22 November 2010

EASY CHRISTMAS VEGETABLE MELANGE

Peas, feta cheese, mint and olive oil

You could use fresh peas for this, if you have the opportunity to get really tender young peas. Otherwise be like me and be unashamed to use frozen baby peas. The feta and olive oil take the humble pea into the realm of gourmet vegetables.

• 1kg frozen peas
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 100g creamy feta cheese, roughly crumbled (I recommend Zany Zeus brand)
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fill a saucepan 2/3 full with water, add salt and bring to a simmer. Add the frozen peas and when the water returns to the boil, simmer for 4-5 minutes. Drain well. While hot, tip the peas into a serving bowl, toss the olive oil through, and add the crumbled feta with the mint leaves. Toss very lightly, grind plenty of black pepper over at serve hot or room temperature. Serves 8.

Roasted potato, carrot and roasted peppers with rosemary

This mixture of potato, carrot and peppers roasts together in the oven with rosemary. It’s deliciously simple and can be done ahead and either served at room temperature or reheated quickly.

• 1kg baby new potatoes, scrubbed
• 300g baby carrots, scrubbed
• 2 red peppers, de-seeded and cut into strips
• 3 big sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Prepare the vegetables and pile them into a large roasting pan. Toss well with the olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Place in the heated oven and roast for one hour or until the vegetables are starting to colour. Remove and keep warm until needed. Serves 8.

Courgette strips with parsley, olives, black pepper and olive oil dressing

Some of my family are fussy about eating courgettes, but prepared this way, the vegetables are still quite crisp, and gain plenty of flavour from the garnish.

• 6 fresh firm courgettes, cut into 5-6 strips lengthwise
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup fresh Italian parsley
• 3 tablespoons pitted black olives, lightly chopped
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Blanch the courgette strips in boiling salted water for one minute. Refresh under running cold water. Toss the courgettes dry. Heat the olive oil in a wide pan and toss the courgette strips well in the oil. Add the olives, parsley and black pepper and toss briefly over the heat together before turning into a serving bowl. Serves 8. Recipes by Lauraine Jacobs