BOSH! is the highest-selling vegan cookbook ever. Now, Henry Firth and Ian Theasby are launching over 140 more plant-based recipes that will make your mouth water.
Their new book, BISH BASH BOSH! launches in May and boast favourites for every taste, from homestyle curries to totally Instagrammable desserts.
In celebration, I got to sneakily try out a few recipes. I admit that I found them a lot easier to make than expected (the ingredients lists can sometimes be overwhelming) and even my meat loving friends (I try to make friends with salad) were asking for seconds.
Here is the Classic Lasagne recipe, as written by Henry and Ian. I will also be posting a recipe for their mini banoffee meringues – stay tuned.
CLASSIC LASAGNE
Lasagne will always be one of our favourites, and this simple mushroom ragu with a rich, creamy béchamel is a real classic. We don’t think you should mess with perfection, but you could add a few chilli flakes if you like. The ragu and béchamel can be made the day before and kept in the fridge, so on the day you just have to build and bake the final dish.
SERVES 6–8
2 onions
100g sun-dried tomatoes, plus 2 tbsp
oil from the jar
3 carrots
3 celery sticks
1 sprig fresh rosemary, plus more
for garnish
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 garlic cloves
700g chestnut mushrooms
300ml red wine
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp red miso paste
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp dried oregano
2 tsp soy sauce
2 x 400g tins chopped plum tomatoes
800ml water
500g dried lasagne sheets
salt and black pepper
salad leaves, to serve
FOR THE BÉCHAMEL
125ml olive oil
125g flour
1.25 litres unsweetened plant-based milk
1½ tbsp nutritional yeast
Food processor | 2 large saucepans, one on a medium heat| Fine grater or Microplane | 25 x 30cm lasagne dish | Foil
Peel and quarter the onions and blitz them in the food processor until finely chopped | Add the sun-dried tomato oil to the large pan on the heat and sauté the onions, stirring, for 5–6 minutes
Meanwhile, peel the carrots and pulse them in the food processor with the celery until minced | Remove the leaves from the rosemary and thyme and finely chop | Peel and grate the garlic and add it to the pan | Stir for 1 minute | Add the carrot, celery, rosemary and thyme, reduce the heat slightly and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 12–15 minutes
Meanwhile, thinly slice the sun-dried tomatoes | Pulse the mushrooms in the food processor until finely minced | Add to the pan along with the sun-dried tomatoes | Stir, increase the heat slightly and sauté, stirring, for 8–10 minutes
Pour in the wine, increase the heat and stir constantly for 5–6 minutes, until nearly all the liquid has evaporated | Add the tomato purée, miso paste, balsamic vinegar, oregano and soy sauce and stir for 1 minute | Add the chopped tomatoes and water | Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes | Taste and season
While it is simmering, make the béchamel | Put the second pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil | Add the flour and stir for 3–5 minutes | Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly | Add the nutritional yeast and stir until smooth | Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer until the béchamel thickens to the consistency of custard | Taste and season | Preheat the oven to 180°C
Now, layer up your lasagne | Spread a quarter of the ragu into the lasagne dish | Spoon over a quarter of the béchamel | Cover with lasagne sheets, breaking them if necessary to make a complete layer with no gaps | Repeat three times, reserving some béchamel to cover the top completely | Garnish with a few rosemary leaves | Cover with foil and put on the lowest shelf of the oven | Bake for 50 minutes | Remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes | Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving with the salad leaves | The leftovers will taste amazing the next day – simply bring back to piping hot in the oven or microwave.
Note from Elisa at Melbourne Lifestyle.
I really enjoyed making this, and especially eating it afterwards. I am still learning how to substitute vegan ingredients into my cooking, but really loved the idea and flavour of the sun-dried tomatoes and having everything blended together. I will definitely be making this again!
The recipe above is an extract from Bish Bash Bosh by Henry Firth & Ian Theasby (HQ Non Fiction, $39.99)
Their new book, BISH BASH BOSH! launches in May and boast favourites for every taste, from homestyle curries to totally Instagrammable desserts.
In celebration, I got to sneakily try out a few recipes. I admit that I found them a lot easier to make than expected (the ingredients lists can sometimes be overwhelming) and even my meat loving friends (I try to make friends with salad) were asking for seconds.
Here is the Classic Lasagne recipe, as written by Henry and Ian. I will also be posting a recipe for their mini banoffee meringues – stay tuned.
CLASSIC LASAGNE
Lasagne will always be one of our favourites, and this simple mushroom ragu with a rich, creamy béchamel is a real classic. We don’t think you should mess with perfection, but you could add a few chilli flakes if you like. The ragu and béchamel can be made the day before and kept in the fridge, so on the day you just have to build and bake the final dish.
SERVES 6–8
2 onions
100g sun-dried tomatoes, plus 2 tbsp
oil from the jar
3 carrots
3 celery sticks
1 sprig fresh rosemary, plus more
for garnish
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 garlic cloves
700g chestnut mushrooms
300ml red wine
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp red miso paste
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp dried oregano
2 tsp soy sauce
2 x 400g tins chopped plum tomatoes
800ml water
500g dried lasagne sheets
salt and black pepper
salad leaves, to serve
FOR THE BÉCHAMEL
125ml olive oil
125g flour
1.25 litres unsweetened plant-based milk
1½ tbsp nutritional yeast
Food processor | 2 large saucepans, one on a medium heat| Fine grater or Microplane | 25 x 30cm lasagne dish | Foil
Peel and quarter the onions and blitz them in the food processor until finely chopped | Add the sun-dried tomato oil to the large pan on the heat and sauté the onions, stirring, for 5–6 minutes
Meanwhile, peel the carrots and pulse them in the food processor with the celery until minced | Remove the leaves from the rosemary and thyme and finely chop | Peel and grate the garlic and add it to the pan | Stir for 1 minute | Add the carrot, celery, rosemary and thyme, reduce the heat slightly and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 12–15 minutes
Meanwhile, thinly slice the sun-dried tomatoes | Pulse the mushrooms in the food processor until finely minced | Add to the pan along with the sun-dried tomatoes | Stir, increase the heat slightly and sauté, stirring, for 8–10 minutes
Pour in the wine, increase the heat and stir constantly for 5–6 minutes, until nearly all the liquid has evaporated | Add the tomato purée, miso paste, balsamic vinegar, oregano and soy sauce and stir for 1 minute | Add the chopped tomatoes and water | Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes | Taste and season
While it is simmering, make the béchamel | Put the second pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil | Add the flour and stir for 3–5 minutes | Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly | Add the nutritional yeast and stir until smooth | Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer until the béchamel thickens to the consistency of custard | Taste and season | Preheat the oven to 180°C
Now, layer up your lasagne | Spread a quarter of the ragu into the lasagne dish | Spoon over a quarter of the béchamel | Cover with lasagne sheets, breaking them if necessary to make a complete layer with no gaps | Repeat three times, reserving some béchamel to cover the top completely | Garnish with a few rosemary leaves | Cover with foil and put on the lowest shelf of the oven | Bake for 50 minutes | Remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes | Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving with the salad leaves | The leftovers will taste amazing the next day – simply bring back to piping hot in the oven or microwave.
Note from Elisa at Melbourne Lifestyle.
I really enjoyed making this, and especially eating it afterwards. I am still learning how to substitute vegan ingredients into my cooking, but really loved the idea and flavour of the sun-dried tomatoes and having everything blended together. I will definitely be making this again!
The recipe above is an extract from Bish Bash Bosh by Henry Firth & Ian Theasby (HQ Non Fiction, $39.99)