Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil

I love getting fresh, seasonal produce delivered to my door (even better if you can grow yourself, of course) and the surprise element of it. I try not to check what will be delivered in my veg box that week and enjoy getting a surprise. I can be quite traditional (and perhaps boring) going for the same/similar vegetables when I shop, so an unusual veg appearing in my box is inspiring and gets me out of my comfort zone.

I got organic red cabbage, lovely cooking apples and red onions last week- I don’t recall buying red cabbage before and it was nice to experiment with it. Thanks to the recipe provided by Abel&Cole; for inspiration, I came out with this recipe. Pomegranate molasses add a wonderful, sharp sweet and sour flavor to the cabbage, and a good balsamic vinegar does a wonderful job if you can’t get the pomegranate molasses. The marriage of caramelized red onions, Bramley apples and the red cabbage is just heavenly. Beautiful, vibrant colors and a sensational taste. We enjoyed it with grilled fish, grilled meat and as a side to pasta dishes. Easy, healthy and delicious, really worth trying. You can prepare ahead of time, and the leftovers can be frozen successfully, joy to the world:)

Serves 6-8
Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 1 1/2 hrs

1 medium red cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly shredded
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cooking apples (like Bramley apples), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons demerara sugar
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses thinned with 1/2 cup – 4 fl oz water
or
3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar with 3 tablespoons water
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F/ 180°C

Mix all the ingredients in a large baking tray (make sure they are not higher than a finger deep) Loosely cover with foil.

Bake for about 70-90 mins. Check at about 60 minutes, stir and taste. Cover and cook for a further 20-30 minutes, until the cabbage is tender, juicy and sweet. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Once cool, the cabbage can be kept in fridge and reheated. It can also be frozen. This wonderful dish goes very nicely with grilled fish, sausages, roasts, fried eggs or with any sautéed vegetables.

Afiyet Olsun!

Here are two delicious, healthy and easy to prepare vegetable courses, that can save the mid week dinners. They would also be a great side dish for grilled meat, fish or pasta.

Cauliflower can be a little bland on its own, and cooking them with mushrooms in this recipe works really well; I love the crunchiness of the cauliflower along with the juicy, meaty texture of mushrooms. And once they’re dressed with olive oil&lemon; juice, they are simply irresistible. Few sprinkles of red pepper flakes (or paprika) spice it up really nicely too.

Serves 2-4
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes

1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
225gr/8oz chestnut mushrooms (or any kind of your choice)
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
A handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
30-45ml/2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of I lemon
5-10ml/ 1-2 teaspoons ref pepper flakes (or paprika/chili flakes)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and cut into quarters. Steam or microwave the cauliflower florets for 3 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and stir in the garlic and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper (salt really helps the mushrooms to release the moisture). Stir and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until the mushrooms soften up. Add the steamed/microwaved cauliflower florets and lemon juice, mix well. Let them cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, if you are using (mushroom and parsley do really well), and give a good stir. Sprinkle the red pepper (or paprika or chilli flakes) over, mix well. Check the Seasoning and add more salt or ground pepper if needed.

Serve warm as a side dish to pasta, grilled meat or fish.

Afiyet Olsun!

I got some wonderful beetroots in my vegetable box last week. I haven’t cooked with them myself before though I love their taste. They are delicious when boiled, roasted or even raw, when grated or sliced thinly.

Beetroots can be boiled or steamed for 20-60 minutes, depending on its size. Once cooked, their skin will just slip off (or you can peel the skin like I did before boiling).
One tip though, beetroot bleeds and will stain your hands. You can avoid this by wearing gloves or remove the stains with lemon.

The sweetness of the beetroot complements the tanginess of balsamic vinegar so well. Very refreshing, easy and a healthy vegetable course, highly recommended!

Serves 2-4
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes (for this recipe)

225gr/8oz beetroot
60gr/2oz rocket (or salad leaves) washed and pat dried
30ml/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
30ml/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Wash the beetroots and cut off the tops. Peel the skin (or you can peel it once cooked) and cut into chunks. Boil them in plenty of water for about 35 minutes (depending on its size, it could be a little longer). It is cooked when you pierce it easily with a skewer.

To make the dressing, combine the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and ground black pepper and mix well.

Mix the rocket (or salad leaves of your choice) with the cooked beetroot in a serving dish. Pour the dressing over the top and mix well.

Afiyet Olsun!