Quite simply Cheese and Nut Balls!

Cheese and Nut Balls I hear you cry? Don't let the rather inelegant  name for this recipe detract from it's tastiness as either a vegetarian main course or as I've adapted it, as a stylish starter. It comes from a book I've had sitting on my shelf for a number of years that I purchased as part of a whole box of cookery books  at an auction in Aylsham circa 2001! The book, Leith's Vegetarian Cookery (1993) by Prue Leith and Caroline Waldegrave http://www.amazon.co.uk/Leiths-Vegetarian-Cookery-Prue-Leith/dp/0747512337/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348310949&sr=8-1(wife of the former Conservative MP William Waldegrave, remember him?), certainly does have a rather dated look to it, well it would if it was published nearly twenty years ago wouldn't it?!

A tasty starter served on a bed of leaves with figs and walnut drizzle dressing

The book, published in 1993

However, once you start reading through it you notice there are some recipes which are definitely worthy of reproduction and many of them seem straightforward and fairly low on the faff factor. I must confess this is another book I've never cooked from before, but after doing said balls I think I will be reaching for it again. The Cauliflower and Stilton Pudding looks rather delicious on page 41 as does the Courgette Souffle page 39. On page 84 the Wild Mushrooms in a Cage looks like an ideal dinner party dish for vegetarian guests and meat eaters alike.


Cheese and Nut Balls (Copyright 1993 by Prue Leith and Caroline Waldegrave)

Serves 6
110g fresh brown breadcrumbs
85g chopped mixed nuts, toasted
1 tbsp chopped mixed herbs e.g. parsley, mint thyme
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp tomato puree
110g Cheddar cheese, grated
1 egg lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Seasoned flour
oil for frying

1. Mix together all the ingredients except the flour. Season with salt and pepper.

Ingredients prepared and weighed out

Mixing everything together

2.   Using wet hands shape the mixture into balls the size of a ping pong ball, roll in seasoned flour and deep-fry in oil until brown.

The balls rolled in flour

Deep frying in my wok - I used sunflower oil

I quickly made up a dressing for the leaves with 4tbsp of walnut oil, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and some seasoning. Also, instead of cheddar I used Parmesan which gave it a slightly more grown-up feel and a bit more glamour to serve as a starter.

Walnut drizzle dressing. Just chuck it all together in a jar and shake!

I sliced up a couple of figs and placed them on the plates to complement the walnuts and Parmesan, which I think they did well.

So overall, great as a starter and can be made as a main course - just serve with a nice bottle of light red!

Next time: Another vegetarian recipe that I've got up my sleeve plus more kid's cooking and  then hopefully something with blackberries and apples...