Ideas for vegetables

Press, 6 October 1980, Page 12

Ideas for vegetables

COOKING with

Celia Timms

We probably eat more vegetables as accompaniments to meat than any other community. Admittedly, salad is now being served more generally but there are still many folk who like a seection of hot "veg” with their meat. It can sometimes be a problem for the cook to think up some different ways "of cooking vegetables so these recipes should help.

RATATOUILLE The acclaimed Ratatouille from Provence in France deserves all the praise it has received over the years; it is a delicious ragout of vege-i tables and has an added advantage in that it can be served hot as an accompaniment or chilled as an hors d’oeuvre or starter to a! meal. To serve four you need: 1 eggplant 1 large or 2 small courgettes 1 large green pepper 1 large onion 2 tomatoes | cup olive oil; 1 clove garlic 1 tablesppon chopped parsley; salt and pepper METHODChop eggplant and courgettes and sprinkle with salt. Lave to drain for 30 minutes. Remove seeds from pepper and slice. Slice onion;' peel and remove seeds from tomatoes and chop coarsely. Heat olive oil in pan and add the drained and dried eggplant and courgettes. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 30 minutes then add tomatoes, crushed garlic and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in chopped parsley and serve — or leave to become cold. FRIED ARTICHOKES Jerusalem Artichokes are not popular vegetables. But they make a magnificent cream soup, and those who like their unusual flavour are enthusiasts. Served in this way they are very good and different. For four servings you need 4 - Jerusalem artichokes (according to size) legg white breadcrumbs oil or butter for frying 2 cups milk 25 g butter 25g flour 50g grated chese

Salt and pepper to taste METHOD Pel and slice artichokes and boil in salted water for 15 minutes or until tender; drain and cool. Dip each slice in beaten egg and then toss in breadcrumbs and fry in the hot oil until crisp and golden. Serve with the cheese sauce made as follows melt butter in pan and stir in flour;

cook for a minute or two then gradually stir in milk. Stir vigorously preferably with wire whisk until thickened and completely free' from lumps. Add cheese and; continue stirring over heatj until cheese is blended into! sauce. Taste for seasoning of j salt and pepper. j CAULIFLOWER HOLLAN-! DAISE This is a very easy method of serving cauliflower with a greatly modified Hollandaise sauce. It could raise eyebrows with gourmets, bitt it is so easy and quite successful. To make six servings you need 1 medium cauliflower J cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon cream or evaporated milk Paprika; chopped parsely METHOD Remove leaves from cauliflower and the thick part of stem and separate into flowerets. Cook in boiling salted water until tender but still crisp; drain. Combine mayonnaise with lemon juice in small • pan and heat, stirring. Add cream or evaporated milk and blend well.' Pour this sauce over the well drained cauliflower in serving dish; sprinkle lightly with paprika and parsely.

ORANGE KUMARA This recipe has been

adapted from an American one for sweet potatoes which are very similar to the kurnara. It is baked with orange,' brown sugar and butter and is topped with walnuts but these are optional. To serve four to six you need: 450 g kumaras

1 orange i cup brown sugar i teaspoon salt I j tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon cornflour 1 cup orange juice Method: Peel kumaras and boil in salted water until cooked. Slice about a quarter inch in thickness. Grate rind from orange and reserve then remove peel and slice orange into quarterinch pieces. Arrange kurnara and orange pieces in alternate layers, beginning and ending with kumaras, in well greased ovenproof dish. Melt butter in small pan and add cornflour, brown sugar, salt and the reserved orange peel. Gradually add orange juice while stirring continually over low heat until thickened and smooth. Pour over contents of dish and top with walnuts if liked. Bake at 350 deg for about 30 minutes. HERB CHEESE ONIONS Remembering the medicinal benefits said to be available from onions we should perhaps eat them more often and not just as a flavouring. This method of cooking them makes a very enjoyable vegetable dish or accompaniment. For four servings you need: 3 medium to large onions 25g butter or margarine 25g flour 1 cup evaporated milk | teaspoon marjoram | teaspoon oregano | teaspoon salt; pepper

1 cup grated cheese

paprika Method: Parboil onions in a small amount of boiling; water for 2-3 minutes; drain thoroughly and put into greased ovenproof dish. Melt margarine or butter in small pan'and blend in flour, cook for a minute or two then gradually stir in milk. Cook stirring, until thickened and smooth. If too thick add a little water. Add herbs, salt and pepper and cheese and continue stirring until cheese is melted. Pour over onions and bake at 325 deg for 50-60 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika before serving. BAKED ONION AND APPLE These two flavours blend very well and when combined with bacon, as in this recipe, makes a very nice accompaniment to any meat dish. To serve four you need: 4 medium onions 3 cooking apples 3 rashers bacon | cup fresh white breadcrumbs | cup stock or dissolved stock cube

Salt and pepper to taste Method: Peel onions and slice rather thickly into rounds; peel and core apples and slice in same way. Remove rind from bacon and cut small and saute in its own fat until crisp. Add breadcrumbs to pan and toss with fork to absorb fat. Grease an ovenproof dish and arrange layers of apple and onion, sprinkling with bacon. Pour over stock and season lightly, remembering if a stock cube is used this could be salty. Top with breadcrumbs, cover dish and bake at 350 deg for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake a further 15 minutes or until brown and crisp,