Winter produce is stubbornly holding on, still making up our vegetable buys of the week. Officially spring, we may have a hankering for asparagus and other newbies but patience is required. Those first green spears are in short supply and therefore expensive. Meanwhile there’s lots you can do to give the plentiful produce, below, a lighter, fresher touch as the weather warms.
Broccoli: Delaney Mes' super-healthy raw broccoli pesto with noodles and thickened yoghurt (below) transitions from dinner to lunch the next day and is great with barbecued meats, too, if you want to move your menus in a more summery direction.
Broccolini: While the barbecue is uncovered, give those sweet stems a good grilling. Containing calcium, folate and iron, they are high in vitamin C. Charred, nutty and delicious barbecued broccolini (photographed at the top of the page) works well with either meat or fish, and the best bit — it goes from fridge to table in less than five minutes.
Red and green cabbage: Make a slaw but zip it up with a zingy Mexican or Asian dressing. Try Delaney's super seedy slaw on your tacos or refried beans.
Cauliflower: Make a salad. Try Peter Gordon's spiced roast cauliflower and garlic with tahini yoghurt dressing or Viva's cauliflower, brussels sprouts and citrus salad.
Spinach and spring onions: Kathy Paterson thinks risotto. Her spring risotto is a cinch and also incorporates frozen peas and basil pesto (store-bought or plucked from your freezer).
Kale and brussels sprouts: Warren Elwin honey coats pecans (or any other nut) and bakes them to add instant appeal to his LA-inspired brussels sprouts, kale and pecan salad.
Meanwhile round beans are also plentiful and affordable this week (no need to top and tail) and lettuces are starting to flourish in northern gardens.
We're all for salads but try cooking your cos for a change. Cooking brings something new and exciting to stir-fries and side dishes. Try this grilled cos caesar from Depot and Federal Deli executive chef, Kyle Street or Laurie Black's stirfried lettuce, snowpeas and prawns.
The French, of course, have always braised lettuce with their peas. In a heavy-based saucepan, melt 50g butter over a low heat. Add 1 finely diced onion and cook until soft. Add 550g fresh or frozen peas, 6 sliced lettuce leaves and 70ml chicken stock. Season to taste. Cover the pan and simmer the vegetables gently for 3 minutes. Add 1 tsp sugar, replace the lid and simmer for another 3 minutes. Turn into a heated vegetable dish and serve immediately. (Viva magazine)
As far as fruit goes, citrus and green kiwifruit are still good bets. Local raspberries are available in limited supplies along with Australian strawberries.