Veggie feasts and root vegetables

I don't know about you, but at this time of the year, after the Christmas excesses, I frequently feel a veggie feast coming on. Here are some ideas for making the most of the wonderful winter vegetables on offer now - baby turnips, celeriac, even kohlrabi, that most spurned of vegetables.

GRATIN OF ROOT VEGETABLES

A good rooty dish for winter, good for entertaining as you can get all the vegetables ready ahead and put them in a gratin dish with stock and cream ready to be baked. Use a mixture of whatever root vegetables you have to hand: potatoes, celeriac, kohlrabi, baby turnips, sweet potatoes etc. Serve with simply roast or grilled meats.

Serves 6
250ml stock
250ml whipping cream
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
a sprig of thyme
5 medium potatoes
2 kohlrabi
1 bunch baby turnips (5-6 turnips), peeled and sliced
3 sweet potatoes (about 400g)
salt and pepper

 

• Put the stock, cream, garlic and thyme in a pan and bring to a boil
• Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes; discard garlic and thyme
• Peel all the vegetables and cut in fairly thick slices (2-3 mm)
• Butter an oval gratin dish about 35 x 23 x 5 cm deep
• Put all the vegetables in the ovenproof dish, seasoning as you go
• Pour on the creamy stock – it should come up to just below the level of the vegetables
• Heat the oven to 200 C and bake the gratin for about 1 hour or until golden brown on top and the vegetables tender
• [Alternatively, bake the gratin first at 200oC for 35 minutes, then reduce the heat to 80oC and bake for a further 1½-2 hours.]


BAECKEOFFE OF WINTER VEGETABLES

A robust, do-ahead dish of winter veg. Once assembled, it’s best to go ahead and bake it, otherwise the potatoes will discolour (it can be reheated). It goes well with all manner of meats; if you add a few ceps to the vegetables at the frying stage, it makes a magnificent meatless main dish.

Serves 6-8
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, mashed
50g butter
2 leeks, trimmed and sliced
2 carrots, scrubbed and sliced
2 heads of chicory, sliced
6 large potatoes, peeled and sliced
150ml chicken stock (or ½ a stock + 150ml water)

 

• Soften onions and garlic in HALF the butter
• Add sliced leeks, carrots and chicory, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until slightly soft
• Butter a deep ovenproof dish (choose one with lid), lay half the potatoes in the bottom and season them with salt and pepper
• Put the cooked vegetables on top and finish with a layer of potatoes, salt and pepper 
• Dot with the rest of the butter and pour over the stock
• Cover with the lid
• Heat the oven to 200oC and bake for 1 hour


TAJINE OF PUMPKIN AND COURGETTES/ZUCCHINI

A gorgeous, golden, spicy pumpkin dish for winter. Great with beef, lamb or duck; or as a main course vegetable dish served over couscous or rice.

Serves 6-8
2 tbsp olive oil
1.2 kg pumpkin flesh (no seeds, no skin), cut in chunks
2 red onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 fresh red or green chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
2 courgettes (500g) cut in chunks
1 measure powdered saffron
1 chicken/vegetable stock cube or 1 tsp powdered chicken/vegetable stock
a walnut-sized piece fresh ginger, grated (or 1 tsp powdered ginger)
1 tsp ground cumin
a sprig of thyme + 1 bay leaf
a handful of black olives
optional: 1 salt-preserved lemon (citron confit), sliced
optional: harissa to taste
loads of fresh coriander, chopped

 

• Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the pumpkin chunks for about 10 minutes, stirring, until lightly golden
• Lift them out with a slotted spoon and put them on a dish
• Soften the onion, garlic and chilli in the same pan without allowing them to brown
• Tip the pumpkin chunks back into the pan
• Put the saffron powder and stock in a measuring cup and add boiling water 
• Stir to dissolve, then add it to the pan with the grated ginger, cumin, thyme and bay leaf
• Cover the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the pumpkin is just tender - stick a knife into it to test
• Add the courgette chunks and cook for 5 minutes more. The mixture should be quite dry – if there is still lots of liquid, raise the heat to boil it off
• Finally, stir in the olives, chopped lemon (if using) and harissa to taste
• Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary (usually the olives and the preserved lemon does the business)
• Tip the pumpkin out onto a serving dish, add coriander and serve.


CARROTS WITH HONEY, LEMON AND GINGER

Quick and easy this one, and full of goodness, colour and flavour. I've no idea why, but the carrots taste 100% better/different if you cut them in little batons (like French fries/chips) rather than boring old school-dinnerish rounds. 

Serves 6
600g carrots, cut in sticks the size of French fries
salt and pepper
a walnut-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
25g butter
1 tsp honey
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup water
chopped parsley

 

• Put the carrots in a wide saucepan with all the remaining ingredients
• Bring to a boil and cook hard for 5-6 minutes or until the carrots are just cooked
• Lift them out with a slotted spoon and keep them warm
• Boil the juices down hard till glazed and pour them back over the carrots
• Sprinkle with parsley


TOURTE AUX LEGUMES

A classy little covered pie of mixed vegetables, bound together with cream and egg. The recipe uses winter vegetables, but you can vary it by using whatever is in season. It makes a brilliant main-course vegetable dish.

Serves 4-6
300g carrots
200g turnips
300g leeks
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
juice of ½ a lemon
plenty of chopped parsley
400g shortcrust pastry
2 eggs
200ml crème fraîche
a pinch of garam masala
300g puff pastry, rolled out to a 28cm circle
1 egg yolk
optional: sesame seeds

• Peel and trim the carrots and cut in finger-length strips
• Clean the leeks and cut in similar lengths
• Put the carrots and turnips in a wide, shallow pan, add salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice and about 1 cupful of water
• Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add the leeks and cook for a further 5 minutes
• The vegetables should remain a bit crunchy and the water should have boiled away
• Draw the vegetables aside, add parsley and allow them to cool.
• Butter a 26cm quiche tin and heat the oven to 200o C
• Roll out the shortcrust to a circle about 30 cm in diameter
• Lay it in the quiche tin, leaving an overhanging edge of about 2 cm all around. Trim to give this size if necessary. 
• Tip the prepared vegetables into the tin
• Mix together the eggs, cream, with salt and pepper and garam masala to taste - the mixture can afford to be quite highly seasoned, otherwise your tourte will end up bland
• Pour this mixture over the vegetables
• Roll out the puff pastry
• Wet the exposed border of shortcrust pastry and lay the puff pastry over the whole thing
• Press the two pastry edges together to seal, then crimp and roll them into a decorative border all around the circumference of the pie
• Make decorative markings with the tip of a sharp knife and glaze the top with beaten egg yolk
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if used.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the egg and cream mixture is set - stick a fork or skewer into the centre to test – it should emerge clean