cooking with vegetables By Ruth Arendse

In the 1950s Elizabeth David championed vegetables in their own right: ‘ I wonder if eventually we shall come round to the habit of regarding vegetable dishes as an important part of the meal rather than simply an adjunct to the roast’, she commented. Today, cooking vegetables as a meal is part of our eating habit and our culture. We have come to draw on ideas from around the world. We are also more concerned about the traceability of our food and the history of the produce that we have in our local shops and markets. I have chosen three of my favourite vegetables and included a recipe with each one.

Tomato

When tomatoes were first brought to Europe by the Spanish in the 16th century they were viewed with suspicion The plant is similar in appearance to deadly nightshade (attropus belladonna) Most of the plants of this family known then in Europe were poisonous. The acidity of the fruit was considered unappealing. It could only be cultivated in a warm climate. Only in the 19th century was the full potential of the tomato fully realised. The Mexicans were using tomatoes long before the Europeans for soups, sauces and juices. The fruit, rich in vitamins, was used for their medicinal properties.

With the canning of food in the 1920s, Joseph Campbell found a willing market for canned tomatoes. It is hard to imagine Mediterranean food without tomatoes. The first recorded Italian recipe with tomatoes was in 1765 by Vincenzo Corrado in his book Cuoco Galante (Gallant Cook).

Salsa Fresca (fresh salsa): 2 small tomatoes blanched and chopped, 1 small onion finely chopped,  1 jalopeno chilli seeded and finely chopped, 2 tsp vinegar, 1 tsp limejuice, 1 tsp dried leaf oregano, 1 tsp salt Place tomatoes, onions and chilli in medium sized bowl. Add olive oil, vinegar, limejuice, oregano and salt. Mix well. Let the salsa stand for 2 hours for the flavours to blend. Serve at room temperature.

Chilli Pepper and Capsicum

It is difficult to appreciate the impact the chilli pepper has had on world cuisine. Five hundred years ago only the privileged could afford them. The person who was put in charge of spices was considered a trustworthy individual imbued with status. It was a time when naval expeditions and voyages of discovery went in search of  ‘pepper or spices’. The chilli was a very important ingredient in the Aztec diet. One chilli  provides a day’s required vitamin C. It speeds up the metabolism. Other ingenious uses for the chilli by the Aztecs were to cure toothache and earache and even assist in childbirth. At a crucial stage of delivery a skilful midwife would expose the mother to the chilli powder to encourage sneezing. 

There are 2000 varieties of chilli, 60 of which are cultivated and not all of which are hot. The Bell pepper, called chilli pimento in Spanish, and the sweet peppers used to make paprika contain no capsaic in the chemical responsible for the ‘burn’. Mexico is the largest producer and consumer.

Marinaded Peppers and Olive Salad: (Green peppers are not mellow enough for this recipe. Use a mixture of red, yellow, orange peppers. Olive oil is essential.) 3 large peppers, juice of a lemon, salt, pepper, 3 cloves garlic, small bunch parsley, 18 black olives, 150ml (1/4 pint) olive oil, 3 hard boiled eggs, sliced (optional).

Grill and skin the peppers. Cut them into strips, discarding seeds and stalk. Lay the peppers in a shallow dish. Pour over the lemon juice and add seasoning. Chop the garlic and parsley leaves together and scatter evenly over the peppers. Halve and stone the olives if necessary and arrange them on top. Pour over the olive oil. Cover the dish with cling film and leave in the cool until the next day. Arrange halved slices of egg round the dish just before serving.

Aubergine

Aubergine is so much a part of Mediterranean cuisine it is hard to believe it was also once viewed with much suspicion. People worried that this exotic fruit from tropical Asia could be toxic or even cause madness. However, ‘Many people now believe that aubergines help prevent cancer and that they also inhibit the growth of fatty deposits in the arteries’ says Madhur Jaffrey. It also has the quality to enhance dishes because it absorbs flavours so well.

Aubergines come in many shapes: squat and pumpkin shaped, long and oval, or tiny green ones the size of peas. The colours go from white and whitish green through dark green to yellow, purple-red, purple and black. Aubergines absorb oil like a sponge but the amount of oil they soak up can be reduced by cutting the aubergines into segments, sprinkling them with salt and leaving them for 30-40 minutes to draw out the natural liquid.

Grilled Aubergine. Slice a long oval aubergine into 1/2 cm thick slices. Brush over with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper and place onto baking sheet under a grill until it is golden brown and cooked on both sides. Sprinkle with salt when cooked. Place the aubergine on a serving plate with the salsa. The combination of tastes is refreshing with bite. 

Aubergine Salad (an alternative recipe with aubergine that works well as part of a mixed hors d’ oeuvre): 2 large aubergines 1/2 kg in weight, 1 clove garlic, 3 tblsp olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, chopped parsley.

Bake the aubergines at (200 C/ 400 F/gas mark 6 ) until soft. This gives a more even result than grilling them. Split them into two and scrape out the pulp from the skin into a basin. Add the crushed garlic. Mix well, adding oil drop by drop until you have a thick smooth paste. Let the taste and consistency be your guide. Season with lemon juice, salt, pepper. Stir in a tablespoon of chopped parsley. Served chilled with warm bread.

Ruth is Head Chef at West End restaurant Shampers and lives in Stoke Newington.