A nice bit of turkey thigh, pigs in blankets, a boxing day ham, a Frankenstein-style three bird roast – Christmas is enough to give you the meat sweats. After spending the latter part of 2012 gorging on hot roasts and cold cuts, I for one am planning to start 2013 with a short spell of vegetarianism, this January our household goes green.
But while many New Year diet plans are pretty joyless – a post-binge dryathlon or zero tolerance policy on sugar – turning herbivore can enhance your cuisine rather then impoverish it. Removing meat from the equation means your cooking has to work harder on flavour. It’s relatively easy to produce a satisfying feast if a roasted joint, a juicy steak or some spicy sausage is the star of the show but there’s a more subtle alchemy to combining gorgeous greens and protein-packed pulses to create a taste sensation.
However, help is at hand. Last year we took a similarly meat-free approach to January inspired by a Christmas gift of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg Every Day! cookbook. A particular favourite from this leafy lexicon is Sweet Potato and Peanut Gratin a dish full of so many lusciously good things – peanut butter, cream, chilli, lime – that it cannot fail to satisfy. Nigel Slater’s Tender: Volume 1 is also a good pick for recipes that celebrate all that is to be found in the vegetable patch. That said, he often blows it by pointing out what a delicious accompaniment this cabbage dish or that broccoli bake would make to a side of bacon. For more vegetarian inspiration look to Indian cuisine – aromatic curries, comforting dahls and piquant pickles all satisfy the appetite via vibrant flavours rather than lumps of protein and animal fats. Try Madhur Jaffrey’s Eastern Vegetarian Cooking for an exotic encyclopaedia of recipes. And then of course there’s cheese – vegetarian society approved if you’re being truly faithful. A nutty Manchego, a toothsome Blue Vinney or a salty Feta are all, in my opinion, superior to any meaty alternative and are the reason I will never embark on a vegan January.
But what about eating out? Though thankfully no longer confined to nut roast, the vegetarian option on many menus is often singular and unimaginative. In Sheffield we’re not tripping over vegetarian restaurants either– Bilash Tandoori has a dedicated vegetarian menu and the Blue Moon Café will serve you up a plateful of wholesome tasty comfort food, but there aren’t many gourmet options. Therefore I’ll be sure to book a table The Showroom’s Vegetarian Evening on 19 January. Sous Chef, Jon Tite, will be cooking up a selection of meat-free dishes arranged à la mode round their principle ingredients:
Nut
Scotched chestnut, rocket and walnut pesto & sweet herbs
Leaf
Leek & Savoy cabbage boudin, Kale gougere, ale mustard & shallot jus
Fungi
Warm truffacotta, tortellini, salsify chips & gremolata
Root
Beetroot, parsnip & rooster potatoes mille-feuille, broccoli puree, Wensleydale & Jerusalem shavings
Fruit
Bitter orange brulee, Marmalade ripple ice cream & spiced shortbread
Coffee/tea and petit fours
Find out more and book tickets here.