Veggie Detox

Having rolled back to Albion at least 2 kilos of gelato heavier, I decided that it was time for some tough love in the kitchen. I threw out the remaining Magnum ice cream bars; the butter got the boot; all tempting carbohydrates swiftly met the lining of the rubbish bin.

It was time for some veggies. Not one who takes easily to the notion of a raw diet in a country slipping into the gray, damp cold of November, however, I decided to allow myself a bit of olive oil. OK, a good few Tablespoons of olive oil.

Roasted carrots played a significant part of our Great British Menu meal, and my improvised version of Glynn Purnell's 'pickled carrots' opened my eyes to macerating the carrots in oil and spices in advance of roasting. The oil acts as a conduit for infusing the carrots with whatever spice mixture you add to them. This batch has mustard seed, fennel seed, cumin, garam masala, dried corriander, salt and pepper. I crushed the larger seeds in a mortar and pestle and then added the rest. One could use any kind of oil, but I think vegetable or olive would work best. I may have gone a bit overboard with the spices this time, but mustard seed and fennel seed go wonderfully with carrots. If you happen to have some dried chipotle peppers lying around, crush those up and add a bit--the smokey, piquant flavour is a great compliment to the sweetness of carrots after they are roasted. If you can, slice them as thinly as possible; let them macerate for at least an hour, and place them in a thin layer on a baking sheet lined with foil. They become almost like crisps!

Macerating carrots

For the courgette, garlic, and cherry tomatoes, I kept things simple. Just a bit of olive oil, coarse salt and cracked black pepper.

These veggies roasted for about 45 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. The tomatoes were sweet with condensed tomato flavour, the garlic was sticky with caramelized goodness. The courgette, however, was, well, just rather limp; I think I'll stick to sauteing or grilling those in the future.

The aubergines got a stove top roast over the gas burners. This method is best in the absence of a grill, and the charred skin gives the flesh of the aubergine, and the 20-foot radius around you, a strong, smokey quality. Yum. The roasted flesh was then removed from the skin and set aside. In a deep saucepan I heated some olive oil over medium heat, added:

3 garlic cloves, smashed and minced (raw)
3 garlic cloves, smashed (roasted)
2 shallots (raw or roasted)
Flesh of 2 roasted aubergines, mashed
3 Tbs. tomato paste
4 fresh tomatoes, chopped (I used the roasted cherry tomatoes)
1 Tbs. pomegranate molasses
2 tsp. dried sumac
2 tsp. Turkish red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 bunch fresh parsley (flat leaf, Italian is best, but curly is fine)

Add the garlic and shallots (if raw) to the oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan) and saute for a few seconds. The moment that it begins to brown, add the tomato paste and saute for a few seconds more. Then add the aubergine and roasted garlic, shallots (if roasted), followed by the tomatoes, molasses, and spices. And if you happen to have some roasted courgette, go ahead and throw that in, too!


Finally, the jewels of peppers, shallots and fennel got the same simple dressing as the courgette and tomatoes--just a bit of oil, salt, and pepper.


These went in to a roasted veggie salad, dressed with just a bit of balsamic. All of the roasted veg was delicious with pita, hummus, lettuce, yogurt (just throw in some fresh mint, parsley and a bit of lemon juice), and fish throughout the week.

I just chose not to think about the oil!