The Christmas cake, the pudding, the mince pies and the brandy butter are all just memories now - but we still have some turkey left! We don't buy a turkey for Christmas, we buy a turkey crown. That way there is no carcase to dispose of - and it also makes carving just a little easier. Not that carving a whole turkey is exactly difficult. Anyway, we ate cold turkey last night, with baked potatoes and Brussels sprouts.
I wouldn't say that sprouts are my favourite vegetable, but I'm perfectly happy to eat them. There has long been an urban myth that English housewives start cooking the Christmas sprouts in about September so that they are properly softened by the time they are wanted to accompany the turkey. Absolute nonsense, of course. You can't buy sprouts in September. But many people are not especially keen on the "little green bullets". But maybe they have never tried eating them when served the way the Old Bat did them yesterday - mixed with pancetta and chopped chestnuts.
As I said, I wouldn't describe sprouts as my favourite vegetable. But then, there are lots of vegetables that would not merit that description; there can, after all, be only one favourite. I don't know what I would call my favourite. I'm bored with broccoli (which we seem to eat almost every day) and French beans are very popular with She Who Cooks. She is less keen on peas, which I do like very much, especially when picked and eaten only ten minutes later! But I enjoy frozen peas as well. I like parsnips very much - provided they are roasted. Our local Italian restaurant decorates some dishes with thin slivers of parsnip, either baked or fried, I'm not sure which, but either way, they are delicious.
Sweet corn I love, either as corn on the cob or the frozen - what do you call them? Bits? But preferably not tinned. I'm not keen on any tinned vegetables, except baked beans - which are another of the OB's less-liked vegs. Carrots, cabbage, swede, cauliflower - bring it all on!
Oddly enough, I think my favourite vegetable is probably the humble potato. It is so versatile, eaten as plain boiled potato with steak and kidney pudding, or mashed with things like boeuf bourguignon. Roasted, baked, served as chips, wedges (with plenty of mixed herbs), potato cakes or rosti.
I'll have to stop: I'm getting hungry!
6 comments:
I like potatoes too. But sprouts are very nice. I got some from Lidl which were absolutely horrid and I had to throw them away which put me off but I had better go and buy some more now that they are in season! I have also become rather a fan of butternut squash, usually combined with other veggies though. And what would we do without the delicious taste of onion? Some vegetables are better as accompaniments than on their own, I suppose.
I'm not too fond of broccoli. I was happy when the doctor told me it contributed to my kidney stones and to stop eating it. I do like Brussels Sprouts. My pops used to call them "arm pit cabbage" apparently they grow underneath the leaf.
Jenny, how could I forget onion? And garlic, too? (I especially love escargots in olive oil and garlic!) But butternut squash I could do without.
And Joe, your dad was quite right, sprouts do grow under the leaves. Not that I have ever managed to grow them.
Potatoes are always high on my list, but Turnip (or Rutabaga; maybe it's what you call Swede? The big round root vegetable with a purple top) is right up there, also. As a matter of fact, just bout any root vegetable is my preference. Of those that grow above ground, probably cabbage, maybe snow peas.
You're right, Jim. Rutabaga is called swede over here. But I've never heard of snow peas?
I'm a huge fan of potatoes too other than just boiled, for some reason boiled potatoes offend me although I love them mashed. I may be a bit odd, I can't eat carrots cut into round shapes, they have to be cut into match sticks. Love broccoli though and cauliflower (but only as cauliflower cheese). I'll eat just about any vegetable if it's cooked (and cut) right except for broad beans, they always taste tinny to me.
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