Vegetables à la Grecque
A recipe from Stephen Markwick
This was served with the cold meats on the cold table at the Hole in the Wall restaurant in Bath run by George Perry-Smith who was one of Stephen’s early mentors.
It’s a fresh pickle which goes well with charcuterie such as ham hock terrine. You can use one vegetable or a mixture, in which case go for a contrast of colour and texture such as the combination of red pepper, courgette and cauliflower.
Serves 8 – 10 as an accompaniment
Ingredients
- Vegetables to marinate e.g. 1 pepper, ½ a medium-sized cauliflower, 2 medium-sized courgettes.
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 2 bay leaves
- A sprig of thyme
- 12 crushed peppercorns
- 12 crushed coriander seeds
- 2 chopped cloves of garlic
- 150ml olive oil
- Salt
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
Method
- Put the flavouring ingredients into a large pan with 600ml of water.
- Add a little salt and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the flavour.
- Meanwhile prepare the vegetables by trimming them and cutting into neat, equal-sized pieces.
- Cook the vegetables individually in the flavoured liquid until just tender but still al dente so they have some crunch,
- Transfer the vegetables to a serving bowl as each is cooked and scatter over the parsley.
- Reduce the liquid, if necessary, to a coating consistency and pour over the vegetables.
- Toss well together, adjust the seasoning and leave to cool.
To serve
This dish can be refrigerated in a lidded container for 3-4 days. After that the vegetables will lose their bite.