SOME TIME AGO, three years to be precise, I was working my way through something I called ‘my veggie alphabet’ (posting it on Facebook, a medium I’ve all but abandoned). Got to the letter ‘G’, but no further. The idea was partly inspired by a comment made by Alex Honnold, a climber and vegetarian, in one of his videos, how he taught himself to make good food by working his way through the vegetables methodically, exploring their possibilities one by one.
I’m not a strict vegetarian. I’ll happily eat meat dishes if offered, such as when with friends or family. I eat animal products – eggs, cheese, milk – but nothing that’s been killed, because I couldn’t/wouldn’t kill an animal myself. It also means buying ethically, such as eggs from well managed free range farms, not ones where the chickens are crammed close together in compounds and suffer almost as badly as caged birds.
Anyway, my Veggie Alphabet so far:
A
- AUBERGENE – Dipped in lemon juice and olive oil, sprinkled with caramelised onion bits, then roasted with some slices of beef tomato and sweet potato fries. [Also used this as the only ‘E’ vegetable I could think of: ‘egg plant’.]
- AVOCADO – mashed with lemon juice and a bit of all-purpose seasoning, on a pitta.
B
- BANANAS – Not just on their own. Can make a banana sandwich (or even a toasted banana sandwich one with a bit of cheese according to something read, although I haven’t tried it yet myself).
- BEANS, AS IN ‘STRING BEANS‘ – Did these with new potatoes and some bought soya mince, but wasn’t keen on the latter. Better simply with a boiled egg or some plump tomatoes,
- BEETROOT – Like these lightly pickled, but I haven’t identified any recipe as such. Did try using it as an ingredient in coleslaw, but it didn’t taste good and made it go a strange colour.
- BLACKBERY PIE – Self explanatory. I like to add bit of wild damson juice to sharpen the flavour.
- BROCCOLI – A simple meal is some simmered broccoli, a boiled egg and some new potatoes.
C
- CABBAGE – see COLESLAW.
- CARROT AND COREANDER SOUP – Carrots, potato, onion (fried in oil for few minutes to soften onion) all chopped fine. Couple of heaped teaspoons of coriander. Simmered until all soft then whizzed in the blender with ¾ litre veg stock and a a little cream – just a little, too much masks the flavour of the vegetables.
- CARROTS AND MASH – Slices of carrot simmered al dente with a bit of honey to sweeten them, served with some cheesy mashed potato and a bit of salad.
- CAULEFLOWER CHEESE – Cauliflower cheese (with a bit of broccoli thrown in), made using a plain white sauce with some melted cheddar mixed in.
- CHEESE ON TOAST – OK, cheese is not a vegetable, but the toast bit is.
- COLESLAW – Finely chopped cabbage (and any other suitable leftover veg), mayo and a sprinkle of universal vegetable seasoning.
- CUCUMBER SANDWICHES – Fancied up in any appropriate way, such as with some slices of capsicum pepper or slivers of cheese.
D
- DHAL – Not a vegetable. but an Indian sub-continent dish. Lentils, curry powder, onion, garlic, and rice on the side. Numerous recipes online. I add some diced red pepper mixed in to add some texture
E
- EGG PLANT (AUBERGENE) – The only ‘E’ is could think of. Lightly fried with a splash of honey, lemon juice and universal seasoning, served with some broccoli and mashed potato. Worked okay, but not a huge fan of this strange vegetable
F
- FAVA BEANS (AKA BROAD BEANS) AND FUSILLI – with fusilli pasta, chopped tomatoes, fine-chopped onion, garlic powder and lemon juice. Broad beans have a slight odd metallic taste, but I think the flavourings overcome this
G
- GHERKINS – Used as an ingredient in a gyros salad (with some substitute for the traditional meat layer).
H
- ???
No obvious ‘H’ vegetable springs to mind. There are haricot beans, horseradish and habanero peppers which could be utilised, but the ‘H’ I’m going to attempt is some home made HUMMUS … to be posted.
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