Recipes from Comfort and Joy: Irresistible pleasures from a vegetarian kitchen, by Ravinder Bhogal.

Raw, modern and sensual, Comfort and Joy applies Ravinder's creative ingenuity to approachable veg-centric recipes for home cooks. The vegetarian option will never again be relegated to second choice.

Cold, salty feta topped with tomatoes warmed in olive oil that has been studded with aromatics until they are bursting, gooey and have a heightened sweetness are the perfect topping for hunks of grilled bread. These tomatoes are also pretty perfect tossed together with pasta or gnocchi which I just throw straight into the roasting tin before tossing and eating.

Ingredients

For the whipped feta:

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Cut some of the larger tomatoes in half and leave some whole and place in a roasting tin along with the garlic and lemon peel. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the caster sugar, coriander seeds, chilli flakes and oregano and then drizzle over the olive oil. Bake for 40 minutes until the tomatoes are bursting and fragrant. Cool down slightly, then discard the garlic and lemon peel.

3. In the meantime, put the feta cheese into a food processor along with the lemon juice and whizz until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the yoghurt.

4. Put the whipped feta in a serving bowl and top with the warm tomatoes. Serve with slices of toasted sourdough bread.

This pie is based on that comforting Greek favourite - spanakopita - although it is far more forgiving to make. There is no buttering and layering of delicate filo pastry: instead, the iron-rich mixture of greens and cheese is blanketed under a nest of buttered kataifi pastry, a shredded filo dough that crisps up beautifully when baked or fried. You'll find kataifi pastry in the fridge or freezer section of Middle Eastern grocers.

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over low-medium heat, add the onion and saute for 10 minutes till sweet and caramelised. Add the garlic and fry again till fragrant, then add the kale and soften before adding the spinach. Once the greens are wilted, take off the heat and cool.

3. Transfer to a large bowl along with the broccoli and add the eggs, pine nuts, currants, feta, ricotta, lemon zest and juice, herbs, nutmeg and sour cream and season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

4. Pull apart the strands of kataifi pastry to loosen and fluff them up. Stir the butter through the kataifi, coating it well.

5. Pour the spinach and ricotta filling into a deep pie dish - I use a 34cm baking dish. Gently pile the kataifi over the pie filling, sprinkle over the sesame seeds and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling is hot and set and the kataifi pastry is golden brown. Serve with a light salad.

Once you master a basic risotto it is open to many interpretations and this one is perhaps my favourite. It brings an element of surprise and delight to a dish that is often the "safe" vegetarian option. The star of the show here is the punchy Thai-inspired hot and sour broth - it absorbs and adds flavour to each swell of rice while the lime leaf butter brings a wonderfully acidic richness that still makes it feel light.

Ingredients

For the risotto:

For the stock:

For the lime leaf butter:

To garnish:

Method

1. Cut the kernels off the cobs and set aside. Chop the cobs into thirds for the stock. I like to make the stock in advance (at least four hours, or overnight) to allow the flavours to infuse. To make it, put the stock ingredients and cobs in a deep pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes then set aside and leave to infuse.

2. To make the lime leaf butter, fry the lime leaves in a little oil for 20 seconds till crisp. Drain on kitchen paper then blend to a powder in a food processor and mix with the softened butter and lime juice and zest. Refrigerate until needed.

3. Strain the stock into a saucepan and discard the solids. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down to low and start making the risotto.

4. In a food processor, blitz a quarter of the corn kernels with one tablespoon of the stock until smooth and creamy, then set aside. Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan or casserole dish over low heat, add the shallots and cook for six to eight minutes until soft but not browned. Add the garlic and chillies and fry till fragrant, then turn up the heat, add the rice and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the wine and let it evaporate. Now turn the heat down to medium-low and start adding stock a ladleful at a time, allowing it to absorb as you stir. When half the stock has been added, stir in the whole kernels, then continue adding stock until the rice is cooked but still has a little bite to it, and the corn is tender. This should take about 25 minutes. Stir in the pureed corn and cook for two minutes then take off the heat and beat in the lime leaf butter. Serve topped with kale crisps, crispy shallots and more sliced chilli if desired.

This dessert takes the main elements of a classic tiramisu - mascarpone, boozy zabaione and sponge fingers - but swaps out the coffee for sweet mangoes instead. It is rich, creamy, lethally delicious yet still light as a feather. It is all the sweet rapture of summer in a bowl.

Ingredients

For the Thai basil sugar:

For the mango syrup:

For the zabaione:

Method

1. Make the Thai basil sugar by blitzing together all the ingredients in a food processor until you have a vibrantly green coarse sugar. Set aside until required.

2. To make the mango syrup, mix together the mango juice, rum and lime juice and heat gently in a small saucepan over low heat until it comes to a simmer then set aside.

3. To make the zabaione, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, rum and one tablespoon of water in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until pale and thick (making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl), then set aside to cool. Whisk the mascarpone, creme fraiche and lime zest together to combine, then fold through the zabaione. Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl till soft peaks form, then fold them through the mascarpone mixture.

4. To assemble, briefly dip half the savoiardi in the syrup and arrange in a 25cm serving dish. Spoon over half the mascarpone mixture over and then layer over half the sliced mangoes and half the passion fruit pulp. Follow with the remaining savoiardi dipped in syrup, the mangoes and passion fruit pulp and finally dollop over the remaining mascarpone mixture and smooth the surface. Refrigerate for four to six hours.

5. When ready to serve, sprinkle the Thai basil sugar over the surface.