buttery-aubergines-with-toasted-couscous

Do you think that would work with the lemony lentil salad (posted upthread) and be enough for 6?
recipes.sainsburys.co.uk/recipes/lemony-lentil-salad-with-griddled-halloumi

Or maybe a third dish / some nice bread...

That aubergine dish sounds lovely, but I would be cautious about making an aubergine dish the centrepiece because unaccountably (my vegetarian dd for one) some people can’t take to aubergines at all. I would wolf it down however, so if any of your guests can’t make it give me a call.

I used to make a yummy vegi tart which is nice for summer. Get a ready done sheet of puff pastry put on a baking sheet (grease it first or put on parchment) and prick all over with a fork leaving a inch so border round the edges, brush edges with milk or egg yolk. Very finely slice a small red onion and scatter over the base. Fry some courgettes and peppers (two colours will look nice) so they char slightly and scatter over the onion. Get some kind of tasty cheese - feta, manchego, blue would probably work etc, and sprinkle chunks over the top of the veg. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and lots of black pepper. Cook in hot oven for 15-20 mins. Serve with green salad, flat breads, olives and other meze bits. Yum!

These are really easy to make, can be made in advance and frozen and are delicious. Serve with a green salad.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/melty-mushroom-wellingtons

I've made Ottolenghi's 'Very Full Vegetable Tart' for vegetarian friends before, and though I say so myself I think it's quite impressive. Here's the recipe:

https://honestcooking.com/ottolenghis-very-full-roasted-vegetable-tart/

I'd serve it with two or three different salads, plus really good bread and olives. I'd probably do something like lemon posset for pudding, with berries.

My current dinner party (informal rather than fancy) dish is Sabrina Ghayour's chickpea and vegetable kofte. I don't serve it with the wraps, but do make the tahini sauce and have it with jewelled couscous (sounds wanky but essentially couscous with herbs and pomegranate seeds) and bread from our great Turkish bakery. My favourite ever pudding is Nigella's honey and pine nut semi freddo, which is fabulous.

I like this one - just take it out a short while before you serve it www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/117703/recipe/white-chocolate-and-raspberry-cheesecake

@viques makes a good point but if you do the halloumi salad, maybe another carby side (baby potatoes roasted with salt and paprika?) which can go in the oven at the same time as the aubergines, you'll be laughing.

I would actually avoid curry because it's such a standby for most veggies, might not feel like a treat.

@AlwaysLatte it's sooooo good. But definitely do the green sauce with it. Lush.

Hoe about a cheese soufflé with watercress/walnut/apple for a main? Twice baked cheese soufflés can be baked ahead of time and are not difficult, but look like are. www.recipetineats.com/twice-baked-make-ahead-cheese-souffle/

Those soufflés sound absolutely delicious @Mominatrix

@deathbyprocrastination please check your cheeses are vegetarian. I haven't ever managed to find a veggie gruyere they all have animal rennet in.

Although does depend on the strictness of your guests

Another tart:

chewingthefat.us.com/2020/06/melissa-clarks-asparagus-goat-cheese-and-tarragon-tart.html

Impressive looking with minimal work

I've had my eye on this spinach and chickpea curry recipe forever. A big tureen of this with lots of nan or flatbread would make a lovely main course. If you look on YouTube Chetna did an earlier version without the Waitrose ingredients. The recipe can be found via Waitrose website too.

Link might help!

So many great ideas here - if I have time to get out to the supermarket later I'm going to settle on a couple and try them out tonight or tomorrow