The Times inLondon described Henry Firth and Ian Theasby as “the vegan Jamie Olivers”. I’mnot sure how they’d feel about that, but it does give you some idea of what amedia sensation they’ve become. The British duo are behind BOSH!, a plant-basedplatform that has taken the vegan community by storm. Famous for theirtantalising and easy-to-follow recipe videos, they have racked up an incrediblefollowing on social media.
Their first video in June 2016 explodedwith 3.5 million views within a week. Their first cookbook, BOSH!, was thehighest-selling vegan cookbook ever. With over two million followers across alltheir fast-growing channels, it seems they’ve struck a chord with people everywherewho are trying to eat more plant-based foods.
Their second cookbook, Bish Bash Bosh!,continues their mission to show the world how versatile cooking with veg canbe. Firth and Theasby both come from digital marketing backgrounds. Afterbecoming vegan, they found two problems – there wasn’t enough good foodavailable and they had to re-learn how to cook.
They shared the results of their search onplant-based lifestyle platforms with a resource that offered simple butdelicious vegan recipes. Neither is professionally trained, but they havealways been foodies and they prefer to think of themselves as food “remixers”.That is, they take classic dishes that they enjoyed when they ate meat anddairy, and they create delicious vegan alternatives.
It’s all super-achievable, relatable food,not too fancy, and all ingredients are available in your local supermarket. Includedin Bish Bash Bosh! are quick eats, weeknight suppers, showstoppingfeasts for Christmas and other special occasions, and delicious sweet treats.
From the hearty, classic lasagne featuredhere, to an indulgent mini banoffee meringue, and from quick quesadillas to “fauxgras” which looks just like the real thing, they are simple, savvy recipes thatwill appeal to everyone from committed vegans to those who just want to try ameal a week without meat.
The lasagne here, made with a simplemushroom ragu and rich, creamy béchamel, could be assembled ahead of time.Alternatively, you could make the ragu and béchamel on the weekend and refrigerateit, so on a weeknight you just have to build and bake the final dish.
Buy your copy of Bish Bash Bosh! from Book Depository now, with free delivery worldwide
Bish Bash Bosh Recipe for vegan ClassicLasagne
Serves 6 to 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
Peel and quarter the onions and blitz themin the food processor until finely chopped. Add the sun-dried tomato oil to thelarge pan on the heat and sauté the onions, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel the carrots and pulse themin the food processor with the celery until minced. Remove the leaves from therosemary and thyme and finely chop. Peel and grate the garlic and add it to thepan. Stir for 1 minute. Add the carrot, celery, rosemary and thyme, reduce theheat slightly and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, thinly slice the sun-driedtomatoes. Pulse the mushrooms in the food processor until finely minced. Add tothe pan along with the sun-dried tomatoes. Stir, increase the heat slightly andsauté, stirring, for 8 to 10 minutes. Pour in the wine, increase the heat andstir constantly for 5 to 6 minutes, until nearly all the liquid has evaporated.Add the tomato purée, miso paste, balsamic vinegar, oregano and soy sauce andstir for 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and water. Lower the heat to mediumand 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 andstir for 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Add thenutritional yeast and stir until smooth. Bring to the boil then lower the heatand simmer until the béchamel thickens to the consistency of custard. Taste andseason. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Now, layer up your lasagne. Spread aquarter of the ragu into a 25cm by 30cm lasagne dish. Spoon over a quarter ofthe béchamel. Cover with lasagne sheets, breaking them if necessary to make acomplete layer with no gaps. Repeat three times, reserving some béchamel tocover the top completely. Garnish with a few rosemary leaves. Cover with foiland put on the lowest shelf of the oven. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foiland bake for a further 15 minutes. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before servingwith the salad leaves. The leftovers will taste amazing the next day – simplybring back to piping hot in the oven or microwave.
Images and recipes from Bish Bash Bosh! by Henry Firth & Ian Theasby, published by HQ Non Fiction and reproduced with the publisher’s permission.
This story originally appeared in PSNews online.
