Among the many things I consider myself, chief among them would be a “traditional Irish specimen”. I’m pasty skinned, freckled, with a mop of ginger hair, and hold firm to the view that dinner isn’t dinner unless there is meat involved. So today I’m challenging myself. When we look at the phrase “meat and two veg”, I’m struck by the fact two-thirds of it relates to vegetables. Should two-in-three recipes in this column be vegetable-centric, in that case? I’d be interested to know what you think (you can message me via @markmoriarty1 on Instagram).
I’m also a fiend for side dishes when eating out. Some of the best food I’ve eaten in recent years has been those unexpected nuggets of flavour in smaller form. Sides are mostly vegetable-focused, and often inspire garnishes for my higher-end dishes. My wife is a saint. Picture this scene every time we go out for dinner: I get over excited and order half the menu and every available side. She tells me it’s too much food and won’t be finished. When the food arrives I photograph each dish, analysing every detail before demolishing every scrap in record time, too stubborn to be proven wrong. Once we are home my stomach hurts and I can barely sleep. All in the name of bringing the best ideas and recipes to you, the reader. Who said romance was dead?
A key moment that shaped my understanding of vegetable cookery came in 2019. We were filming Beyond the Menu for RTÉ, tasked with telling the story of Mark Jennings and his wife Sadie at Pilgrims Restaurant in West Cork. Mark spent years working under Denis Cotter at the fabled Paradiso restaurant. I was pretty naive, having notions of what Mark’s food and ethos involved, with my fancy Dublin accent and flash trainers. The dishes were stunning, showcasing immaculate local produce that was “vegetable focused” as opposed to “vegetarian” or “vegan”. I loved it; what’s wrong with making a cabbage or a carrot the star of the show, backed up with some meaty garnishes? To top it off, Mark and Sadie were fantastic – passionate about their craft, focused and hard working, while bringing a sense of charm and personality to their work. I left with a different perspective on cooking which has stuck with me to this day. They argued that vegetables were always support to the headliner. This week’s recipes turn the support acts into stars.
First up I’m cooking carrots in a simple spiced butter. If nothing else, make the butter and keep it in your fridge for adding to potatoes or spreading on toast. Quinoa is a great ingredient for soaking up flavour, and handy to make in bulk for lunch the next day.
The second dish is a play on bacon and cabbage. Cabbage is really versatile, and here I’ve cooked it like a steak in the pan. A couple of minutes on each side and let it steam under a lid and you have a meat-like main with beautiful sweetness and “just soft” texture. A quick bacon sauce in the same pan reminds us of the classic, just flipped on its head.
Open your mind to the idea of putting vegetables front and centre, and you’ll be surprised at the impact on your mood, your taste buds and your wallet.
