After reading a few books that pretty graphically depict the treatment of animals raised for our steaks and pork chops (Michael Pollan's
In Defence of Food and
The Omnivores Dilemma, and Jonathan Saffron Foer's
Eating Animals), coupled with incidents such as the Indonesian live animal export saga and the
closure of a NSW abattoir over mistreatment of animals, I decided it probably wouldn't kill me to put my love of all things meat aside for a month and have a crack at vegetarianism. Bring on an event of my own making, 'Vegetarian June'.
So for the last 20 days I've been living the life of a vegetarian. Not a vegan - I wasn't quite ready to give up on cheese - and for the purposes of full disclosure, parmesan cheese (which technically should be out anyway because it often contains animal-based rennet) has been on my menu, mainly due to a previously arranged booking at the glorious
Italian & Sons, which I wasn't about to let go to waste. But other than that I've been pretty good, down to the nitty gritty of avoiding meat-based stocks and fish sauce.
Well, from the perspective of a committed omnivore, it turns out Vegetarian June really hasn't been that bad. In fact, compared with Feb Fast (the month without alcohol I did earlier this year) it's been a breeze. It's forced me into trying things on restaurant menus I wouldn't have otherwise, often to be pleasantly surprised (
Silo's green bean, tomato and pecorino rolls spring to mind), and through forcing me to make vegetables and non-meat proteins (tofu, lentils, beans etc) the focus of my meals, I've developed a new-found respect for them and become far more adept at cooking with them.
The other reason it's been so easy, and even delightful, is a man named Yotam Ottolenghi, a UK-based chef who also writes a very popular column for
The Guardian.
Ottolenghi is not a vegetarian himself, and when he was approached to write a vegetarian cookbook he was hesitant, which is probably why his cookbook
Plenty is the best vegetarian cookbook I've come across - by far. He created vegetarian recipes from the point of view of an omnivore, so they're completely satisfying and bring out the 'meatiness' of the veges features in each recipe.
Here are the first two recipes I tried from it (edited slightly where I thought, from my experience as an amateur cook, a bit of clarity might help):
Surprise Tartin
Serves 4 as a light meal (though managed it between 2 with no difficulty!)
200g cherry tomatoes
2 tbs olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
500g baby (chat) potatoes (skin on)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
40g white sugar
10g butter
3 oregano sprigs, leaves picked and torn
150g hard goat's cheese
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
Pre-heat oven to 130 degrees Celsius. Halve tomatoes and place, skin-side down, on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with some olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven to dry for 45 mins.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200 Celsius. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add potatoes and cook for 25-30 mins. Drain and cool. Trim a bit at the top and bottom of each potato, then cut into 1.5-2cm discs.
Heat 2 tbs oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add onions and a pinch of salt, then cook, stirring regularly, for 10 mins (I needed to keep mine in for around 5 mins longer) or until soft and golden brown.
Brush a 22cm cake pan with oil, then line base with baking paper. Place sugar and butter in a small pan over high heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until you get a semi-dark caramel. Working quickly, pour the caramel into the cake pan and tilt to spread evenly over the base. Scatter oregano over the caramel.
Lay potato slices closely together, cut side down, over the base of the pan. Gently press onions and tomatoes into the gaps, then season with salt and pepper. Spread cheese slices evenly over potatoes. Roll the pastry thinly, then cut out a disc 3cm larger in diameter than the cake pan. Lay the disc over the tart filling and gently tuck the edges down and around the potatoes inside the pan. (At this stage you can chill the tart for up to 24 hours).
Bake the tart for 25 mins, then reduce temperature to 180 Celsius and continue baking for 15 mins (cover with foil if over-browning - I needed to) or until pastry is cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside for 2 mins only. Hold an inverted plate firmly on top of the pan, then carefully but quickly turn them over together. Lift off the pan and baking paper. Serve tart hot or warm.
Beetroot, yoghurt and preserved lemon relish
When I read the combination of ingredients all together, it sounded a bit random, but I was very, very pleasantly surprised - one for serious beetroot lovers.
Serves 4 as a side
900g beetroots (I found one bunch weighed around 650g, so I used just one bunch and substituted 300g green beans, topped and tailed, then steamed for 8 minutes, for the remainder. The beans were in season and it seemed like a good way to add a few greens)
1 small bunch dill, chopped
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
160g Greek yoghurt
Relish
2 yellow capsicums (I could only get red - they worked fine)
60ml (
¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
1
½ tsp coriander seeds
400g can chopped tomatoes (with juices)
2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
1 tsp sugar
3 tbs chopped preserved lemon skin (from around 3 wedges)
2 tbs each chopped parsley and coriander leaves
Preheat oven to 200 Celsius. Separate the beetroot bulbs from the stems and leaves. Wrap bulbs in foil, place on a baking tray and cook for 1 hr or until soft in the centre when pierced with a skewer or knife. (Note - the original recipe says to boil the bulbs in a saucepan for 1-2 hrs, but I prefer baking them as it keeps in the all the nutrients). Cool, then cut into wedges.
Meanwhile, make the relish. First roast the capsicums (two methods proposed):
Ottolenghi's method: Preheat the grill to high. Use a small knife to cut around the stalks of the peppers. Carefully pull out the stalks with the seeds and discard. Place the peppers on a grill pan lined with foil and grill for up to 30 mins, or until they are cooked inside but black on the outside, turning them over once during the cooking. Fold the edges of the foil over the peppers to enclose them completely, then leave to cool down. Peel them and cut them into strips.
My short-cut method: Preheat grill to high. Cut the capsicums into quarters. Using a knife, remove and discard seeds and stalks. Place capsicums, skin-side up, under the grill and grill for 5-10 mins until skin is blackened. Remove and place in a plastic bag. Leave to cool completely, then peel and cut into strips.
Place oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add coriander seeds and fry for 30 secs. Add tomatoes, garlic and sugar, season with salt and pepper, then simmer for 15 mins. Add preserved lemon and continue simmering for 10 mins. Remove from heat, then stir in the herbs and capsicum strips. Allow to cool completely.
When ready to serve, place beetroot, beans (if using), relish, dill, onion in a serving bowl and season with salt and pepper. Stir well. Add yoghurt and swirl through gently (don't stir too much so you get a white and red marbled effect rather than uniform pink).
