Chef and head of recipe development at plant-based recipe box subscription service Grubby, Fergus Smithers, shares how to get the most out of the UK’s best seasonal produce and his tips on using up the odds and ends we typically throw away to reduce your household food waste.
Purple Sprouting Broccoli – 3 simple cooking tips to get the most out of broccoli.
Purple sprouting broccoli is at its best in March, adding a brilliant vibrancy and crunch to your spring dishes.
Their stalks, although not as tender as the florets, are packed full of nutrients and nutty flavour. The same goes for calabrese broccoli. Here are some of my favourite ways to amplify broccoli stalks:
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Peel the stalk and slice them into coins or use a vegetable peeler to shave long, thin ribbons. Toss them in oil with salt and your favourite seasonings, and roast them in the oven until crispy. They make a satisfying crunchy snack, similar to kale chips, and a healthier alternative to crisps!
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Grate the stalks with a cheese grater and add them to your next batch of slaw. They’ll add a slightly bitter and peppery crunch that pairs nicely with sweet and tangy dressings.
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You can blend stalks into smoothies or puree them into dips and spreads. Just be aware that they’ll add a slightly peppery flavour, so I recommend balancing it with sweeter ingredients like fruit or honey.
Cauliflower – try these cauliflower leaf recipes before you throw them away.
A brassica like broccoli, cauliflower is a versatile vegetable with a mild, delicate flavour and a slightly waxy texture. Still, it’s very easy to get the cooking wrong, so it requires a bit of delicacy when using it in your recipes.
Whilst the head and stem produce a beautiful flavour, you’ll often find cauliflower cupped in green leaves. Don’t throw them away! The leaves are one of the most delicious parts. Here are some simple recipes to try next time before you chuck them in the compost bin!
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Blend them into a sauce. Cauliflower leaves can be blended and added to sauces for an extra boost of nutrients. Try a cauliflower leaf pesto by removing any of the thick white stalks from the green leaves and place into a blender. Add 2-3 cloves of garlic, a good pinch of salt and pepper, a handful of fresh basil, and 4-5 tbsp of olive oil. Blend to your desired texture. Add nutritional yeast for that “cheesy” hit or nuts for added crunch.
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Roast them. Super easy. Super tasty. Toss cauliflower leaves with olive oil, good quality salt flakes, and pepper (and your favourite spice if you like a bit of heat), then roast them in the oven at 200 degrees until crispy (15-20 mins does the trick). They make a delicious and crunchy snack, especially with a side dish of sumac and coconut yoghurt or as a unique salad topping.
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Use them as a wrap. Like cabbage or lettuce, cauliflower leaves can be put to use as a leaf taco with just about any filling.
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Fry them up. Like any leafy green, you can fry cauliflower leaves with garlic and oil for a simple and flavoursome side dish or in stir-fries. Add chilli, ginger and soy for more Asian-inspired flavours.
Spring Onions – never buy spring onions again with a simple hack.
Something you may not know about spring onions is that they’re young onions, picked before the bulb swells into a bigger one! They can be used raw or cooked, adding a milder onion taste but still punchy flavour to your dishes.
However, when we cook with them, we tend to throw away the roots, but they’re so simple to regrow, saving you money and a trip to the supermarket. To regrow your spring onions for an endless supply and zero waste:
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Start with a bunch of fresh spring onions that still have the roots attached. Don’t worry if the greens look a bit wilted.
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Cut off the tops of the spring onions, leaving about an inch or two of the white part of the onion and the roots.
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Fill a jar or small glass with water, and place the spring onions in it with the roots facing down. Make sure the roots are submerged in the water, but the top part of the onions is above the water line.
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Place the jar in a sunny spot and wait for the magic to happen. You should see the onions start to regrow within a few days.
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It’s important to change the water every few days to keep it fresh and prevent the growth of bacteria. Simply pour out the old water and refill the jar with fresh water.
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You can use the greens in your cooking when the greens are about an inch or two long. Simply cut off what you need and let the rest continue growing.