ad. I know I’m not the only person in the world who wants to eat more vegetables. Vegetables are healthy, after all, and eating more plants is good for the planet. However, it can be challenging to make them interesting. That’s where Cooking With Vegetables by Jesse Jenkins comes in.
Don’t be confused by the name – it’s not a vegan or vegetarian book. Many of the recipes contain animal products, but the goal of the book is to make the vegetables the star of the dish, rather than the meat. In Jesse’s debut cookbook from Pan Macmillan, you will find that animal products may be used alongside other ingredients to bring out bold flavours of the key vegetables.
Inventive recipes, such as miso-glazed courgette and smashed cucumber Caesar, can turn humble ingredients into a delicious meal.
Cooking with Vegetables
See how Jesse Jenkins turns mighty veg into exciting meals. He shows how veggies can take centre stage and be the main ingredient in every dish. A handful of parsley, a few garlic cloves, and gem lettuce become the main attractions in Jesse’s recipes. He uses spicy chickpeas or miso to give simple vegetables bold flavours.
The miso-glazed courgette tastes rich and deep, while the smashed cucumber Caesar uses anchovy fillets for extra punch and creates a jagged texture with every bite.
Jesse has the ability to bring out the deep flavour in simple things like courgettes, cucumbers, and pickled tomatoes.
The Stilton tart and Korean spicy cucumber salad demonstrate how vegetables can stand alone as shareable, everyday cooking options.
These vegetable dishes work well for both everyday cooking and a special meal; they are accessible yet creative, thanks to his casual approach, rooted in Californian cuisine, paired with a deep understanding of culinary technique.
Shaved Courgette Salad
I decided to make the Shaved Courgette Salad from this book, as we are currently experiencing a heatwave and I have a large number of courgettes to use up, thanks to a few of my plants in the garden producing. This was a simple dish which involved using courgette shavings, lemon, salt, pepper, oil and then topping with parmesan cheese to serve.
It was great with a salad! I also added some continental meat, olives and hummus. I’d love to try it with some fresh mint and fresh peas – that’ll be the next thing I try once my peas are ready to harvest!
Although this was more of a side dish than a main meal, it’s something that can be easily paired with many different dishes. It can be easily adapted to be vegan or supplemented with salmon or chicken for added protein.
A beautiful book
This is a beautiful book for someone who wants to incorporate more vegetables into their diet, or for those who are tired of the typical recipes that rely heavily on meat. It would be an excellent gift for someone who grows their food or an allotment lover, as it’s full of ideas for the surplus vegetables that gardeners often have left over.
Some of the recipes can be a bit ingredient-heavy (I find this in most recipe books, though), especially those which also involve sauces. I always try to avoid recipes that require unique ingredients I may not use for other dishes, but there are plenty that use general pantry ingredients, herbs, and spices.
Just don’t be afraid to substitute and get a bit creative with the dishes if needed!
A post shared by Corinne | UK Lifestyle Blog (@skinnedcartree)
This is such a cool looking book! Love it. Our courgettes have gone wild too, so I’ll give this a try! Definitely sounds like my type of thing!
Claire.X
This recipe book looks right up my street – I am always trying to get more greens and veg into us all as a family but always need a bit of inspiration. We are lucky to have multiple friends with allotments so we are always getting little parcels of veggies to enjoy!
Rosie
I like the look of that courgette salad, it’s the perfect meal to eat in the Summer! This book sounds like it has lots of lovely recipes x
Lucy