As a vegetarian, I love most vegetables, and usually eat way more that my five a day! One of my pet hates is soft mushy vegetables – bland, tasteless, horrible texture – yuk!
I like my vegetables to come with a crunch and a bit of chargrilling. An easy way to spice up your Sunday lunch veg – or add a nice healthy side dish to a midweek dinner, is to chargrill broccoli and courgette in a grill pan.
Start by chopping the courgette into two inch sections, then slice into quarters if it’s a large courgette, or halves if it’s a small to medium one.
Chop the broccoli into small florets, you don’t want them too big or they won’t cook through enough before the outer edges start to burn.
Add 5-6 sprays of spray cooking oil to a grill pan and put over a medium heat. When the oil starts to sizzle, add the courgette sections. Turn after three minutes, then add the broccoli to the pan.
After a further three minutes, turn all the veg over and cook for further three minutes so the total cooking time is nine minutes for the courgette and six minutes for the broccoli.
To serve, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt – perfect texture, taste, and much more than just ordinary vegetables – but so simple and quick to make.
I did add some root vegetable mash to my plate too – whilst I accept that this is mashed vegetables, this is anything but bland mush. I diced half a swede and two large carrots into one centimetre cubes. Add to a saucepan and cover with cold water. Put on a high heat until the water begins to boil, then turn the heat down and allow to simmer for twenty minutes.
Check the cubes of carrot and swede are soft by testing with a fork before draining into a colander. Once drained, return the carrot and swede to the saucepan. Add a knob or two of butter (depending on your taste preference) and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Mash with a potato masher until the contents are blended together.
Serve with whatever you fancy!