This Is How You Cook Vegetables

That’s right, you’ve been doing it all wrong.

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There’s a new breed of restaurant emerging: The vegetarian-friendly restaurant.

I know what you’re thinking, there’s nothing new about vegetarian options at a restaurant; but it’s less about what’s being cooked and more about how it’s being cooked.

If you go back 5-10 years, vegetarian dishes were sorry excuses for food. They functioned more as something to pacify the vegetarians, than as something to please them. Vegetarian food was an afterthought instead of something chefs sat down to actually think about and craft.

Now, restaurants are all about vegetables. They’ve become a source of inspiration and experimentation. Chefs aren’t afraid of vegetarian plates, they’re running towards them with open arms and open minds.

Take, Staplehouse, Bon Appetit’s new restaurant of the year. There, they take carrots, potatoes and other veg, puree, dehydrate, and fry them. There, they go the extra mile to make “humble vegetables into world-class dishes”.

Another one of BA’ best new restaurants, Lord Stanley in San Francisco, serves sweet potato that resembles pasta (see image below) and stunning mushrooms that look like giant marshmallows.

And check out this statement from Butcher’s Daughter:

“AT THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER, WE TREAT FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AS A BUTCHER WOULD MEAT: WE CHOP, FILLET AND CARVE FRESH PRODUCE INTO HEALTHY VEGETARIAN DISHES AND PRESS THEM INTO PRETTY JUICES.”

‘We treat fruits and vegetables as a butcher would meat’.

We need to make vegetables the main event. It’s that simple. These dishes aren’t vegetarian versions of meat dishes, they’re incredible in their own right!

Let’s say you’re cooking some steak. You prepare the herbs and seasonings and marinate it for a 30 minutes or so, in some cases you might leave it overnight. Why not do the same with vegetables?

Here are a few different ways you can cook your green and root veg:

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Braise it

Who: Green Kitchen Stories
What: Braised Fennel with Saffron + Tomato

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Pickle it

Who: Epicurious
What: Jicama, Radish, + Pickled Plum Salad

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Puree it

Who: Love & Lemons
What: Cauliflower Puree with Chickpeas

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Bread it

Who: NYT Cooking
What: Spiced Green Beans and Baby Broccoli Tempura

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