Pure veggie delight

IN MY column I certainly give lots of recipe suggestions for meat and fish lovers but I sometimes wonder whether I do justice to vegetarians. So in this week’s column veggies are the heroes and I’ll share some inspiring recipes from a first time cook book author which truly illustrate the versatility of vegetables.

You certainly don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy these recipes. Doesn’t matter whether you make your choice for ethical, religious or health reasons, I would argue that vegetables are by far the most important food group and you certainly don’t have to sacrifice your taste buds.

Seasonality and freshness are everything. For years now I’ve been encouraging people to grow something, anything, themselves – even if it’s only a few herbs or salad leaves. The flavour and convenience will be enough to infect you with the “grow your own” bug and soon you’ll be swapping with friends and expanding your range.

Maria Elia is a new name to me but by all accounts is well known to others. Her passion for food started when she was little, she’d dash into her Greek Cypriot father’s kitchen after school hoping to be allowed to cook. As soon as she could she put her pack on her back and headed for Italy, America, Spain and Australia – and all of these international influences are reflected in her cooking style.

She was much acclaimed while she was head chef at Delfina’s in London and was voted one of the top 10 female chefs by the Independent.

At present she’s making waves at the newly opened White Chapel Gallery Dining Room in London. Her first cookbook, The Modern Vegetarian, is one of the most accessible and inspirational books of vegetarian food I’ve yet to come across.

As I flicked through the pages I wanted to try almost everything I saw. How about trying some of the recipes on these pages?