Trio of vegetable dips
Serve these with crisp toast to make a nice nutty contrast.
Roasted parsnip and garlic
SERVES 6-8
90ml double cream
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp white pepper
500g parsnips, peeled and sliced
1 garlic bulb, cut in half
25g chilled butter, cubed
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas 4. Lightly butter a small baking dish. Put the cream in a small bowl and stir in the salt and pepper. Put the parsnips in the baking dish with the garlic. Pour the cream over the top, cover with foil and cook in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove the garlic and let cool.
When cool enough to handle, squeeze the soft baked garlic directly into the bowl of a food processor or blender and discard the skin. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Transfer to a serving dish and cover until ready to serve.
Beetroot and caraway
SERVES 6-8
3 medium beetroots, uncooked
1 tbs prepared horseradish sauce
90g sour cream
1 tsp caraway seeds
sea salt and white pepper
Put the beetroots in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and boil for about 45-50 minutes, topping up the water from time to time as necessary. They are ready when a skewer goes through them with little resistance. Drain and let cool. When cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skins. Roughly chop and put in a food processor or blender with the other ingredients and process until smooth. Transfer to a serving dish and cover until ready to serve.
Spiced carrot
SERVES 6-8
250ml vegetable stock
4 medium carrots, chopped
2 tbs light olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large red chilli, chopped
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
sea salt and white pepper
Put the stock in a saucepan and add the carrots, oil, onion and garlic. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the carrots are soft. Add the chilli, fenugreek and cumin and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and whizz until blended but still with a rough texture. Season to taste, transfer to a serving dish and cover until ready to serve.
Antipasto sharing plate
SERVES 6-8
Marinated mushrooms
500ml dry white wine
250ml white vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 tbs white sugar
500g button mushrooms
2 tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest from an unwaxed lemon
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 handful of fresh flatleaf parsley leaves, chopped
sea salt
Put the wine and the vinegar in a large saucepan and set over high heat and add the bay leaves, sugar and one teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil, add the mushrooms and let them poach in the hot liquid for 4-5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Put the mushrooms in a bowl.
Combine the oil, garlic, lemon zest and juice, chilli flakes and parsley in a bowl and pour over the the mushrooms while they are still warm. Cover and let sit for at least three hours to allow the flavours to develop, stirring often. Season to taste with salt before serving.
Wilted spinach with fried garlic
SERVES 6-8
1kg fresh baby spinach leaves
65ml light olive oil
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water the boil and add the spinach. Cook for one minute, until the leaves wilt and turn emerald green. Drain and rinse with cold running water. Drain well and use your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as possible then transfer to a bowl. Heat the oil in a frying pan set over medium/high heat. When the oil starts to smoke, remove the pan from the heat and add the garlic, stirring constantly, until it turns golden. Pour the oil and fried garlic over the spinach and toss to coat evenly in the oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Let sit for about 20 minutes to allow the flavours to develop before serving.
Smoky aubergine dip
1 large aubergine
125ml Greek yoghurt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp ground white pepper
smoked Spanish paprika (pimenton), for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 220ºC/gas 7. Prick the aubergine all over with the prongs of a fork. Sit it on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, turning once or twice, until the skin is puffed up all over. Let the aubergine sit until it has collapsed and softened.
When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin (leaving a few small charred bits to add a smoky flavour). Put the flesh in a food processor and add the yoghurt cumin, lemon juice, salt and pepper and process until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with paprika to serve.
Baked courgette flowers
MAKES 12
100g ricotta cheese
50g soft feta cheese
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
12 small courgette flowers
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4 and lightly oil an ovenproof baking dish. Put the cheeses in a bowl and add the thyme. Season well. Carefully separate the petals of the courgette flowers and pick out the stamens. Put about one teaspoon of the cheese mixture into each flower and bring the petals together, gently twisting them to seal the cheese inside. Put the flowers in the baking dish so they fit snugly, and drizzle over the oil and lemon juice. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes until the stems have softened and the cheese is starting to ooze out. Serve immediately.
Barbecued mixed vegetable platter
SERVES 4
1 aubergine, cut into ½ cm slices
4 field mushrooms
1 bunch of thin asparagus spears
1 celery stick, cut into 3cm lengths
1 red pepper, cut into 2cm lengths
vegetable oil for brushing
steamed rice to serve (optional)
For the soy balsamic marinade:
125ml light soy sauce
65ml balsamic vinegar
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs white sugar
Put all of the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Arrange the vegetables in a large, non-metallic flat dish and pour over the marinade. Use your hands to toss the vegetables around in the marinade until evenly coated. Cover with clingfilm and let sit for one hour, turning often, to allow the flavours to develop.
Preheat the hotplate or grill to high and brush lightly with vegetable oil. Use tongs to transfer the vegetables to a plate and reserve the marinade. Cook the aubergine and mushrooms first, for 2-3 minutes on each side, until dark brown, basting once or twice with a little of the reserved marinade. Transfer to a warmed serving plate.
Put the asparagus, celery and red pepper on the barbecue and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, basting with a little of the marinade as necessary. Transfer the vegetables to the serving plate with the aubergine and mushrooms. Serve with steamed rice, if liked. Any remaining marinade can be used as a sauce.
Orange vegetable and spring onion pilau
SERVES 4
2 tbs light olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbs finely grated fresh ginger
1 large red chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp each of ground coriander and cumin
1 tsp turmeric
50g flaked almonds
300g basmati rice
1 carrot, cut into large chunks
200g pumpkin or squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into wedges
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into thick half-circles
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime
handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped
Put the oil in a heavy-based saucepan set over high heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the spices and almonds and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the spices become aromatic and look very dark in the pan.
Add the rice and cook for a minute, stirring well to coat the rice in the spices. Add the carrot, pumpkin and sweet potato to the pan. Pour in 600ml water and stir well, loosening any grains of rice
that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the lime juice and coriander, stir well to combine everything, and serve.
Pizzas for sharing
EACH PIZZA SERVES 4
15g fresh yeast, crumbled
450g strong white bread flour
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbs fine polenta
For the cherry tomato topping:
2 courgettes, thinly sliced
3 tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
200g cherry tomatoes
1 large ball of fresh buffalo
mozzarella, roughly torn
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the potato and rosemary topping:
3 small, waxy, new potatoes, very thinly sliced, ideally using a mandoline
2 tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbs fresh rosemary needles
sea salt
Put the yeast in a small bowl with 100ml warm water. Stir to break up the yeast, then cover and let sit for 10 minutes, until the mixture looks frothy.
Put the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add another 100ml warm water and the yeast mixture and process for a few seconds to combine. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for 10 minutes.
Oil the inside of a large bowl and sit the dough in it. Cover with a tea towel and let sit in a warm place until it has doubled in size. This will take about 1-1½ hours. Remove the dough from the bowl and punch it down. Divide in half. The dough can be wrapped in cling film and chilled for 3-4 hours before cooking, or frozen to use another time.
Sprinkle the polenta on a work surface. Take each portion of dough and roll out to either a circle about 25cm in diameter or a rectangle about 30 x 15cm, as preferred. Make sure that the dough is less than 0.5cm thick. Preheat the oven to 230ºC/Gas 8.
To make the tomato pizza, put the courgettes in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the oil and the garlic. Season well with salt and pepper. Toss the courgettes around until evenly coated in the garlicky oil. Arrange the courgettes on the pizza base along with the cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle the mozzarella pieces evenly over the top and drizzle with the remaining oil.
To make the potato pizza, put the potato slices in a bowl with the oil and garlic and season well with salt. Arrange them on the pizza base, scatter with the rosemary needles and drizzle the garlicky oil from the bowl over the top.
Put 2 baking trays in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until they are very hot. Carefully transfer the pizzas to the trays and cook them in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until the dough around the edges turns golden. Use a spatula to lift them up to check that the bases are cooked golden. Serve immediately.
Winter vegetable gratin
SERVES 6
200g celeriac, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
1 carrot, peeled and cut into rounds
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into semi-circles
1 small swede, peeled and cut into chunks
2 potatoes, cut into 3cm pieces
250ml single cream
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp mustard powder
50g rye or brown breadcrumbs
2 tbs finely grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp fresh marjoram leaves
25g butter, melted
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas 4 and lightly butter a medium ovenproof dish.
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil and add the celeriac, carrot, parsnip, swede and potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes, drain well and transfer the vegetables to a large bowl.
Put the cream, garlic and mustard powder in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Season to taste and pour over the vegetables. Toss to combine and spoon the mixture into the buttered baking dish.
Put the breadcrumbs, parmesan and marjoram in a bowl and mix together. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the vegetables and drizzle the melted butter over the top. Cook in the oven for about 40 minutes, until golden.
Roasted vegetables with chickpeas
SERVES 4
12 small mushrooms
2 ripe tomatoes, halved
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 yellow pepper, cut into strips
1 red onion, cut into wedges
1 small fennel bulb, sliced into thin wedges
1 garlic bulb, broken into individual cloves but not peeled
2 tsp sea salt
2 tbs olive oil
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas 4. Put the mushrooms, tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, onion, fennel and garlic in a large roasting tray. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the vegetables and drizzle with the oil. Roast in the oven for 1 hour.
Remove the tray from the oven and turn the vegetables. Add the chickpeas and thyme sprigs. Return the tray to the oven and roast for a further 30 minutes, until the edges of the vegetables are just starting to blacken and char.
