“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.”

– Maya Angelou

It really doesn’t seem like forty years since Carole King’s Tapestry album was released, but amazingly, it has been, and it’s still one of the greatest pop albums ever produced. And what better theme than a “tapestry” to inaugurate a new series of vegetarian dinners – we’ve been getting more and more requests, so have decided to add one dinner a month, the fourth Sunday, as a specifically vegetarian dinner. We’ll see how it goes – this last weekend filled up quickly – unusual for in contrast to our past vegetarian eves. But then, we’ve recently been getting some nice press for our occasional vegetarian dinners, so maybe that will make the difference for having something “regular”.

To launch the evening, a chilled gazpacho. Reasonably classic, with a puree of tomatoes, garlic and chilies, and a dice of cucumbers, peppers and onion, various herbs and spices. To give it a little twist, and a hit of something to wake up the tastebuds, scattered cubes of watermelon rind pickles.

If you’ve never had grilled lettuce before, particularly romaine lettuce, you’ve been missing out on a treat. Here, a warm salad of grilled romaine lettuce leaves (lightly tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper, topped with cherry tomatoes sauteed with salt, pepper, sugar, and a little vegetarian worcestershire sauce (we make our own). Some toasted hazelnuts and fried bocconcini that are coated in shichimi powder and panko crumbs.

I’ve made my version of Simon Rimmer’s (The Accidental Vegetarian) asparagus and shallot rendang for a couple of different meals at different times in our past. Here, I turned it Mediterranean fusion – taking the seasonings that go into making the rendang and using them as a base for a risotto. The stock was a lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf broth. Blanched asparagus, both white and green, caramelized shallots, and a finishing touch of coconut milk and cilantro brought it all together.

One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes is one that I learned from an ex-, fish slow cooked in a black pepper soy tomato caramel. Here, the same with extra firm tofu, and the whole thing served over bok choy sauteed in sesame and peanut oils. It was the first tofu dish a couple of people had ever tried – they licked their plates clean, so I guess it worked.

A true weaving together of different cultures in this one – I’m not even sure what to call it… Avocado Mousse Pie? The base, a coconut crust, topped with a layer of cocoa avocado mousse, and then a piping of crema de abacate – avocado, lime and coconut cream. Some toasted coconut to finish, and voila!