Winter veggies

Perhaps it’s because i’m evil, but i’ve never properly understood vegetarianism; that is to say, vegetarianism that is motivated by concern for animals. I once went vegan for a month, but that was really just to see if i could, and to expose myself to some unique fruits and vegetables

no, not like that, sicko

I guess the bottom line is, as cute as many animals are, i simply love meat – or ‘protein’, as a masterchef contestant might refer to it- too much to consider becoming a vegetarian. Someone more compassionate than myself is my friend Rayya- who loves animals so much not only does she refuse to eat them, she has, as a vet, devoted her life to helping them. While reading her awesome blog  the other day, i commented on a post she’d made about a goose, callously remarking how much i’d like to eat it- prompting her to suggest that i instead try to come up with a vegetarian dish instead. Given Rayya is one of the three or so people who actually read this blog, i thought- why not, i’ll give it a shot, and i might even learn something along the way.

I quickly decided that i wanted to make a dish that focused on winter vegetables. Unfortunately, I soon ran into a big problem- namely, that i don’t really know how to compose a vegetarian dish, and i think that’s reflected on the plate- with shit flying every which way. With a dish of meat, or seafood- it’s much easier: you make the meat the centrepiece – or ‘hero’, as a masterchef contestant might call it- and add some other ingredients to complement it. The focus of this dish, after much deliberation, was a apple and celeriac canneloni, which i made by slicing a green apple and some celeriac very finely, then cutting into this strips. I then combined it with a slightly mustardy mayonnaise and rolled some cooked pasta around it, making the canneloni.

Also on the plate is some jerusalem artichoke puree, which I love- i really do think it’s a terrific ingredient- if only it were more commonplace and wasn’t such a fiddly bastard to peel. Another component was a horseradish powder, which i thought would not only work with the other ingredients but tie in thematically with the winter vegetables- you know, insofar as it looks like snow and shit-, which was made by infusing grapeseed oil with grated horseradish, then straining and combining with tapioca maltodextrin to make a powder. I also lightly picked some sliced shallots and then battered and fried them and put them on there too.

Finally, i garnished the dish with some celery leaves, pumpkin seeds and sliced raw chestnut, to add a bit of sweetness and nuttiness. Altogether, although the dish might look like mayhem, it all pretty much works, and i’m quite proud of the result.