The May sun is finally shining and all sort of plants and vegetables are popping up. Each week, I’m greeted by an abundance of baby vegetables: carrots, leeks, turnip. They are all so beautiful and sweet, cooking them seems like a sin. Gently washing and scrubbing them and then eating them raw is the only way to go.
When vegetables are in abundance I often like to make them the star of the dish and use a meat- or fish-based vinegar to impart a punch. Bonito (tuna) vinegar is a nice way to lightly pickle new season vegetables. You can usually pick some up in an Asian food shop.
Alternatively, you can make your own with some bonito flakes. Soak a little handful of these flakes in some malt vinegar with a little sugar. Bring to the boil and then leave in the fridge to macerate for a week. Strain before using.
A chargrill or small bbq is also a nice way of giving a pleasing aroma to a whole host of baby vegetables. Baby leeks work well this way.
I recently bought a small Japanese charcoal grill. If you can't get your hands on some binchotan (Japanese white oak charcoal), try some charcoal from the Irish Artisan Charcoal company.
A Japanese grill is the kind of contraption that will make your guests think you’ve just won an episode of MasterChef! The grill imparts a beautiful smoky flavour. I find the best way to grill small vegetables is to blanch them first. This moisture helps bring the sweetness to the fore – and you get a better burn.
To grill a selection of baby vegetables, first give them a good clean, making sure there’s no soil attached. Then put on a pot of water. Add a spoon of Lapsang Souchong (smoked tea) and a good lump of butter. Bring to the boil. Blanch the vegetables briefly and then grill immediately. Season with some nice coarse Achill Island sea salt. I can think of no better side-dip than Velvet Cloud sheep’s yoghurt.
