A Feast With a Twist of Fruits and Vegetables
Introduction: A Feast With a Twist of Fruits and Vegetables
The weird and wonderful thing about fruits and vegetables is that everybody uses them on a daily basis, but not many people know what they really are. For instance, did you know fruits develop from a flower of a plant and contain seeds, whereas vegetables are considered as roots, leaves and stems of a plant?
Looking at it from a culinary point of view, fruits have a sweet or tart taste, often used in desserts and juices, whereas vegetables have a savoury or mild taste, often eaten in main or side dishes.
In this surprising menu I wanted to share with you how fruits and vegetables can be interchanged and used in dishes you wouldn't normally expect them to appear.
Let's get cracking!
Supplies
INGREDIENTS
* 250 g tinned tomatoes or tomato juice
* 250 g cooked beetroot
* 1 large red pepper
* Chilli sauce (e.g. tabasco or sriracha) (1/2 teaspoon - more or less depending on your heat preference)
* Cumin powder (1/2 teaspoon)
* Paprika (1/2 teaspoon)
* Salt (season to your liking)
* Pepper (season to your liking)
* Gin or vodka (optional)
* Water
* Ice cubes
GARNISH: (optional)
* Cherry tomatoes
* Pickled onions
* Olives
* Cocktail stick / umbrella / cocktail decoration
UTENSILS
* Cooking tray
* Electric blender
* Cocktail jigger
* Teaspoon
* Knife
* Bowl
* Bowl cover
* Stirrer
* Jug
* Glasses
* Preheated oven 200°C
Step 1: Roasted Red Pepper & Beetroot Bloody Mary
A twist on the classic cocktail: The Bloody Mary
I'm not a big fan of Vodka, which is why I substituted gin in this recipe, feel free to leave out the alcohol all together or stick to traditional vodka.
1. Start off by cutting in half the red pepper and removing the stalk and seeds, roast in the oven at 200°C for 20-30 minutes.
2. Remove the pepper from the oven and place in a bowl with a cover/ plate/ lid on top. The heat from the peppers will create steam, which will loosen the thin skin, making it easier to peel.
3. Leave to cool, then remove the skin (which should be very easy at this stage).
4. In a blender add the beetroot, tomatoes (or tomato juice), salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and chilli sauce, blend until smooth. Add in the now cooled and peeled roasted red pepper, blend again.
5. At this stage you may or may not need to add water to dilute the mixture. If you use tomato juice you won't need as much water. 2
Keep adding until you get the consistency you like. Here I aimed for a tomato soup thickness.
6. Transfer the mix to a jug and leave to chill in the fridge whilst you prepare the (optional) garnish and glasses. If you don't wish to garnish, allow to chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
7. Using cocktail sticks add your garnish, here I used cherry tomatoes, pickled onions and olives. You can add cornichons (gherkins) and even a celery stick.
8. Once the Bloody Mary mixture is cooled you are ready to serve.
9. If adding alcohol, add 5 ml per person to the Bloody Mary mixture and serve over ice cubes, add the garnish if using. If you prefer an alcohol free version, pour over ice cubes, garnish and enjoy.
Step 2: Cured Ham and Prune Appetizers
A super quick, but very tasty appetizer to accompany your roasted red pepper and beetroot bloody Mary.
INGREDIENTS
* Cured smoked ham or bacon
* Pitted prunes
UTENSILS
* Cooking tray
* Greasproof paper
* Plate
* Preheated oven 200°C
1. Take a ham slice (mine were quite wide so I folded them in half) and please a prune on one side
2. Roll the prune in the ham and place on a tray
3. Cook in a preheated oven at 200°C for 12-15 minutes, remove just as they start to brown around the edges.
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