Clever ideas with veg
In our new Good Food podcast series, the leading chef offers tips on using leftovers and a glut of veg
Tips for leftover tomatoes
Gazpacho is good – just blend them into a soup. Or cook the tomatoes down and make an amazing passata – cut the tomatoes in half, throw in some chopped onions and fry them with some garlic. Add a little tomato purée, some vinegar, sugar and crumble in a stock cube. Just cook it out for ages and then you can purée it or you can keep it chunky. Use as a base for pasta sauces, or for thickening stews. You can divide it into little freezer bags and stick it in the freezer.
Make chutney with courgettes
You can do a very good chutney with them, like you would make any other chutney. Use a base of sugar and vinegar cooked out with onions and diced-up courgettes. They keep for ages: they’re lovely. It’s a great way of using them up – you don’t want to waste courgettes.
What to do with runner beans
They’ve got such an amazing natural sweetness to them, and they’re clean, crisp and fresh. They go really well with something like harissa or chilli – or walnut oil, even a little drizzle of sesame oil or tahini paste. They’re very good for balancing big flavours. But you have to eat them quickly – as soon as they’re picked, the natural sugars turn to starch and they start to get a bit bland. Pick them, then straightaway cook them and serve.
How to treat lettuces
Little Gem lettuces are fantastic chargrilled, they’re absolutely stunning. Or try Romaine lettuce very, very thinly sliced, stirred into peas and bacon – called petit pois à la Française, it’s a classic. You can even stir sliced lettuce into pasta dishes right at the end, it’s an amazing way of bulking things out but giving a clean, crisp flavour. Try it with chicory and radicchio.