Commentary from Chef Kathryn Taylor

No longer is ‘vegetarian’ a word confined to the world of Hare Krishna’s or hippies. The foundation has been built and a new era of vegetarian cuisine is emerging worldwide.

To some, breaking down the mental barrier many meat eaters possess when it comes to vegetarian food may seem nigh on impossible, but it is not as hard as it sounds.  Vegetables are the epitome of freshness and flavour, not to mention the obvious health benefits.

Put these naturally existing advantages together with some talented chefs, passionate about what they do and you have a cuisine which now appeals to a good proportion of the population.

In the US there are a number of thriving vegetarian restaurants enjoying great reviews.  From the more casual Eden Alley Café in Kansas to Green Zebra in Chicago; offering top end vegetarian cuisine, it would seem people from all walks of life are beginning to embrace vegetarian food.  Ian Brandt, a co-founder of Sage’s Café in Salt Lake City claims that as little as 30% of their clientele are strictly vegetarian, meaning the majority of their trade is from meat eaters.

When one considers the huge array of vegetables, fruit, grains & pulses available to chefs, the possibilities, while not endless, are vast. Meat options are much more limited, so vegetarian cuisine has the potential to be more diverse. Diversity allows it to appeal to a wider range of palates, which means a larger audience, including many former doubters.

For so long, chefs have limited vegetarian dishes to the obvious and boring – a token gesture for the ‘annoying’ vegetarian customers. One look at Green Zebra’s menu and it is clear how far vegetarian cuisine has come; waving goodbye to the carnivore skeptics on its way into mainstream and fine dining restaurants. It is food no longer about being vegetarian for vegetarians sake. Its popularity is due first and foremost, to the fact that it tastes great.

Commentary from Chef Kathryn Taylor

As far as the fashion world is concerned, Black is always in fashion. Other colours may come and go, but black will always be there; right at the top.

In the world of vegetables, beetroot takes the place of black. Always in season, always plentiful, and lets not forget how good it tastes!

Here’s a dish I throw together when I’m pushed for time. It ticks all the boxes and when you when you’re in a hurry its great not having to brown the meat first. And did I mention it’s a one pot wonder!? How can you lose?

Venison with Beetroot and Chilli

serves 4

400g New Zealand farm raised venison pieces
1 beetroot, top and tailed and chopped
2 onions, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, chopped
3 Tbsp wholemeal flour
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cup water
1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

Preheat oven to 170°C.
Place venison, beetroot, onions and carrots in an ovenproof dish.
Mix the flour, soy sauce and water together in a small bowl, add the chilli and garlic and mix. Pour over venison and vegetables.
Bake in preheated oven for 2 hours or until meat is tender. Stir occasionally, adding more water if necessary.
Serve on boiled rice (as pictured) or mashed kumara.

Commentary from Chef Kathryn Taylor

Auckland has seen a pretty wet winter, so the recent few days of sunshine  and the beginning of day light saving have brought my mind to spring and all the wonderful vegetables that come with these sunny pre-summer months.

Spring is a season full of green – asparagus, broad beans,  globe artichokes, fennel, snowpeas, peas and of course the good old spring onion.

A widespread cry from chefs around the world is the need to utilise seasonal and local produce. We are incredibly lucky in NZ that we have a vast range of vegetables available locally, whatever the season.

It’s not hard to be inspired by spring. Fresh, light dishes that accentuate the goodness and natural sweetness of spring vegetables are where it’s at.

Spring is a season to celebrate abundance. Virtually all spring vegetables will make a simple lamb or seafood dish come to life. Here’s some of my favourite ways with Spring Vege;

Grilled artichoke with wasabi mayonnaise– great with grilled salmon, marinated squid and sesame seared tuna.

Broad bean, fennel & artichoke salad – fantastic on its own, but will compliment any lamb or chicken dish on offer.

Baby pea and asparagus mousse – wonderful as an entrée with prosciutto or crispy pancetta

Enjoy!

Commentary from Chef Kathryn Taylor

Recently, I was lucky enough to be invited to be a guest at the Toque d’Or competition lunch. As vegetables.co.nz is a major sponsor, the vegetable component of each dish was expected to shine as much as the protein.

As the main course featured beef, a lot of the usual suspects were used as accompaniments – potato, mushroom, and gaining a lot more of a following in recent years; beetroot. There were also a few less obvious choices on offer. A couple of competitors presented stuffed cabbage, in different forms, and the new ‘flash’ version of broccoli – brocollini, came up a couple of times as did caramalised/sticky/roasted shallots.

The winning team from Wellington Institute of Technology served up a Pumpkin maize with sticky shallots, sweet potato fondant and brocollini to accompany their Beef Wellington.

A colourful combination of Kumara fondant, baby purple carrots, glazed golden beets, brocollini and green pea puree was possibly the most vegetable-centric dish and was served up by the New Zealand School of Culinary Arts.

Toque d’Or is a fantastic event, showcasing not only the high level of talent we have in New Zealand, but also our exceptional produce in all its various forms.

Chef Sara Harrel runs The Veg Company (vegcompany.com) in Canada. It is a consulting firm specialising in vegetarian cuisine development and food marketing. She is a part time instructor in Vegetarian Cuisine at the George Brown Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts, and the Continental Representative – Americas, on the WACS Education Committee.

Sara says people are now more interested in taking care of their long term health. Various studies have shown that following a balanced vegetarian diet can have a positive impact on health. This can include a reduction in some cancers, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Vegetarians tend to be leaner, therefore avoiding many of the risks associated with obesity.

She also comments that vegetables are increasingly being served as main courses rather than as side dishes. Increased exposure to International cuisines where vegetables are the focal point has also influenced this trend.

We all know that dishes must look, sound and taste great to be chosen and enjoyed and we are seeing some fantastic flavours and textures offered as vegetarian fare .

Sara Harrel’s story can be read at http://www.wacs2000.org/wacs2010/en/news/chefs_corner.php

A new national survey shows that more than two thirds of New Zealand children and young people are not getting their recommended daily fruit and vegetable intake, despite saying they care very much about staying fit and being physically active.

Carrots

The National Survey of Children and Young People’s Physical Activity and Dietary Behaviours in New Zealand commissioned by PARC together with the Ministries of Health, Education and Youth development was published in September 2010. From September 2008 to May 2009 it looked at the eating habits and attitudes of 2,503 New Zealand children and young people aged 5-24.%

In terms of general food habits, children and young people are eating enough fruit, but not enough vegetables.

Salad greens

The survey found that over two thirds (68.3%) of this group are not eating the recommended 5+ a day servings of fruit and vegetables. Although over one third (39.7%) of those surveyed did eat 3+ servings of vegetables a day, less than a third (31.7%) met the 5+ a day servings recommendation for both fruit and vegetables. A similar figure of young people (29%) recalled seeing at least one advertisement for 5+ a day.

However, most (91%) 5-9 year olds knw that fruit and vegetables are healthy foods and the majority of the group surveyed (80%) said that ‘eating fruit and vegetables’ was part of eating healthily.

The survey also found that female children care ‘very much’ about eating healthily and that country children are more likely to eat 3 servings of vegetables than city children. Over half (56.1%) of children grow vegetables at home or school and most (92.8%) eat these vegetables.

Vegetables.co.nz has resources available to help teachers encourage their students to eat the recommended 3+ a day servings of vegetables. See http://www.vegetables.co.nz/resources/educational.php

Further information on the survey can be found at the Ministry of health website: http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/national-survey-cyp-physical-activity-dietary-behaviours-08-09-sept2010

Jerusalem Artichokes have certainly been hot this season. The NZ Culinary team served them quartered and roasted to 70 guests in the Battle of the Tasman winning dish.

My Artichoke soup has been a real treat for those lucky enough to be served a bowl.

They also featured at the Masterclasses held at the 2010 Fisher & Paykel World Cooking Theatre at the Auckland Home Show.

Chef Roberto Manuel from Auckland’s SkyCity produced artichoke pearls. He made a purée with artichokes, olive oil, garlic and shallots, mustard, martini and cream and then used calcium salts to produce spheres of the purée. It was so delicious.

Artichoke pearl

See the Chefs’ recipes and ideas section for more about Roberto’s masterclass.

It appears as though the situation across the Tasman is the same as here and the message is – involve your children and don’t give up!

A vegetable industry report has revealed that almost 50% of families with children under the age of 15 find that their children’s eating habits have a major influence on how many vegetables their household consumes.

AUSVEG has found that what children like or dislike influences their family’s purchasing decisions. Children dislike trying new foods but need to develop a taste for it – they often need to try small amounts of a new food up to nine times before learning to like it.

Mr William Churchill, AUSVEG spokesman, said that “There is no one-size-fits-all solution to address this problem as each family across Australia is different, however, there are several key factors that affect families buying vegetables. Parents need to realise getting their children to eat vegetables takes time, like when you first start to ride a bike, it takes time to get used to the process. Parents need to remember this and encourage their children to eat vegetables, provide positive feedback and hopefully vegies will become a regular inclusion at meal times,” Mr Churchill said.

He went on to say that “Parents and friends play a key role in regards to their children’s attitude towards vegetables.”

Mr Churchill hoped Australian children would become more involved in the kitchen and see the benefits of healthy eating especially after seeing the TV show, Junior MasterChef. He wants parents to try a range of promotional activities and strategies with their children to increase the amount of vegetables consumed. Research shows that when children are involved in growing, preparing and cooking vegetables, they are also more likely to eat them. Almost 40% of the young families interviewed said that their children encouraged them to purchase more vegetables as a result of these strategies. “Don’t force vegetables down their throat. Get children involved and you’ll be surprised how quickly they grow to accept vegetables in their diet,” Mr Churchill said.

AUSVEG represents over 9,000 vegetable and potato growers around Australia.

ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: William Churchill, Marketing Manager & Communications Coordinator Phone: (03) 9822 0388, Mobile: 0411 166 748, Email: william.churchill@ausveg.com.au