Thirteen Things to Do With Vegetables

Here's another Thursday Thirteen for you.

I like cooking with vegetables. We are not a 'meat and 2 veg' family because Jamie is a vegetarian, and I've always been keen on a wholefood diet. So, instead of the veg being an afterthought, an accompaniment to a meat dish, they are often the stars of the show at our table. I like thinking of new ways to prepare and present vegetables. Jack *claims* not to like them, but for a vegie-hater, he certainly eats a LOT of veg.{g} Grace and Jamie love their vegies anyway.

White cabbage
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Chop roughly and stir fry in a tablespoon of olive oil with a tablespoon of cumin seeds or caraway seeds. At the end, add a little freshly ground back pepper.

Butternut squash
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Chop into one inch chunks, roast in a hot oven with olive oil, brown sugar or maple syrup. Half way through cooking add some chopped walnuts. Cover with foil if looking too brown around edges.

Brussels Sprouts
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Quarter and stir fry in sesame oil with fresh, grated, root ginger. Add some tamari when ready to serve.

Carrots
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Cut into two inch pieces, quartered lengthways. Steam in a steaming basket sprinkled with a heaped teaspoon each of ground cumin, thyme and cinnamon. When tender, remove to a casserole dish, cover with plain yoghurt, lots of chopped parsley and a knob of butter. Mix, gently. Heat through until hot, but don't let the yoghurt heat too much or it will separate.

Celeriac
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Peel and chop into one inch pieces. Drop into cold water with lemon juice as you cut, they will discolour quite quickly otherwise. Bake, covered with foil, with a little white wine, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Add grated gruyere cheese and blast in the oven until it is melting and golden.

Parsnips
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Quarter lengthways and roast with olive oil and a little butter add parmesan towards the end of cooking.

New Potatoes
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Prepare and boil until done. Then add some wholegrain mustard and red wine vinegar, sliced red onions or shallots, salt and walnut oil. Serve warm.

Red cabbage
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Shred, braise in a saucepan for about an hour with red wine, brown sugar, a cinnamon stick and a few cloves.

Courgette/Zucchini
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Grate with carrot, add orange juice, chopped walnuts, raisins and raspberry vinegar.

Broccoli
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Add a home-made cheese sauce to steamed broccoli and bake until golden.

Peppers/Capsicums
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Slice in half, down through the stem, remove ribs and seeds. Lay down in a greased casserole dish. Fill with half a tomato, sliced garlic, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. Drizzle with olive oil and shake parmesan cheese over. Cover tightly and bake slowly in the oven.

Sweet corn
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After boiling, use a hand blender or something to 'cream' the corn. Add a little salt and pepper, some crushed dried chillies and yoghurt or sour cream (or fromage frais). Re-heat gently.

Large Tomatoes
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Remove 'lids', use a teaspoon to scoop out insides. Chop shallots or mild onions with mushrooms, fry in a little olive oil. Blend into a fine, but still quite chunky, consistency. Add grated cheddar, celery seeds and a little tamari. Mix and use this mixture to stuff the tomatoes. Cover and bake until the tomatoes are soft but not collapsing.