Eight more recipes for you this week, giving you plenty of choice over what you try, and plenty more to explore in the coming months. This week is all about celebrating seasonal vegetables, and focusing on the role of mushrooms in adding flavour and depth to your dishes.
But before we dive into those, do note our nod to Burns Night on Sunday with Meera Sodha’s Haggis Kheema below! By the way you’ll see a lot of links in today’s blog – we have no affiliations to any of the stores or brands listed – other sources are available. The links are just to help make things easier for you, especially those local to Hitchin.
Why seasonal vegetables? Contrary to what you might think, winter is a fantastic time for vegetables with loads of variety on offer from the UK or nearby. As well as the standard carrots, leeks, parsnips and cabbage, there’s beetroot, squash, sweet potato, cauliflower, red cabbage, spring greens, brussel tops, purple sprouting broccoli, cavolo nero, curly kale, kalettes, fennel, celery, chard, celeriac and more.
Where to buy: There really is no need to buy any veg from Peru, Thailand or Kenya – instead, save the carbon (air-freighted food has a really high carbon impact) and support local suppliers instead. In Hitchin we are lucky enough to have several veg stalls on the market, and no less than three greengrocers – Hitchin Bazaar on Bancroft, Farm Fresh on Hermitage Road and Webbs in the Churchyard. And Webbs actively source their veg from local farms, selling at below supermarket prices, so well worth a visit. If you’re interested in why it’s so crucial to support local suppliers over supermarkets, Riverford Farm have a really good campaign about this right now. And the mention of Riverford is a reminder that subscribing to a veg box is another good way of saving money and carbon (other sources are available – Abel and Cole for example).
Health benefits: there’s so much to say about seasonal veg but we don’t have space here so if you want to know more about the nutritional value and health benefits of vegetables, there’s loads of information on the Heart Research Institute UK website.
So, on to mushrooms. Again loads of great info on the web especially on the British Heart Foundation website but to summarise: they’re low in calories and saturated fat making them a healthy addition to your diet, and while they don’t contain as much protein as meat, they have more than most vegetables. Their diverse textures and rich savoury flavour, makes mushrooms a great low-fat alternative to meat. They also provide a dietary source of vitamin D, which is rare in plant foods and they contain polyphenols (antioxidants and other plant chemicals) that are linked to better gut and heart health. Not to be overlooked!
Where to buy: wild mushrooms such as shiitake and porcini (often sold with other varieties in a wild mushroom medley) can be bought fresh from Farm Fresh, Sainsburys and Waitrose, and dried from Webbs and Gusto in Hitchin, or Fairhaven Wholefoods in Letchworth. The dried ones keep for ages.
Unusual ingredients to invest in this week: dried wild mushrooms, lemongrass, paneer – try Apetina for an authentic fresh taste, available in Sainsburys.
Vegan Haggis Kheema by Meera Sodha. Vegetarian haggis (suitable for vegans) is such a useful shortcut for flavourful nutrition. Here Meera Sodha fuses her birthday expectations of a good Burns Night feast, with her love of Indian kheema and rotis. Serve with rotis. Vegan. 20 mins prep, 1hr 10 mins cook
Thai Mushroom and Peanut Noodles from Riverford Farm Kitchen sent in by Polly Wyer. This veg-packed Thai-style noodle bowl is just what you want on a cold, winter’s evening. The peanut butter thickens the sauce and adds substance and richness, while the lemongrass infuses a distinctive fragrant flavour. Vegan and gluten-free. 10 mins prep, 30 mins cook.
Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Traybake from the Green Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer, sent in by Steph White. As Rukmini says ‘Cauliflower was made to be roasted, and the spices in this dish work perfectly with the tahini dressing’. An easy, flavourful dinner. Gluten-free and vegan. 10 min prep, 30 min cook.
Hearty Autumnal Vegan Stew from Meera Sodha. Sweetly spiced, generously flavoured and containing some of Meera’s favourite ingredients – artichokes, fennel, potato and Kalamata olives – this might just be the perfect stew for a winter’s evening. Serve with crusty bread. Vegan. 15 mins prep, 50 mins cook.
Vegetarian Kedgeree sent in by Dave Stokes. A vegetarian take on the classic Eastern influenced fish and rice dish, with plenty of vegetables and nuts to give a wonderful contrast of tastes and textures. Vegetarian and gluten-free. 15 mins prep, 35 mins cook.
Wild Mushroom Pilau from Meera Sodha. If you love mushrooms, this is for you! Whether you make it with fresh mushrooms or dried ones, the combination of textures and delicately spiced flavours is extremely satisfying. Vegetarian and gluten-free. 15 mins prep, 60 mins cook approx.
Creole Spiced Leek and Mushroom Tart by Rukmini Iyer from the Green Roasting Tin, sent in by Steph White. Cayenne pepper, paprika and lemon in a cream cheese tart base works perfectly with leeks and mushrooms for a delicious dinner. Vegetarian. 10 mins prep, 30 mins cook.
Elaine’s Saag Paneer This is a Man Made Meals revipe from one of our volunteers cooks Elaine Petch. A really simple curry made from spinach and paneer (Indian soft cheese). Use frozen spinach in winter and serve with rice or naan and a tasty chutney. Vegetarian and gluten free. 10 mins prep, 20 mins cook.
See you next week – enjoy! And please do comment on social media with your favourite plant-rich recipes and let us know you’re getting on with ours.