Skip to main content

Vegetable recipes to overcome carb overload


We have been in Vermont for a few days now and last night we felt that we needed a little balance in our diet following the assault on our bodies from a few days of chicken wings, fries, burgers, fondues, Ben and Jerry's and birthday cake.

So last night we had barbecued misty knoll chicken and a few veggie recipes that I had been meaning to do for some time.


fennel and celery salad

Cut two medium fennel bulbs in quarters lengthwise, discarding the outer layer if it is exceedingly tough.

Use a mandolin to slice quarters thinly; slice three celery ribs equally thin.

Put sliced fennel and celery into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.

Season with salt and pepper and toss gently to combine. Top with lots of freshly shaved parmesan and chopped fennel fronds if you like.

Green bean salad with lemon garlic and chilli

Ingredients

250 gms green beans
250 gms sugar snap peas
4 spring onions/scallions
1/2 red chilli
2/3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp chopped capers
1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper

Method

Bring a pan of water to the boil.

Wash and trim the green beans. Blanch the green beans for a few minutes until just tender – careful not to overcook as they’ll lose their colour and go horribly floppy.

Immediately drain and place in a pan of iced water or alternatively run under a very cold tap for a minute or two.


Finely slice the garlic and chili (don’t bother to remove seeds). Set aside. Chop the scallions into
medium to thick pieces.

Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan/skillet and add the spring onions, chili and garlic and lightly
fry for about a minute to two minutes. Season, take off the heat and allow to cool.

Halve the green beans by slicing diagonally and transfer to a large bowl, season and grate over lemon zest.

Roughly chop the capers and finely chop the flat leaf parsley and add to bowl along with the spring onion mix ensuring to pour over any remaining oil.

Squeeze over lemon juice, season and lightly toss until all the greens are coated.
Refrigerate for later or eat immediately.

Asian style Broccoli salad

Ingredients

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 large bunch of broccoli
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 inch piece of ginger peeled and grated on a microplane

Method

Whisk the soy sauce, ginger, vinegar, oil and honey in a large bowl until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Steam the broccoli florets for five minutes or until tender. Set to one side to cool.
In a heavy pan, add the sesame seeds and stir over a medium heat until golden. Transfer the seeds to a clean dish to cool.

Stir in the broccoli and half the sesame seeds to the bowl containing the vinegar and oil mixture.

Leave to marinate at room temperature for a minimum of half an hour, stirring occasionally.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli to a serving dish and then pour over the dressing

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Crack potatoes courtesy of Ottolenghi. Harissa and confit garlic roast potatoes

Another recipe from Ottolenghi's Simple, another recommendation from Will Saunders.   I know its the middle of summer but who doesn't love a roastie? These little tinkers are so good that they are like crack, class A calories. The clever bit is the addition of semolina and caraway seeds which adds a new level of crunchiness to add to the delicious warm heat of Harissa. Heres the recipe These make a lovely, spicy change from the traditional Sunday roasties. They’re especially good with spiced roast meat. Serves six to eight. 2 large heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled 130g goose or duck fat 4 sprigs fresh rosemary  6 sprigs fresh thyme  2kg maris piper potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks 40g ground semolina 2 tsp caraway seeds, toasted and lightly crushed 2 tbsp rose harissa Flaky sea salt Heat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Put the garlic, fat and herbs in a small ovenproof pan or saucepan for which you have a lid. Cover and roast for 40 minut

Nigel Slaters deceptively brilliant monkfish

Lisa discovered this recipe in her favourite Nigel book. It is one of those fish, 'but not as we know it Jim' recipes. Not just because Monkfish is the fish that can best impersonate meat but also because of the marinade ingredients that are more often featured with lamb. It's not difficult to do but the flavour is a revelation, which makes it a perfect recipe in my book. This can be cooked on a grill pan or a barbecue. Ingredients 3 bushy sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped 4 anchovy fillets 2 large cloves garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large lemon, juice only 3 tbsp olive oil 800g/1½lb monkfish fillet Method Pull the leaves from the rosemary stalks and chop them finely, then tip them into a bowl large enough to take the fish. Rinse the anchovy fillets and smash them to a rough pulp with the flat edge of your chopping knife. Peel the garlic, crush it flat, then smash it to a purée in the same way. Stir together the herb, anchovy and garlic, adding a grind

Sea Bass on mushroom potatoes with salsa Verde

I felt the overwhelming need to cook something new on Saturday night. I didn't want the tired and tested I wanted to explore new culinary waters. However combined with this desire was an equal and opposing force, driven by being absolutely knackered, that meant it had to be simple too. I returned to one of Jamie's early books, to a recipe that IO had meant to do on countless occasions but never quite got round to. I have done several versions of Sea Bass on a bed of potatoes, some that I have written about on this blog. The one question I would have is about the thickness of the potatoes and the length of time they need to be cooked through ... in my oven I reckon they need about 10 minutes more than the recipe suggests. I would suggest a bit of a trial run if you are going to do it for a dinner party ... however once you have given it a whirl I think this makes for a very easy recipe for a crowd. Here's the recipe. Roasted slashed fillet of sea bass stuffed with herbs, bak