I love leeks. I love asparagus. We eat a huge amount of courgettes, broccoli and sweet potatoes. Everything about this Waitrose recipe screamed “TRY ME!!” I am so glad we did. From the first try we were hooked. We love everything about it. This is still one of our favourite vegan suppers – and it is the ideal blend of virtuosity and indulgence.
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp oil
175g asparagus, trimmed (cut any large spears in half)
1 large red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
700g sweet potato, scrubbed, cut into bitesize pieces
300g leeks, halved lengthways, washed and sliced
400g courgettes, cut into bitesize pieces
200g broccoli, cut into small florets and the stalk finely chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon and the juice of ½
15g mint, leaves only, finely chopped
For the béchamel sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp plain flour
Pinch ground nutmeg
350ml oat drink
250ml vegetable stock
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
For the breadcrumbs
100g fresh breadcrumbs
10g thyme leaves, chopped
1 tbsp oil
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a shallow casserole dish over a high heat, fry the asparagus for a couple of minutes minutes or until lightly charred, remove and set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the onion, garlic and chilli for three minutes. Add the sweet potato, season and cook for another three minutes, then add the remaining vegetables. Cover the pan with a close fitting lid and cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally until the potato is soft. Mix well, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and zest, along with the mint. Set aside while you make the béchamel sauce.
For the béchamel sauce, heat a pan with the oil over a medium heat. Sieve in the flour and whisk for one minute. Then add the nutmeg, salt and pepper, and the oat drink, whisking continuously. Bring to the boil. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from the heat. Stir in the stock and tamari soya sauce into the béchamel sauce and pour over the cooked vegetables. Top with the charred asparagus spears.
Combine all the breadcrumb ingredients and sprinkle on top. Bake for at least ten minutes until piping hot throughout and golden.
LADY LEWIS 