My squash crop
…eating it – well for me.
I don’t have a problem eating vegetables, or fruit, I love them. My problem is that I am a creature of habit and routine and I am rubbish at doing things differently. I am getting better at going with the flow generally and don’t have panic attacks as I did many years ago when I was first on my own with two small children. Whilst I have more or less conquered this problem I still find it hard to remember to cook different things and try new recipes.
I do like cooking but you know how it is when you work full-time in a demanding job – when you get home you just want to rustle something up quickly without much thought. The idea of trying something new after a long day doesn’t really appeal but I am going to have to get to grips with it or the whole point of having an allotment and growing my own will be lost.
One of my many cabbages
I have managed it before when I had a veg box delivered and when I have been on a diet so I know I can do it but whenever I stop trying I slip back to my standbys off ratatouille. Ratatouille is fine in the summer when there are home grown courgettes and tomatoes but in November when I have a pile of squashes . shallots, garlic and kale sitting waiting to be eaten, with cabbages and Jerusalem artichokes lurking in the wings it does seem to be the wrong approach.
I did take the approach when planning what to grow to only grow things I like to eat or think I would like to eat. However my unoriginal eating habits mean that if I only grew what I ate my allotment would only be productive for a few months with tomatoes, courgettes and salads. I am determined for the allotment to be productive for as much of the year as possible so I need to change my ways.
Black Tuscan Kale - which I need new ways to cook
So I am now on a mission not to eat ratatouille until my squashes have run out and I have to resort to using the courgettes I hid in the freezer. Tonight I made my first squash risotto and it wasn’t too bad. I won’t share the recipe here as it was a bit hit and miss as I desperately need to do some shopping for essential ingredients. However, thanks to my twitter friends I have a number of pasta and risotto recipes to try over the coming weeks as well as a wonderful soup recipe.
I need to find quick and easy alternatives to my favourite pasta, risotto and stir fry recipes so any suggestions will be welcome and I will be pouring over the recipe books over the coming evenings. Who knows I might be sharing recipes on the blog one day.
I resort to sauteing everything in olive oil and garlic…then I splash a few other spices as needed and it is delish…I also will do veggie casseroles on a weekend and make lots so i can heat it up during the week…sometimes I’ll make a couple so I have variety…I know what you mean about working full time and being too tired to cook especially as the sun has set and our bodies are looking at resting not cooking…the squash looks yummy!!
Hi Helen,
It is interesting how the allotment affects eating habits. I tend to eat much less meat in the summer as there are so many different veg around, whereas winter veg lends itself to traditional meat and veg stuff.
A curry is always a nice, easy recipe to do, and you can make it as spicy as you like. I find spinach and squash are always a good backbone to the curry.
Happy cooking!
I find I bring in a selection of veg from the garden and look at them hinking “what am I going to do with these?” I usually end up baking them (root veg), making risotto or a curry or if in doubt, soup. You wouldn’t think we had a whole cupboard of recipe books…
Isn’t it funny how we’ve all our ‘normal’ standards that we eat and cook – like both of you I’ll think, hmm, we’ll have that same old thing.
I’m a big stirfry fan thin chopping and quick saute’ing is ace, we do sesame oil and garlic – splash of soy. We did exactly that for tea tonight with home grown cabbage, carrot, onion and noodles (those quick instant ones which if you do it right only really blanching them before cooking, you can actually taste good).
Or roasting – newly a fan of that too. With cous cous its fab.
Or having a baked tattie with a selection of veggies in a cheese/white sauce – I’m a sucker for cheese – we’ve kale and cabbage hanging on outside – I feel a lot of tattie based dishes being created with both them and the trusty winter veggies. Winter food……..
I often cook extra rice (pasta, couscous, tattie etc) when I’m making it and box up the extra into portions for quick teas – if the ‘startchy bit’ is made, throwing together a quick something to go with it seems so much easier. But maybe its just psychological?
Goodluck!
Lovely read and you given me food for thought about what to grow as like you i only grow what i like and trying to get David my hubby to eat more vegtables .last nigth on the BBC FOOD REVILE they gentle cooked the kale in a little butter whiched looked nice,cabbage can be made into colslaw with carrots and onins you can also make chutnet or a relish with mostly anything now and like red cabbage you can pickle green cabbage happy gardening from Linda
I don’t think you are on your own here – I’m sure everyone has a basic list of recipes that they cook on a regular basis – I tend to throw everything in and hope for the best, whatever I cook.
So true! Not just eating, but harvesting too!! I often find after a days work, am just too tired to pick lovely veggies. Terrible. Perhaps of interest, with kale, chard, and and any other leafy veggies, I often make a ‘quiche’ type thing, crammed with veggies. Very good.
Your veg look fantastic! Some lovely ideas in the comments. Black Tuscan Kale (aka Cavelo Nero) is such a lovely thing. I put it in a minestrone style soup and use the little leaves in winter salads too. It goes well with creme fraiche for a pasta sauce too. I have to say I tried and didn’t like squash risotto so I tend to make mine into soup (with curry spices) or muffins (great for breakfast and lunch boxes!)
I wish I had this problem
)
Though actually my Mum says the same – I know if you have an allotment it can be an issue!
We made this lamb tagine recently and the recipe suggests you could substitute more squash for lamb if you want it veggie (and it has quite a lot of squash in it anyway) – it was really nice and very easy! Takes ages to cook, but the preparation time isn’t bad, the quantities in the recipe make a generous 8 portions and it freezes, so could be a goer?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/moroccanlambtagine_6696
No need to soak the apricots as long as they say though: or just buy soft ones and stick them in towards the end, then I don’t think you’d have to soak them at all.
Gaargh!!! Wrong link, sorry – we used this one:
http://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/m/moroccan_lamb_tagine.html
V.v. nice!
I think I’m better at eating than gardening. That kale is making me drool right now. I simply like it sauteed in olive oil with garlic. Tried kale chips but I think it’s much better raw or sauteed. The hardest part for me in growing my own is actually picking the vegetables and eating them because I think the vegetable garden looks so pretty. It’s like cutting flowers for me, but I get over it. One of my favorite sites for new recipe ideas is Heidi Swanson’s 101 cookbooks.
It’s funny that you say that the “hardest thing about growing your own …. is eating it” because that is exactly how I feel. It’s almost like devouring your masterpieces. However, it’s also gratifying to know that you are consuming the fruits of your own labor. So, I guess I’m in duality about this issue.
Black kale makes a lovely simple pasta sauce thats ready in the time it takes the pasta to cook…if you can be bothered strip out the midrib from the leaves and very thinly slice across the leaves. Steam or boil for a couple of minutes, drain and throw in a frying pan with olive oil and finely chopped garlic and chilli if you fancy. Dont cook it too high, you dont want the garlic to burn. Try it after a few minutes and stop cooking when its the tenderness you like-dont be afraid of a little bite. Of you want to add a dribble of cream then do, or keep it just oily. Salt, pepper, a scrape or two of nutmeg, parmesan if you like. Tip in the cooked pasta and stir
Meant to say, Jane Grigson’s Vehetable Book may be old b
Meant to say, Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book may be old but its hard to beat for ideas
Identify with this one! I have a whole bed full of kale and vast amounts of chard too. I like both but need sometimes to kick myself to get out there and cook them! Stupid but sometimes it’s hard to get out of the rut. Like Mark I think the Grigson veg book is great. also have Sarah Raven’s Garden Cookbook which is inspirational. Her best book I think.
Like you, work makes the food prep, fast and furious. Lots of wok food or sauteing of chicken, shrimp or beef with veggies and they are whatever I pick up fresh. Never a recipe, just a whim.
Sounds a familiar scenario! Certainly when I was working cooking an evening meal was a chore to be rushed through as quickly as possible and thinking of new ideas was too much for the old grey matter. One of our favourites is frittata into which we throw onions, red pepper, mushrooms etc. I am sure that you could include squash somewhere in there. Will look out for the recipe. By the way you will find that shallots and garlic (especially if you have grown long keeping varieties) can be stored for some considerable time. Happy munching