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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 18 FEBRUARY 2015 14 Food Meat-free meals for Ash Wednesday Deciding what to cook on any day of the week is hard enough. With the meat-free restrictions of Ash Wednesday, decisions could be even tougher. Try some of these deliciously tasty meat-free meals from Gourmet Today TV. Don't miss Gourmet Today TV, every Friday at 18:40 on TVM. Pippa Mattei Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main course Ingredients • 4 artichokes • 2 handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs, soaked in 2 tbsp vinegar and squeezed dry • 4 heads fresh garlic • 6 anchovy fillets (optional) • 8 black olives, stoned and chopped • Ground pepper • Olive oil • Handful of finely chopped parsley Method 1 To prepare artichokes wash well in water to which a squeeze of lemon juice has been added to avoid discolouration. 2 Cut off small outer leaves and stalks. 3 Turn artichokes upside down and gently beat with a tenderising mallet until the leaves open up slightly. 4 To prepare the filling place the breadcrumbs, duly squeezed to remove the vinegar, and add to it the finely chopped garlic, parsley, anchovy fillets and black olives. 5 Season, add olive oil and mix till moist and soft. 6 Put this filling into the centre of each artichoke and stuff among some of the leaves, until it is all used up. 7 Place the artichokes upright in a saucepan, add 8cm of water and drizzle of olive oil. 8 Place a tight-fitting lid on the saucepan and simmer gently till artichokes are tender (an outer leaf should pull out easily). 9 Serve with some good virgin olive oil and salt dipping the leaves in this and bite off the tender part of the leaf. 10 When you reach the heart discard the choke and mash the heart and eat 11 with more oil and maybe a juicy red Maltese tomato and some Maltese bread. This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on 23 January, 2015. Michael Diacono Ingredients • 600g Jerusalem artichokes • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped • Extra virgin olive oil • Salt and pepper • Chopped parsley • 1 red chili • 1 tbsp Parmesan • 1 mozzarela di bufala • 4 vol-au-vent Parsley pesto • Handful almonds • Handful parsley • Salt and pepper • Olive oil Method 1 Soak the artichokes overnight then wash well to remove any soil that might remain. You may scrub the peel off but it is not necessary for this recipe. 2 Cut the artichokes into small chunks and place into a deep pot. 3 Add the chopped garlic and season with salt and pepper. 4 Add the chopped parsley and the chilli pepper. Douse with extra virgin olive oil and add just enough water to nearly cover. 5 Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 25 mins till the artichokes are tender. 6 Add the Parmesan and stir gently, turning off the heat. 7 Drain the mozzarella and chop into cubes. 8 Add to the artichokes and mix in gently. Cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes. 9 To make the parsley pesto, roughly chop the almonds. 10 Add the parsley to the board and continue to chop. Season with salt and pepper. 11 While the pesto is still rough, add a good lug of olive oil, mix well and set aside. 12 Meanwhile prepare the vol-au-vents by cutting out the centre and pressing down any pastry that remains in the middle. Place onto a baking sheet and warm in a hot oven for 5 mins. 13 Fill the hot pastry cases with the artichoke and mozzarella mix and serve at once, with parsley pesto. This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on TVM on 5 December, 2014 Sean Gravina Ingredients • Extra Virgin oil • 2 garlic cloves, 1 minced 1 sliced • 1 white onion • 3 zucchini, cut length wise deseeded and diced • ½ cup chicken stock • ½ cup basil leaves • Salt and pepper • 450g Dececco Cavatappi • 1 yellow squash, seeds removed and diced • 1 shallot, diced • 225g bufala mozzarella, drained diced • ½ cup fresh bread crumbs (loaf of stale bread) • Parmesan, grated Method 1 Set the oven to 190°C. 2 Make the sauce by heating a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add some olive oil, heating it until the oil is almost smoking. 3 Add the minced garlic, the onion, two thirds of the zucchini and the stock. 4 Simmer until the vegetables are sof tened (approx. 12-15 min). Remove the pan from the heat and cool. 5 Stir the whole basil to the zucchini mix until wilted and blend to a fine puree. Pass through a fine sieve, season and set aside. 6 Boil the pasta in salted water. Take 1 minute off the packet instructions to al dente to ensure the pasta does not over cook when baking. 7 Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add some olive oil, heat and add the sliced garlic, remaining zucchini, yellow squash and shallots and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon as it cooks. 8 Cook until sof t but not browned, season with salt and pepper. 9 Add the sauce to the zucchini mixture and heat until warmed through. Stir in the cavatappi and the finely cut basil and toss to coat. 10 Pour the pasta into a baking dish. 11 Scatter the diced mozzarella over the pasta and sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top. 12 Cover with foil and bake for 20 mins, remove the foil and bake for about 10 mins. 13 Finish off by sprinkling some Parmesan. This recipe was first seen on Gourmet Today TV, aired on TVM on 5 December, 2014. oil and add just enough water to nearly 9 To make the parsley pesto, roughly chop down any pastry that remains in the sof tened (approx. 12-15 min). Remove 5 Stir the whole basil to the zucchini mix Stuffed artichokes Jerusalem artichoke and mozzarella vol-au-vents Mozzarella di bufala and zucchini pasta bake