#VegBoxChallenge - Grilled Mediterranean Veg

I haven't done a veg box post for a while - not because I haven't had lovely veg boxes but more because it's been so hot I have had to get the contents in the fridge asap and have completely forgotten to photograph the contents!

Dinners the last couple of weeks have consisted mostly of salad, of the leafy, potato or grated/chopped veg variety. There are very few veggies that really cannot be eaten raw in a salad. Grated carrot, courgettes and beetroot, finely chopped (very fresh) mushrooms, small florets of broccoli, fennel, chicory, all manner of  leaves, tomatoes, peppers, slivers of onion, fresh chopped herbs and dressings of olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar or mayonnaise mixed with a little plain yoghurt and chives from the garden have graced my plate.

(The Other Half, however,  is still resolutely clinging to his beans on toast and bacon sarnies... )

One dish I love in the summer is roasted Mediterranean veg - aubergine, courgette, peppers, onions, garlic and cherry tomatoes, chopped into chunks, tossed in olive oil, seasoned and roasted in a hot oven for about half an hour. I love how the onion caramelises and the individual cloves of garlic taste so sweet cooked this way!

Look what was in my box this week! There was a large courgette too but I couldn't fit it in the piccie... plus I still had a bulb of garlic left from last week's box! All the ingredients I need for my favourite summer food.

Except we still don't have an oven that works...

So I decided I would grill it instead!  I prepared the veg just as I would normally and placed the roasting tin lower down in the oven than I would when grilling, say, fishfingers, then turned the grill up to full heat. I had to give the veggies a good stir every five minutes or so but they were done in about 15 minutes!  Less than half the time they would take 'roasting' normally!

I tossed them into some pasta that already had a little red pesto stirred through it and served with some torn mozzarella.  I would have loved to have added some fresh basil too but unfortunately I don't have any right now.

Doesn't it look tasty? It was gorgeous. Who needs an oven?*

*well me, actually. I really don't think you can grill cake and cookies and boy do I miss home baked cake and cookies...

Veggie Box - 9th April 2013

Four Seasons Foods took a little (well-earned) break over Easter - hence no veggie box post last week. This week's box is oh so colourful and inspired me to rustle up one of my favourite quick suppers!






This week we had...

• broccoli
• carrots
• broad beans
• potatoes
• red onions
• cherry tomatoes
• mange tout
• bag of rocket/salad leaves
• yellow pepper
• grapes
• bananas

I was not a huge fan of broad beans until someone showed me how to remove them from their pale jackets and reveal the beautiful tender bright green beans hiding inside!

Once you have discarded the tough outer skin the tender sweetness of the bean within is so much improved - now they are ready to eat as they are, add to salads,  mash into a paste/dip/pate or stir into a warm pasta salad like this...

Broad Bean, Pesto & Goats Cheese Pasta

First you need to prepare your broad beans

Pod them and add to a pan of boiling water. Allow them to simmer for a couple of minutes before draining and rinsing them in cold water. Then take each bean and pinch out the skin at the bottom and gently squeeze the beans out of their skin.

Cook your pasta according to instructions on the packet while you quarter a handful of cherry tomatoes and crumble some goats cheese.




When the pasta has cooked, drain it and stir in a good dollop of pesto (homemade or from a jar), add the beans, cherry tomatoes and a handful of rocket and give it another stir. Finally add the goats cheese which will melt slightly in your still warm pasta...

Serve. Eat. Enjoy!

Veggie Box - 26th March 2013

 In our box this week we have:

• Bag of new potatoes
• Bag of mange tout
• carrots
• spring onions
• some runner beans
• bag of salad leaves
• tomatoes
• plums
• pears
• white grapes
• the teeniest, tiniest little Romanesco you ever did see!

Our veggie box is looking a bit sparse this week. Very colourful, but not as full as previous weeks. I put this down in part to the bad weather and in part due to the presence of some very lovely (but, I expect, pretty pricey) white grapes.
It's not a problem as I still have the mushrooms and broccoli left from last week! ( I know, I know - they really should have been eaten by now...)

I may have to buy some cooking onions and more spuds though - this cold weather means comfort food all the way and the ultimate comfort food as far as I am concerned is mashed potato!

Here's the teeny, tiny romanesco (it's a type of cauliflower in case you were wondering) It's sitting next to some normal sized tomatoes and that's a bunch of spring onions behind it, just to give you an idea of the scale.
I just love them. In fact I am almost loath to cook and eat this one, it is a work of art! Isn't nature amazing?

Romanesco - Roman Cauliflower - originates as the name suggests, from Italy so it's hardly surprising that most of the recipes I found seem to be based around pasta.  I might even dig out my old pasta machine and rustle up some fresh linguine in honour of this miniature masterpiece :-)

Lots of romanesco recipes have been added to the pinboard - please do go take a look! (I'll let you know how the homemade pasta goes - it's been a while since I attempted it!)