As summer turns to autumn, it’s a good chance to make the most of the season’s vegetables, says Garry Watson, chef proprietor of Gordon’s Restaurant in Inverkeilor.
Keen gardeners always have an abundance of home grown vegetables to be used, from carrots, parsnips, courgettes and courgette flowers to greens like fennel, spinach and watercress. They are at their best so make the most of them while you can.
A great way to use them up is to create a delicious soup such as carrot, honey and ginger or courgette and parmesan, or curried parsnip. Invest in a quality blender and always blend soups when still hot to give them a silky-smooth consistency.
Vegetables are also great sliced thinly and fried in a crisp tempura batter and served with soy, sherry, honey and mustard dipping sauce. With a little creativity, vegetables can make a great addition to cakes and bakes and is a brilliant way to make them healthier.
It’s also a clever way to get your kids to eat more vegetables and to help with the cooking. Getting kids to help with the peeling, grating and the home baking can be so much fun, and eating the baking, still warm, fresh from the oven is magical.
Carrot cake is a firm favourite but also try courgette cake or even parsnip cake. Try my parsnip cake by creaming 115g soft butter with 55g soft brown sugar and 55g caster sugar. Add 55g sunflower oil and mix together well. Mix in 2 eggs then sift in 110g plain flour, 1 tspn baking powder, ½ tspn baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ tspn cinnamon, ¼ tspn nutmeg and pinch of salt and mix with the 160g of grated peeled parsnip to form a smooth cake batter. Pour into 12 cake cases and bake @170c until risen and firm to touch.
Once cool prepare a topping by beating 270g mascarpone cheese, 160g soft butter, 230g icing sugar and a splash of vanilla extract for at least 5 minutes using an electric whisk until light and fluffy.
Chef’s tip
Vegetables like courgettes, aubergine, squash and red onion are also amazing cooked on the barbecu, so make the most of warm autumn days. Cut into even slices or wedges and brush lightly with sunflower oil, season and grill until tender. Keep a close eye on your vegetables as grilling times vary from veg to veg. You can also add a little spice by dusting in cumin or curry. Once cooked, drizzle with a little honey and balsamic vinegar
