by Daphne Lambert
The winter months provide some wonderful seasonal vegetables - plan your meals around fresh, flavoursome, nutritious UK grown produce - here's a few of my favourite winter vegetables.
Celeriac
The knobbly, large, rounded celeriac has a subtle, celery-like flavour, with nutty overtones.
Like parsnips, swede and potatoes celeriac is a warming Winter root vegetable. Try it as mash, in big-flavoured, slow-cook dishes, or cut into matchsticks and tossed in a mustardy dressing. Celeriac contains vitamins B1, B2 and E and is a very good source of fibre, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium and potassium.
Celeriac soup with apples & Calvados
serves 4
450g celeriac, peeled and chopped
1 large potato, scrubbed, peeled and chopped
1 small onion
1 litre vegetable stock
salt and pepper
2 Cox or Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
25g butter
30ml Calvados
chopped parsley
Put the vegetables into a soup pan with the stock, salt and pepper and simmer gently until tender, 45 minutes.
Gently cook the diced apples in the butter. When they begin to colour, tip on the Calvados reduce slightly and put to one side.
Blitz the soup in the blender, return to the pan and warm through.
Divide between serving bowls. Put a spoonful of apple mixture in the middle of each and top with parsley.
Beetroot
Deliciously sweet with earthy notes crimson beetroot are a firm Winter favourite. Crisp and juicy when raw they work well in juices, smoothies and salads. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness and the dense flavour marries well with horseradish, apple, ginger, nuts, balsamic and creamy cheeses. Beetroot contains the mineral silica which is important for musculo-skeletal health reducing the risk of osteoporosis. Beetroot kvass is packed full of beneficial gut bacteria.
Beetroot kvass
4 medium beetroots
scant tablespoon salt
100 ml whey
filtered water
Peel your beetroot and cut into 1 inch pieces. Put the beetroot into a 2.25 litre/ 4 pint jar.
Sprinkle the salt on to the beetroot, add the whey and top up with water leaving a 2 inch gap at the top. Stir well. Loosely fit a lid and leave in a cool dark place for 2 -5 days. When the kvass is effervescent transfer to a flip top bottle and its ready to drink. store in the fridge. If you keep the kvass for any length of time loosen the lid from time to time to release any build up of gas.
Kale
Kale of all sorts are abundant in the Winter months Kale is best eaten freshly harvested as the sparkling green flavour is soon lost, the nutrients diminish and the flavour becomes flat and bitter. Available at other times of the year it is however at its absolute best when a light frost has touched the leaves making them sweeter. Kale has a very high nutritional value with a good supply of calcium, folic acid, and vitamins A & C. The following kale salad helps support the immune system
Warm kale salad with shiitake mushrooms
serves 4
4 large handfuls of kale hard stalk removed and shredded
250g shiitake mushrooms
2 sticks of celery cut into matchsticks
2 carrots cut into matchsticks
1 tsp finely chopped thyme
1” piece of ginger finely grated
1 small chilli finely chopped
1 tablespoon tamari
olive oil
Place the kale in a large pan with 2 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoon water, stir well and cook for about three minutes until wilted; add the tamari, increase the heat and cook until the liquid has evaporated, stir in the thyme, ginger and chilli.
Cook the shiitake in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over a medium heat until softened and beginning to turn colour. Add the shiitake, celery and carrots to the kale mixture. Season with salt & pepper. Divide between 4 bowls and serve.
Onions This wonderful vegetable is one of the oldest food sources known to man. Onions are found in so many recipes and have been used in traditional medicines since ancient times for their health promoting and curative properties. The sharp, pungent smell and taste of onions is due to the sulfur compound, allyl propyl disulphide which helps lower blood sugar (this is the compound that makes you cry!) Onions are high in chromium, an essential mineral that helps cells respond to glucose.
Roast onions
serves 4
8 white onions
sprigs fresh rosemary
knob of butter
1 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
100ml veg stock
Oven 200C/400FPeel the onions leaving the root intactPut the onions root end down into a fairly close-fitting lidded baking dish with the rosemary sprigs. Melt the butter in a pan with the remaining ingredients, then pour over the onion.Pop the lid on and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until coloured and sticky round 30 minutes.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower along with other cruciferous vegetables contains sulforaphane, a sulfur compound that has been found to significantly improve blood pressure and kidney function. It is also a good source of vitamin K, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, fibre, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, and manganese. Cauliflower is extremely versatile, you can eat it raw, add it to salads, or cook it, and is especially good roast with spices.
Tahini cauliflower
serves 4
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tblsp coriander seeds
1 dstsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cardamom seeds
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 large cauliflower
2 tblsp olive oil
Tahini dressing
3 tblsp tahini
juice from 1 lemon
splash of tamari
1 tblsp olive oil
1 tblsp water
½ tsp salt
oven 200C/400F
Toast the peppercorns, coriander and cumin in a dry pan until aromatic, remove from the heat and grind in a pestle and mortar then add the cardamom, paprika and turmeric. Cut the cauliflower into florets and the stem into slices. Place on a baking tray, add the olive oil and spice mix then using your hands rub together well.Roast for 25 minutes or until tender Whilst the cauliflower is cooking make the tahini sauce by mixing all the ingredients together, adding more water as necessary to make a pouring sauce. Tip the roast cauliflower into a bowl and pour over the sauce.
Parsnips
Parsnips are available from mid September throughout the winter, pre frost they taste a bit like celery but after the first frosts they become sweeter and more aromatic. Parsnips are rich in soluble fibre which has a prebiotic effect, feeding the beneficial bacteria in the gut and improving the overall intestinal environment. Soluble fibre also attracts water into the digestive tract to support smooth bowel movements. Parsnips are also a source of insoluble fibre adding bulk to stools.
Warm salad of roast parsnips & sprouted lentils
serves 4
450g parsnips-peeled
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
sea salt & black pepper
juice & zest of 1 lemon
½ tsp honey
½ tsp wholegrain mustard
2 handfuls sprouted green lentils
Oven to 200C/400F
Cut the parsnips into even size pieces. The best way to do this is to cut the bottom half into 4 lengthways and the top into 2 lengthways. Toss the parsnips in 2 tbsp oil, the cumin seeds and season with salt & pepper. Tip on a baking tray and roast for 30-35 mins until soft and slightly charred around the edges.Whisk together the remaining oil, the lemon zest and juice, honey and mustard. Toss the parsnips and sprouted lentils in the dressing and serve.
Carrots
Carrots were first consumed in Europe in the 12th century, but not many, as parsnips were still the popular choice. Orange carrots only originated in the 17th century, today, the original colours of yellow and purple are making a comeback. Two carotenoids in carrots called alpha-carotene and beta-carotene support eye health for good vision.
Carrots with yogurt & mint
serves 4
450g carrots
olive oil
3 tablespoons yogurt
1 clove garlic chopped
handful mint
black pepper
Slice carrots on the slant bout 1/2cm thick. Gently cook in olive oil until just tender. Remove from heat, stir in garlic, add the yoghurt and chopped mint. Season with black pepper and serve.