More Veggies Please

I own more than a few cookbooks. I even maintain a small ‘vintage’ collection whose tomes often include amusing “household management” tips in the back. What is the point of this, you ask? Well, if the internet goes down, at least I will still know how best to whiten The General’s spats, while I’m jugging a few hares in the larder …

Anyway, the point is, despite all the recipes online (and a set of binders that house personal recipes!) I still struggle with cooking with less meat. Although I really love veggies - not a huge carnivore at all - the main motivation is to do The Right Thing for our burning planet and now, frankly, my budget. But over and over by Wednesday I grow bored with tomato based dinners, anything approaching Tex-Mex or soaking cashews overnight. (I have tried, I am sorry - as a texture person I simply cannot embrace the vegan staple of “cashew cream.” There is something about this putty-hued sludge that just makes me gag.

Since you ask, I also shun ‘plant-based meats’, chiefly because they (the sausages, especially) taste like crumbly death. I do not trust the list of ingredients either - how can something SO processed be a better alternative? I know many people sneer at processed cheese (my boys always called this “cheese with a z”) but really, how are they okay with all the chemicals that reside in these meat alternatives? I am not. (Also, I would prefer that a faux hot dog did not firmly resist that first bite and then squeak, as I proceed …)

Then there is the issue about time - I have more time than ever before these days [retirement] but I am not motivated to spend several hours preparing something that will not reflect the work involved. The General may be many things but he is certainly not demanding and maintains an air of gratitude and relief that he will not be expected/involved in any dinner prep. Even the frozen clank of “triangular” fish hitting the cookie sheet on more desperate evenings will not draw any exasperated sighs from him. (I credit this to an endearing childish hope that there-will-be-fries-with-this …?)

And in truth, I don’t need him to participate: I love the process of cooking, the ritual of chopping, the glass of wine and the fact that I can play any song on repeat, endlessly. The dog and cat always show up in solidarity, each of them perched on a chair and they seem to enjoy the occasional burst of interpretative dance …

What has worked best lately is just really simplification. Eggs play a huge role here and putting a poached egg beneath or on top of anything can actually be dinner. (We are obsessed with kimchi Pajeon at the moment, and adding a free range egg with a sunset orange yolk just puts it way over the top …) Similarly, I have noticed (not without some shock) that no one is arriving covertly by parachute and kicking in the door to check, if we are “only” having (homemade!) soup and a nice sandwich. (Funny too, how these random-agents always have the face of my Starter Husband … “Is this Prosciutto Silver? Is there a reason you didn’t get the Gold?” etc.etc.)

I find it easier to cook with less meat in the warmer months (epic salads, all the produce at its very best) but as the weather gets colder so the challenge grows. I’m not even trying to go full-on vegetarian here, just really cut back. Certainly, we’ve been using much less meat (stir-fry, pasta, curries all help here) but the variety is tricky to maintain. I’ve re-instated my 1980s love for the “stuffed” baked potatoes that used to be everywhere, at least in the UK. Fill them (or a sweet potato!) with vegetarian/regular chili and all the toppings. Crackly salted skin, floury white interior all brimming over with baked beans, cheese sauce, cooked broccoli - very fortifying! I do love anything that serves as a “boat” for something else, even thin crepes with a savoury filling. (And I’m also looking at you too, Yorkshire pudding …)

Feel free to reveal your own go-to veggie favourites below!

And here are some sites I find inspiring:

https://www.epicurious.com/contributors/julia-turshen

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/18/chef-vicky-bhogal-interview-kitchen-encounters

https://smittenkitchen.com

https://www.npr.org/2008/01/01/17725932/in-defense-of-food-author-offers-advice-for-health