Same veg, three characters
The same tray of vegetables can taste like three different dishes: sautéed, grilled, or roasted.
Some people find the method changes the whole character: softer and sweeter from the oven, smokier off the grill. And each colour on the tray brings its own plant compounds, so a mix gives your body a wider range.
Which one will you come back to?
What you'll need
- 1 zucchini, ends trimmed, cut on the diagonal into thumb-thick pieces
- 1 yellow summer squash, cut the same way
- 2 big carrots, peeled and cut the same way
- ½ a broccoli head, cut into florets
- ¼ cabbage, cut into small squares
- 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 green capsicum, deseeded and cut into 2 cm strips
- 2 tsp fresh chopped ginger
- 2 pinches coriander powder
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Method
Steam or boil the cabbage and broccoli just until tender but still firm, then cool them in cold water and drain.
Whisk the oil with the ginger, coriander, salt, and pepper, toss each vegetable in a little of it, and leave to marinate a few minutes.
Now pick your way: sauté each one in a flat pan until lightly browned both sides; or grill them; or roast on separate trays at 250°C, giving the zucchini, squash, and capsicum 7–8 minutes and the carrots 10–15 (the cabbage and broccoli stay as they are).
Bring it all together, scatter over the Italian herbs, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cook it a few times. Notice how the method changes each vegetable's character, and which way you come to prefer it.