Transformed - Meat Recipes To Vegetarian

What happens when a family member decides to quit eating meat? The challenge goes out to create vegetarian versions of old family favourites. But they have to taste almost the same and definitely need to have the same kind of texture and qualities that made the original worthwhile. The idea floated was this - How to make an Aussie meat pie - that contains no meat. Now there is a challenge that is worth having a go at to complete.

In the past year I have discovered french style lentils.  Visiting France and skirting the area of Le Puy for which this style of lentil is famed makes me like them even more. Unlike most lentils which cook down to mush, these are small and round and hold their shape like tiny caviar balls. Indeed there is a 'caviar'salad you can make with them that is rather nice.

With half a bag of lentils, this is what I made.

So here's my stab at transforming some family recipes to vegetarian versions - and it turns out all of these dishes can stem from the same basic mixture. A meatless meat pie filling! Get this basic mixture down pat and there is no telling how far you can make it work for you with other dishes too. I've used ingredients that I had in the pantry and bought nothing special for these recipes. They contain no soy bean products or fake 'meat'.

Please note, measurements are approximate since I rarely measure anything but those shown in the recipes are a good guesstimate.

Basic lentil mixture - BLM

Basic Lentil Mixture Recipe

1 cup dried French lentils
3 tablespoons barley
2 onions diced finely
1 tablespoon brown or demerara sugar
1 stick of celery diced finely
1 carrot diced finely
1 potato
1 tablespoon American mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (or tamarind)
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup or sauce
1 tablespoon barbeque sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
Water as needed
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 tablespoon ghee or butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to season

Wash lentils and barley, drain and set aside.  In a heavy-based saucepan cook onions gently in 1 tablespoon olive oil on low heat till transparent, then add sugar and stir till they begin to caramalise.

Add diced celery and carrot and continue to stir over low heat for several minutes.

Add the lentils and barley and stir for several minutes, then add half a cup of water cover and allow to cook gently for 10 minutes on low heat with the lid on.  Add more water if required to stop it from burning.

Remove the lid, stir gently and allow to cook for a few more minutes to allow the liquid to evaporate.

Once the water has evaporated, add the ghee or butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil, when butter has melted, add the plain flour and stir.   When the flour and fats have been incorporated, and there is some colour to the base of the pan, add 1 cup of water and stir till thickened and gravy is smooth.  Move the saucepan off the heat to a cold hotplate and leave for several minutes to allow the base to cool and incorporate any browning inside the bottom of the pot to mix with the lentils, so that when you stir it the base will be clean and not sticking.

BLM - closeup - note the thick gravy

NOTE: If you prefer, this stage can be done in a separate saucepan - make a blonde roux if this is easier for you to manage. In this case, when done, just add the roux to the lentil mixture.

Add a small amount of water to the vegetable and lentil mix that has thickened, and grate a potato into the mix, then simmer gently till lentils are slightly soft but not mushy.  Season with salt and pepper and adjust any of the seasonings to taste. The potato and seasonings seem to add something of that umami richness that is often missing from food when the meat is taken out.

This base mixture would work well as a filling for an Aussie meat pie - without the meat and can also be used as a base from which you can make Shepherds Growers pie.

Shepherds Growers Pie

Basic Lentil Mixture
Mashed potato (with hot milk and butter, salt and pepper)
Grated cheese

Just prepare the mashed potato in the quantity you need depending on the size of the pic you want to make.

Grease the pie dish, add the Basic Lentil Mixture. Top with hot mashed potato, and add the grated cheese.  Heat in a moderate oven until cheese is browned.

Optional: Panko Japanese breadcrumbs mixed with the cheese.

Growers Pie

No lambs here, just lentils!

From this base I made these recipes and you may have some family favourites that this will work for you too...

Spaghetti Lentilaise Sauce

Spaghetti Bolognaise Lentilaise 

1 large onion finally diced

2 cloves of garlic - pressed

½  a stick of celery

¼  red pepper diced finely

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can of diced Italian tomatoes

Lentil Base Mixture

3 sprig of fresh oregano

¼ cup red wine

In the olive oil, fry the onion, garlic, celery and red pepper gently till onion is translucent.  Add paprika and stir through, then add the can of tomatoes and a quarter of a can of water (swirl around to clean up any tomato left in the can) and cook for 5 minutes on gentle heat with a cover on the pan. 

Remove cover and stir again, then add 1 large cup of the lentil base mix, stir and cook gently for another 15 minutes. Check that the consistency is right – if too runny, cook with the lid off to reduce the liquid, or add a little more water as this step progresses.

Add wine and oregano and stir cooking for another 5 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.

Served with spaghetti

Served with spaghetti 

Serve over your favourite freshly cooked pasta - al dente please, don't overcook the pasta. 

This can be cooked ahead and reheated when the pasta is ready. 

Note: Of course you can also use this sauce to make lasagna.

Top with grated Parmesan or Pecorino

Chilli Sin Carne (Chilli without meat)

1 large onion finally diced

2 cloves of garlic – pressed

1 whole fresh chilli chopped finely

½  a stick of celery

½  red pepper diced finely

1 teaspoon chilli powder or to taste

1 dessertspoon cumin powder

1 dessertspoon coriander powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 cup Lentil Base Mixture

1 can kidney beans or black (turtle) beans (or same amount in home cooked dried beans)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can of diced Italian tomatoes

Splash of Tabasco

In the olive oil, fry the onion, garlic, chili, celery and red pepper gently till onion is translucent.  Add spices and stir through, then add the can of tomatoes and a quarter of a can of water (swirl around to clean up any tomato left in the can) and cook for 5 minutes on gentle heat with a cover on the pan. 

Remove cover and stir again, then add 1 large cup of the lentil base mix, and drained, rinsed beans, stir and cook gently for another 15 minutes. Check that the consistency is right – if too runny, cook with the lid off to reduce the liquid, or add a little more water as this step progresses. Taste for seasonings and add a big splash of Tabasco or pepper sauce if more 'heat' is required.

Chile Sin Carne - Chile Without Meat

Finish with a dollop of sour light cream or yoghurt

Served here with jasmine rice and side salad, but you could use this for tacos, with tortillas, enchiladas, burritos or even with eggs for Huevos rancheros

Curried Salmon Lentils

My family has a particular fondness for curries. Indian curries, Malay curries ... but we grew up with my mother's curried chicken (never to be confused with a chicken curry!) and curried salmon - always red salmon and surprisingly tasty.

What a surprise to find the essential flavour is largely retained even without the salmon.  

1 or 2 onions halved and finely sliced

2 Tablespoons butter 

Olive oil

1/4 to 1/2 cup hot water

1 Tablespoon curry powder (Clive of India is okay. I would typically use a mix of Clive of India and a small Keens curry powder.  You want a good yellow colour not a dark orange colour, so extra tumeric if necessary can be added) 

1 tablespoon plain flour

zest of one lemon 

juice of one lemon

1 cup of wam milk

chopped chives or spring onions 

1 cup of Basic Lentil Mix

Diced tomato

Curried Salmon Lentils 

Optional 

1. 1 cup of frozen peas, toss in at the end and leave uncovered till peas are warmed through, but retain their dark green appearance.
2. tiny capers can be added 

Now bear in mind there are thousands of Indian lentil recipes - this isn't one of them. So no coconut milk or anything that might steer us from the original brief, but of course you can use that if you wish.

Add the sliced onions to a warm pan with a splash of olive oil and sweat till they are translucent and beginning to turn pale golden.  Do not leave them at this stage - keep watching and stirring lest they burn.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter and when melted, add the curry powder and cook for one minute, then add flour and mix well to incorporate into the butter, then add the hot water. This will give you a thick paste consistency, to which you can now add the milk. This should result in a smooth consistency without lumps! If the colour is not yellow enough mix a little tumeric with water and add to get the colour you prefer. You are looking for a warm golden colour for the finished dish.

Add Basic Lentil Mixture, zest of lemon, and juice of half a lemon, allow to simmer for a few minutes on low heat.  Add diced fresh tomato just before serving. (Add capers if you are using these) and finely chopped chives or spring onions. 

Serve with steamed jasmine rice and a squeeze of lemon.

Flavour verdict

I was frankly surprised at how like the original recipe these turned out to be. They were all quite different one from the other and didn't just taste like the same thing in each recipe. They compared well in flavour and importantly, in texture and I would make them again. Since I don't like minced meat I would probably prefer this version to one using real mince. 

This would be a simple thing to make a pot of this at the start of the week if you are time poor and can only think it would be quite an economical way to go too.