In the right hands, vegetables can play a starring role, says Hugo Arnold
Denis Cotter cooks with vegetables, exclusively. He likes to make this statement about his food rather than resort to the vegetarian label. He likes to celebrate vegetables; their diversity, strengths, differences and characteristics. His cooking with vegetables at Café Paradiso, in Cork, is exquisite. Dish composition was a subject discussed at a workshop held by Les Routiers in Cork recently, at which Cotter conducted the vegetable session. Eager participants wanted to know how he approached the task of creating an entire menu without meat or fish, particularly when steering away from rice and pasta.
Let's face it, most of us think of risotto or pasta as a way of "dealing" with vegetarians. Tomato sauce, check; aubergine and tomato sauce, check; more vegetables and tomato sauce liberally spread with grated cheese, check. I am sure many of you are far more adventurous than this, but my mail box is stuffed with letters from readers asking why, when they go out, the vegetarian choice is so lamentable, and looking for suggestions to cook at home.
Most chefs loathe vegetarians for being difficult. But, as Cotter points out, what is really lacking is an understanding of the qualities vegetables can offer. It rather depends on where you buy them. "My menus are driven by the seasons and what my growers bring me. I think of a vegetable," Cotter says, "and try to work to bring out the best it has to offer in terms of taste, texture and colour." He cites the strong taste of broccoli as an example, pointing out that its very vegetal flavour needs something rich as a counterpoint.
Then he needs another element or two to work with it, something to build the dish up, and add colour. Complexity - brought about by playing with the five tastes we recognise: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (or meaty) - comes from cooking techniques, herbs, spices and other ingredients, as it does in any non-vegetarian dish. Vegetable cookery requires great skill and an ability to work with subtly and nuance. Grilling a steak of piece of fish, or boiling pasta for that matter, is a doddle by comparison.
All recipes serve 4
BROCCOLI WITH ROASTED PEPPERS, GREEN OLIVES AND BLUE CHEESE CROUTES
700g broccoli
4 red peppers
half a baguette
olive oil
pinch dried chilli flakes
4 tbsp Cashel Blue cheese or similar
1 garlic clove, peeled and mashed
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
100g green olives
1 lemon, quartered
Cut the broccoli into manageable pieces and steam or cook in boiling salted water until it is just tender, which should take five minutes. Cut the peppers into quarters lengthways, deseed, remove the core and grill them, skin side up, until the skin blisters up and darkens (don't worry if it goes black). Remove them to a bowl, cover with cling film and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the skins. Cut the baguette into slices, brush with a little olive oil and grill until just golden. You can do this in advance as long as the bread is allowed to cool so it doesn't steam. Soak the chilli flakes in a tablespoon of boiling water. Mash the cheese with the chilli, garlic and parsley and spread on the croutes.
When you are ready to serve, arrange the broccoli in the middle of each plate. Scatter the red peppers over it. Top with the cheese croutes and green olives. Add the juice from the grilled peppers to four tablespoons of olive oil and drizzle this over the top. Check seasoning and serve with a lemon quarter.
SPICED CHICKPEAS AND YOGHURT
200g chickpeas
bunch coriander, picked
bunch parsley, picked
2 onions, peeled and grated
6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 tsp cumin seeds
vegetable oil
generous pinch saffron
1 tsp hot paprika
pinch dried chilli flakes
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
200g spinach, picked, destemmed and rinsed
Soak the chickpeas overnight. Drain, rinse in lots of fresh water and simmer until just tender (depending on the age of your chickpeas, about an hour to one-and-a-half hours). Roughly chop the stems of the coriander and combine with the parsley leaves, onions, garlic and ginger in a pestle and mortar and grind to a pulp.
In a dry frying pan lightly toast the cumin seeds and set aside. Heat four tablespoons of vegetable oil and gently fry the green paste along with the cumin seeds and dry spices for three minutes. Add the chickpeas and coat in the mixture. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the spinach and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the spinach has just wilted. Check seasoning and serve with a dollop of yoghurt and a generous scattering of coriander leaves.
CANNELLINI BEANS, BRAISED ARTICHOKES, BLACK OLIVE DRESSING AND ROCKET
8 small globe artichokes
4 lemons
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick celery, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
2 bay leaves
olive oil
1 glass white wine
1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
handful parsley, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and mashed
2 400g tins of cannelllini beans, rinsed
100g black olives, stoned
4 handfuls rocket
Cut the stem of the artichokes about three centimetres from the base, pull off the tough outer leaves (about three layers) and then cut almost but not quite half the head away. A bread knife is best for this. Squeeze lots of lemon juice from two of the lemons over the artichokes. Do this over a bowl of cold water so any excess falls into the water. Place the artichokes and squeezed lemons in the water as you work.
Combine the carrot, celery, shallot, bay leaves, 150ml olive oil, one lemon roughly chopped and the white wine in a saucepan just big enough to take the artichokes. Add the artichokes, strained, cut-side down. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with an oversized sheet of greaseproof paper and then a plate, which is there to keep everything in place. Cover this with a lid, bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes depending on how large the artichokes are. Remove and allow to cool.
Soften the shallot in two tablespoons of olive oil for two minutes without allowing it to colour. Add the parsley, garlic and cannellini beans. Season with salt and pepper and stir gently without breaking up the beans, then remove from the heat. Roughly chop the black olives and combine with four tablespoons of olive oil.
Serve the artichokes with the beans and rocket, a drizzle of the black olive dressing and a lemon quarter on each plate.