WHOLE VEGETABLES RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
  2. Peel the garlic, then add to a pestle and mortar with the paprika and half the thyme leaves. Bash well to a rough paste, then muddle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season.
  3. Zest the lemon into a separate bowl and set aside.
  4. Trim the outer cauliflower leaves. Trim away and discard the stalk so the cauliflower can sit flat, then cut a cross into the base.
  5. Rub the paprika paste all over the cauliflower, then place in a medium casserole pan. Drizzle over the sherry and squeeze the lemon juice on top.
  6. Cover and pop in the hot oven for around 1 hour 20 minutes, or until tender, removing the lid for the final 20 minutes.
  7. Remove the pan from the oven, then pour in the tomatoes, tearing or slicing them up into chunks. Sprinkle over the lemon zest and pick over the remaining thyme leaves.
  8. Return the pan to the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower is golden.
  9. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat until golden, then leave to cool.
  10. Once ready, take the pan out of the oven. Scrunch over the toasted almonds, then pick, roughly chop and scatter the parsley leaves on top.
  11. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, then carve up and serve with pilaf rice and steamed greens, or as part of a bigger spread.

Steps:

• 1. Carrots boiled with orange, garlic and herbs: Boil the carrots in salted boiling water with a tablespoon of sugar, a knob of butter and a little handful of fragrant herbs, tied up. Parsley, rosemary, thyme, bay – use just one or a mixture. Cut an orange into eighths and add them to the water, along with a few whole garlic cloves in their skins. If you really want to be a little tiger, add a pinch of cumin as well (seeds or ground) – it subtly cuts through with the most wonderful flavour. As soon as the carrots are cooked, drain them, discard the herbs and all but one of the orange pieces, squeeze the garlic out of its skin, chop the remaining orange piece finely and toss with the carrots, some seasoning and a little more butter. The flavour will be incredible.
  2. Another idea is to fry the chopped-up orange in a good tablespoon of sugar, so it almost jammifies, and serve this on top of the carrots. These two flavours together are one of the coolest things.
  3. Or, roasted carrots with orange, garlic and thyme: just as easy – as soon as you drain the carrots you can throw them into a baking tray with the chopped-up orange and the garlic cloves and roast them at 200°C/400°F/gas 6 for 10 minutes – this will give you a slightly meatier flavour.
  4. Or simply mash the carrots up with the orange and garlic, so you have some coarse and some smooth. Lovely.