site search by freefind	advanced

Veggies
Yes! Again...
We have written an awful lot about vegetables and vegetarians, but have you noticed lately how many articles there are in the media about vegans? I still do not understand why anybody, unless it is for health reasons ordered by a doctor, would give up a very important part of ones daily food intake! Give up any food for that matter! When my son left home and went to live overseas, he became a vegetarian, because of kashrut! That is a very good reason and one which avoids an awful lot of comments and situations.

Lately, one of the British newspapers had a series of 20 veggie recipes, all very complicated with 15 to 20 ingredients! As you know, too many ingredients is my pet peeve! Recipes with names like "bitani", "bucatini" and how about "caponata"?... What is wrong with using good old English names? They are writing in a British newspaper, for English speaking public!

I really do not think it is such a great upheaval when you are a vegetarian, but why? The belief that you stop hurting animals? Utter bosh! Think "kosher"! Why give up one of the great pleasures of life? Because believe me, when you are "old-and-grey" and can still eat everything, as far as I am concerned there is nothing better then a good meal! I do not believe that you can have it by saying that "I do not eat that, or that, or that!... Yes! I know! Enough!

Lentils were a feature in one newspaper; after all those complicated veggie recipes it was a great relief when finally I came across a lentil recipe! Remember our simple delicious lentils with the "holy-three"? Simply cook the lentils, then fry a chopped onion, then add a grated carrot and a chopped celery stick, or two! Lots of salt-pepper... Fry well together mix in the lentils, steam a bit more for them all to get good and friendly and hey presto, a perfect lentil dish that even the L&M likes! And if you do not think that this is enough for a main meal, you can always poach eggs on top! Just make indentations with a glass in the lentils and drop an egg into each. Heaven!

There is a lentil curry in today's newspaper, which I will NOT try; there are half a dozen things you have to 'heat-till-they-pop', like cardamom pods, cloves and cumin... one then pounds them together in a mortar till your arm falls off... then you fry ginger and garlic - whole of this and whole of that... See what I mean? Who has all that stuff in their kitchen?... Make the lentils with the "holy-three"! Delicious!

But there were a few good ideas if you use your own judgment and skip most of the ingredients. Like the potato pizza; it would never occur to me to put potatoes on a pizza, but this one sounds lovely, IF you skip most of the ingredients they insist on mixing. Just use the sliced cooked potatoes, a lot of fried onions, lots of goat cheese, drips of oil and some fresh basil! Possibly thyme? And why when you watch them prepare a recipe on TV, when its ready and they present it to the camera, they always grab a bottle of oil and dribble some onto the dish? Annoys the hell out of me! Are they getting paid for pushing the oil or just being stupid?

I was always told that when you are a vegetarian, you must eat a lot of beans. Sort of dangerous, when your background is Europe and you believe that they create... but now, in this "time-of-day", they sort of represent meat... Right! Tell it to the you know who! We used to make a three-bean-salad, which we all loved. Just mix any three beans you like; mix it with any dressing you like and hey presto! Nigel came up with a nice one which he put on toasted ciabatta, which I looked up on Goole and discovered that it is bread! So, why not call it bread? I think you-ALL know what bread means to me! Anyway: he mixes boiled broad beans, shelled peas, salad leaves, mint leaves and hard cheese, whatever that is! He adds a dressing of lemon juice olive oil and balsamic vinegar and you have "toasted ciabatta with salad"!

Send your questions to The Wacky Cook: email: debbiemorgenshtern@gmail.com      

Debbie Morgenstern is the author of "My Life in Israel" and other short stories.
"My Life in Israel" can be purchased by accessing this link: "My Life in Israel"