Chilli outlook

Chef's CV: Lesley Waters is a popular regular on BBC1's Ready, Steady, Cook. She is also a frequent presenter of the BBC2's Food And Drink. Lesley was senior chef at Leith's Restaurant then head teacher at Leith's School of Food and Wine. She has worked on television since 1989.

Presentation: I would have liked a colour picture with every recipe, but the ones featured look mouth-wateringly sumptuous. Lesley Waters aims to share her "passion for the modern approach to vegetarian food," and she succeeds brilliantly. She gives readers a useful guide to her favourite spices, once again with a welcome economy of words. She is living proof to something I have always believed: "If you can read, you can cook!"

Ingredients: The recipe for my chosen dish, like all the 130-plus in the book, was very easy to follow and written in a no-nonsense, chatty style.

Some of the ingredients for certain other recipes call for dedication in tracking down - tahini paste, for Lemon And Paprika Houmous With Baked Pimentos, for example. But the end result is well worth the effort. Accept no substitutes unless Lesley gives you permission.

Ready, steady cook: I chose to make Black And Red Stew With Avocado And Soured Cream. From chopping to chomping took only 33 minutes and every step of preparation and cooking is so simply set out with the minimum of words.

Taste test: Delicious, agreed my three guests, as my chest puffed with pride. At first I thought the portions a bit Oliverish for four people - 'Please sir, may I have some more?' But with chunky pieces of warm French bread, the crunchy black-eyed beans plus the slices of avocado and soured cream it turned out to be very filling and very tasty - not mouth-searingly hot but subtly spicy. Whatever you do don't miss out the fresh coriander. It takes the dish into the realms of delight. Even better, it looked exactly like the picture in the book.

Verdict: This is the first vegetarian meal I have ever cooked and I loved it. It was uncomplicated to prepare and surprising toothsome to a die-hard meat muncher. I'll be back for more, sir!

Recipe

Black and Red Stew with Avocado and Soured Cream

Avocado and soured cream is the perfect dressing for this spicy black-eye bean stew. Serves four.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 large red pepper, halved, de-seeded and cut into strips

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 fresh red chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 x 400g (14oz) can of chopped tomatoes in rich tomato juice

200ml (7fl oz) tomato passata

a pinch of caster sugar

approx 300ml (10fl oz) water

salt and black pepper

1 x 400g (14 oz) can of black-eye beans, drained and rinsed

1 bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

4 tablespoons natural yoghurt or soured cream

1 large ripe avocado, stoned, peeled and sliced

1. In a large pan heat the sunflower oil. Add the onion and fry for five minutes until softened. Add the pepper, garlic, chillies and ground coriander, and fry for a further three minutes.

2. Stir in the canned tomatoes, tomato passata, sugar and water. Season and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, adding extra water if it becomes too thick. Stir in the black-eye beans and simmer for a further ten minutes.

3. To serve, stir in half the coriander and ladle the stew into large warmed soup bowls. Swirl each helping with a little yoghurt or soured cream, and top with the avocado and remaining coriander. Serve with crusty bread.

National Vegetarian Week starts on Monday