Chef, author and meat-lover Jamie Oliver did not want to compromise on flavor when he sought to write his first-ever vegetable-focused book.
And he doesn't. Not only does "Ultimate Veg" (Flatiron Books; January 2020) illustrate that an all-vegetable dish is flavorsome, creative and exciting but also that no one should ever feel the need to apologize for making one.
The book mixes and matches vegetables in big helpings whether it is in a tagine with preserved lemons and apricots or a summer pie flavored with saffron and harissa and blanketed with phyllo pastry or a sarnie, aka sandwich, dressed with mint paste studded with black olives.
Refreshingly the recipes do not call for the vegetables to be drowned in cream, smothered in cheese or cooked to death, nor does Oliver combine them with meat substitutes to justify their worthiness.
Chapters such as Curries & Stews, Traybakes, Burgers & Fritters, One-Pan Wonders and Brunch feature classic recipes with a twist, new-age ones with familiar ingredients and those that belong in the now-why-didn't-I-think-of-that category and are of dinner, brunch and potluck material.
In his Scruffy Eggplant Lasagne, Oliver dispenses with neatly layering lasagna noodles in a pan. Instead, he calls for tearing up fresh pasta sheets and combines them with eggplant in tomato sauce, pulling some of the lasagna to the top to create a top layer. The lasagna is finished with blanched almond crumbles and fresh sage leaves and baked until golden and bubbling.
He makes the case that cucumbers can become a popular mainstay just like shrimp, chicken and cauliflower when they get a Bang Bang treatment. In his Brilliant Bang Bang Cucumber, English cuke slices are drizzled with soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil. Finally, they get a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds, red chili flakes and crushed Szechuan peppers.
His frittata is made of fresh green peas, asparagus and tomatoes, except that they are no ordinary tomatoes. They are dehydrated. Ripe tomatoes are chopped and roasted in a 275-degree oven for an hour and a half. Nuggets of ricotta cheese are spooned on top along with grated Parmesan cheese.
On the heels of the book, Oliver is launching a new PBS series, "Jamie's Ultimate Veg," which will air on WESA in May, where he will cook vibrant and hearty vegetable dishes that were inspired by his travels across the United Kingdom and world, and share simple tips and techniques.
He says that vegetable-based foods are tasty and comforting when they are given the respect and thought they deserve.
"We might think that basing our meals around more vegetables and less meat is forward thinking, and is trendy or progressive, but I can assure you, if anything, it's looking back towards our grandparents and great-grandparents, who _ by default _ cooked this way," he writes in the book, which took him eight years to complete.
If you are a vegetarian, buy the book to expand and elevate your repertoire, and if you eschew vegetables, buy the book to see what you are missing out on. "Ultimate Veg" is a vegetarian path well worth taking.
Here are seven useful takeaways from "Ultimate Veg":
Think global: Tahini, harissa, curry powder and miso all come in handy to give a global touch. Morph the Indian street snack, bhel puri, into a salad with the addition of radishes, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and pomegranate. Or make Yemini-accented pancakes with bread flour and yeast, and serve them with a smoky tahini-flavored eggplant.
Add elements of surprise: Toss together unexpected ingredients with the usual ones for delicious results. Add an apple along with carrots, radish and vermicelli rice noodles to make Crunchy Summer Rolls. Whip HP sauce (England's favorite brown sauce) and butter together and spread it on thin slices of bread for Ploughman's Nachos, and top with cheddar cheese and pickled onions.
Embrace improvisations: You don't need taco shells to make crispy tacos. Simply tear a fresh tortilla and place the quarters between the domes of an upside-down muffin pan to hold their shape and bake for 10 minutes. Dry fry mushrooms for a minute instead of in oil to bring out their nutty flavor.
Don't hold back on the spice: To make a Comforting Congee Bowl with soft-boiled eggs and mushrooms sing, add star anise and sliced fresh red chili. For an Angry Pasta Fagioli, throw in whole red chilies when cooking the butternut squash and carrot for a warming heat. Or kick up parsnip soup a notch by flavoring it with garam masala and fresh ginger.
Remember booze can make things better: Pour in white wine when making a mushroom risotto or dry white vermouth for a tomato risotto to elevate the flavor. Deglaze caramelized bits of vegetable with a Chianti red wine for a hasselback with root vegetables, lentils and spinach. Porter beer makes for a richer tasting Burns Night Stew with dumplings. And a gumbo with red wine belongs in a league of its own.
Season to taste: Oliver never lists or includes a measurement for salt and pepper as part of the recipes' ingredients. But he mentions them in the directions at the step or steps they need to be added. And it is always to taste.
Make an eye-catcher: Think of all-natural colorful makeovers to please the eye and palate. Add spinach to a flour-milk batter to make verdant spinach pancakes topped with an avocado-tomato salad and served with cottage cheese. Doll up an umami-packed black bean burger with a dollop of plain yogurt and tomato-onion relish and slices of mango and avocado.
