Versatile vegetables
Sides by side
Weekend kitchen
The season of feasting is here. Whether for yuletide festivities, or summer gatherings, easy vegetable sides are useful to have in your repertoire.
These three dishes focus on a single vegetable, with simple flavour additions. They can all be served warm or cold, depending on the occasion, and can be included on a more formal Christmas table, or to accompany a casual barbecue.
Roasted baby carrots with tarragon nasturtium butter
Tarragon and nasturtium are one of those wonderful garden additions that you plant once and then they grow back every year.
Do go lightly on the tarragon here, as it can be overpowering in excess.
If tarragon is unavailable, use parsley, and calendula petals could be used in place of nasturtium.
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes Serves 6
2 bunches baby carrots (about 800g) 2 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt
30g soft salted butter
8-10 tarragon leaves, finely chopped 3 nasturtium flowers, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 190C.
Remove the greens from the carrots and place on a large baking tray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt. Toss to combine, then spread into a single layer and place into the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, then shake the tray and roast for a further 15 minutes, until golden and tender.
Make the flavoured butter. In a small bowl, combine the soft butter, remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, chopped tarragon and nasturtium.
Arrange the hot roasted carrots on a serving platter and dot with the tarragon butter. Garnish with flowers.
Sesame broccoli with tahini lemon dressing
Tahini is a fabulous ingredient to have in the pantry.
Combined with lemon, this is one of my favourite dressings to go with lightly steamed broccoli. It’s also delicious drizzled on to roasted ku¯ mara.
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Serves 6
2 heads broccoli (about 800g) 1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
For the tahini lemon dressing 2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp maple syrup
Chop the broccoli into florets. Lightly steam until just tender, about 6-8 minutes. Refresh in cold water, drain well then place into a serving bowl. Add the olive oil, soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds and toss to combine.
Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine, checking taste and adjusting as needed.
Serve the sesame broccoli warm or cold, with the tahini dressing on the side.
Beetroot, hazelnuts and goat cheese
The combination here of beetroot and crunchy hazelnuts is quite fabulous.
An afterthought for this recipe would be to use grilled halloumi, in place of the goat cheese.
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes Serves 6, as a side
6 medium beetroot, about 750g
tsp salt
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp honey
Small handful of mint, roughly chopped Pinch of salt and cracked pepper
1⁄3 cup (60g) toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
100g soft goat cheese, broken into 2cm pieces
Trim the top and tail from the whole beetroot and place into a large saucepan. Cover with water, add salt and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes, until tender. (Alternatively use a pressure cooker, checking the manual for timing.) Drain the beetroot and cool enough to handle.
In a large bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard, honey, mint and seasoning.
Rub the skins off the beetroot and cut each into 8 wedges. Add to the bowl with the dressing and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving dish. When ready to serve, scatter over the chopped hazelnuts, goat cheese and extra mint leaves to garnish.
Serve warm or cold.