I’m pretty sure you started Spring with some new goals, healthy habits and projects of learning new things. Guess what? You are not alone! In fact, many people use the change of season to make positive changes and achieve a better quality of life.
A lot of people are telling me they want to learn how to cook the basics, to feel more confident in the kitchen and to enjoy clean and healthy habits.
My answer is always the same, “vegetables, nuts and seeds and pulses are your answer!”. In fact, with a combination of those ingredients you could basically write a trendy cooking book (I’m not kidding).
If you have the time I recommend you to go to the library or get the delicious cookbook called SIMPLE by Yotam Ottolenghi (which was named cookbook of the year by The New York Times in 2018).
Who is Ottolenghi you may be thinking? Well, he is an Israeli-born chef, restaurateur and author of several super well-known bestselling cookbooks. In fact, if we, in the western world, are better aware of recipes like shakshuka, za’atar, dukkah, etc. it’s probably because of him.
His commitment to championing vegetables, as well as unusual ingredients such as freshly toasted spices, seeds, or nuts, has led to what many people call “The Ottolenghi effect”.
His way of doing things became so iconic worldwide, that nowadays his style has become a visual brand. Charred cauliflower, caramelised pumpkin, crispy Brussels sprouts didn’t have room in the Aussie food scene until he made them trendy a few years ago. And from there, there was an unstoppable new wave of love and affair for vegetables and salads.
Many people have commented to me that, thanks to him, they have discovered a new appreciation for raw vegetables and the combination of textures, acidity and freshness of herbs.
Trust me whatever your palate, your likes or dislikes are and even your level of confidence in the kitchen, I do recommend you to follow this pattern to make delicious lunches and dinners.
1. You need to see veggies differently: try the taste of raw vegetables. For example, a leaf of Brussels sprouts raw, you’ll see that it is not much different from cabbage.
2. Char grill your veggies, but leave them crunchy: as I explained in the past, there is a golden rule of ‘no colour, no flavour’.
3. Discover the wonderful world of seeds and nuts: they will add crunchiness and nuttiness to your preparations.
4. Play with the different pulses: they will give you heaps of textures and colours. For example chickpeas, beans of any size or colour, edamame, lentils, etc.
5. Acidity is the key: whether it’s with an aged vinegar or freshly squeezed citrus don’t be shy of using acidity. Your tastebuds will enjoy it!
6. Need something to fill you up? Then use the huge range of things like couscous, barley, buckwheat, and quinoa that will make you feel like you ate a bull (but much healthier!).
7. Toasted spices: there is nothing, like using freshly toasted spice seeds and then grounding them in the mortar and pestle. Always make small batches, so you use them fresh all the time.
8. Achieve freshness through herbs: this is for me the key to summery salads. Choose the type of herbs you like and combine them as much as you can. Trust me the more herbs, the better!
9. Extra virgin olive oil as a healthy fat to choose: Mediterranean vibes good for your gut!
10. Greek yoghurt is the creamy sauce that will wow you every single time you use it on your salads.
As you can tell I’m not giving you an exact recipe this week because it is about understanding this way of making delicious, healthy and super-fresh salads. So take this incredibly amazing journey of wonderful seasonal and local vegetables.
Hope you enjoy the trip! Please don’t forget to tag us with your creations.