Advertisement
Treat yourself!
Got a question for Delia?
What's on at the football club?
Precious stones
Vegetarian starters: Fresh beginnings
Delia has travelled to the four corners of the planet to bring together this diverse collection of vegetarian starters and soups. From the spicy delights of Mexican Guacamole to the Aegean treat of Fried Halloumi Cheese with Lime and Caper Vinaigrette, there's a feast of veggie-friendly dishes. And for veggie main courses and desserts to follow, simply use the recipe search facility and click in the box marked vegetarian.
Hummus Bi Tahini
If you want to make the proper authentic version of this you'll need to hunt out some tahini paste, which is available at supermarkets and health-food shops.
Mexican Guacamole
The first time I ever used Tabasco (hot chilli sauce) was when I made my first guacamole. This spicy Mexican purée, made with fresh avocados, chillies and ripe tomatoes, is still a great favourite. Serve it as a first course with good crusty bread or as a dip with raw vegetable strips.
Summer Crudités with Three Dips
This is a real celebration of summer – young, fresh salads and crisp vegetables served with three well-flavoured dips.
Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil
Good bread, good olive oil – what more could you want? Just two things: very red, ripe plum tomatoes and basil leaves. It's perhaps the best bruschetta of all, and perfect for serving with drinks before a meal instead of serving as a starter.
Fresh Asparagus with Foaming Hollandaise
The marriage of asparagus and hollandaise was quite definitely made in heaven, and it seems sad to me that 'health' issues should bring about a divorce. Therefore I have set out to lighten the sauce somewhat by the addition of stiffly beaten egg whites.
Roasted Red Peppers Stuffed with Fennel
This delightful combination of flavours makes a very attractive first course. I love to serve the peppers on a faded antique plate that I have, which shows off their outstanding colour. The dish needs lots of really good bread, as there's always a profusion of fragrant juices.
Cheese and Herb Fritters with Sweet Pepper Marmalade
If you want to serve a meal without meat or fish, this is just the thing. The Sweet Pepper Marmalade is an amazingly good accompaniment and keeps well, so can be made in advance.
Fried Halloumi Cheese with Lime and Caper Vinaigrette
This is a great recipe to have up your sleeve for the unexpected vegetarian. Halloumi arrives in sealed plastic wrapping and has a reasonably long shelf-life, which means that you can always have a pack tucked away in the fridge.
Chickpea, Chilli and Coriander Soup
This has decidedly Mexican overtones. It isn't too hot and spicy but the presence of the chilli does give it a nice kick, and the flavour and texture of chickpeas is perfect for soup.
Roasted Tomato Soup with Purée of Basil and Olive Croutons
When you oven roast tomatoes something magical happens, the flavour is concentrated and the toasted edges also give a lovely flavour, making this the best tomato soup recipe ever.
Carrot and Artichoke Soup
I love serving this, one of my most favourite soups. First, it has an extremely rich, beautiful colour, almost saffron I would say. And second, people can never quite guess what it is.
Watercress Soup
Watercress is a star performer in so many ways. I love the fat green luxurious leaves in salads, sprinkled with rock salt in sandwiches, in sauce and perhaps most of all in soup.
