Categories
STARTERS/SIDES

Mixed vegetables with coriander and beetroot gel

Add more or different vegetables and serve as a sidedish with Leg of lamb, deboned, rolled and stuffed with rosemary and garlic.

For the beetroot gel, start the day before.

The beetroot gel:
4 large beetroot, grated, to yield 150 ml/5 fl oz beetroot juice
2 tablespoons castor sugar
2 tablespoons ruby port
½ star anise
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
a pinch mustard seeds
2 leaves gelatine, soaked

  • Make the beetroot jelly in advance. Place all the ingredients in a pan except the gelatine and bring to the boil.
  • Pass through a fine sieve then add the gelatine and stir until dissolved.
  • Pour into a container lined with cling film bout 2 cm deep and leave to set in the refrigerator.

The vegetables:
12 baby carrots, trimmed, leave some of the stalks on
4 baby fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
12 small asparagus, trimmed
½ cauliflower, cut into florets
micro salad leaves

The coriander vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup coriander, picked and finely chopped

 

  • Blanch the carrots and fennel until just tender for 3-5 minutes, then refresh in ice water and drain.
  • Blanch the asparagus and cauliflower 1-2 minutes, refresh in ice water and drain.
  • For the coriander vinaigrette, whisk together the vinegar sugar and salt until the sugar is dissolved, then add the oil and whisk until the mixture amalgamates.
  • Stir in the coriander and set aside to intensify the flavor of the coriander.
  • To serve, toss the vegetables in the coriander vinaigrette just before serving.
  • Serve immediately.

 

By STELLA

I have had no formal chef’s training. Classical piano was my parents’ choice, and that took care of the first 20 years of my life. Journalism and radio followed (my own choices, this time), and these opened many doors for me into different countries, people, cultures — and, of course, foods. In a six week series on radio I used it as a platform for my love of food and shared lots of interesting recipes and food news with listeners.
My earliest memories of food come from the family kitchen at home; I can still remember the wonderful smells of the dishes my mother prepared. I became aware of the flavors of her creations at an early age. Some I enjoyed and preferred, while others depressed me with their lack of interesting flavors. My mother was a good cook, but not a gourmet, and sadly this often showed. What I did appreciate was that she always involved me in the preparation, sharing her knowledge of nutrition, flavor, color, and the harmonies of each plate she dished up. She was also a genius with leftovers and quick meals when unexpected guests arrived. This is one of the things that stands out in my mind, and it inspired me to create wonderful dishes from leftover foods myself.

I carried on with the tradition of carefully planning meals to combine nutrition, color and flavor, while at the same time offering variety and elegant presentation. In the process, I developed a passion for seeking out the best available products, adhering to each season’s offerings, and treating it with the respect it deserves, which eventually became part of my daily culinary life and travels. I did these things not because I wanted to become a chef, but to satisfy myself, family and friends with creations of gorgeous food and exciting flavors. All of which, I hope, is reflected in this blog.

One reply on “Mixed vegetables with coriander and beetroot gel”

Leave a comment