By Christine Salins.
Pick a card, any card … Let Alice Zaslavsky inspire you to create something wonderful with whatever is in your kitchen.
The author of In Praise of Veg and, more recently, The Joy of Better Cooking, has created a colourful and handy little set of cards that can sit on the kitchen bench so you can easily reach them for quick inspiration.
The Little Box of Veg (Murdoch Books, $29.99) has more than 100 recipes showcasing 48 delicious veg. The colour-coordinated cards include advice on choosing/storing/prepping each veg, quick cooking ideas and a feature recipe like the Eggplant Rolls featured here.
Zaslavsky, cookery columnist for The Weekend Australian Magazine, host of Saturday Breakfast on ABC Radio Melbourne, and culinary correspondent for ABC News Breakfast, is all about low-effort, high-return, veg-forward cooking.
In the space of a decade, she has gone from being a high school teacher to an award-winning cookbook author, cookery writer, media star and creator of the digital food education program, Phenomenom.
She’s won praise from Nigella Lawson and Yotam Ottolenghi and was Ottolenghi’s choice of conversation partner for his Australian tour. She also spearheaded the creation of the Melbourne Food Bowl Virtual Farm, an interactive tool helping students connect with regenerative agriculture practises in meaningful ways.
Late last year, Zaslavsky released The Joy of Better Cooking (Murdoch Books, $49.99), designed to help readers break free of the fears and pressures around being a “good cook” and instead moving them towards finding moments of joy every time they step into the kitchen.
Starting with Slapdash (outstanding stuff simply thrown together) then moving to On Autopilot (great for weeknights on the fly) and Making the Most of It (gluts and leftover makeovers), you’ll soon be ready to Loosen Your Shoulders (weekend pottering and entertaining) and some Seriously Good Sweeties.
This vibrant kitchen manual contains stacks of veg-forward recipes that you’ll want to cook regularly, but the real gold lies in the handy kitchen skills and know-how that help build the foundations for a lifetime of better cooking.
GEORGIAN EGGPLANT ROLLS
Serves 4
olive oil spray
5 to 6 small-medium
eggplants, 1.5 kg in total
1 cup (120 g) shelled walnuts
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon curry powder
pomegranate seeds, to serve
coriander leaves, to serve
Pomegranate sauce
⅓ cup (80 ml) pomegranate molasses
⅓ cup (80 ml) tahini
⅓ cup (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line three baking trays with baking paper and spray with olive oil spray.
Cut the eggplants vertically into slices 8 mm thick. Try to keep the ‘butts’ on each side to a minimum, as these don’t fold too well. Arrange on the lined baking trays in a single layer, then spray with olive oil spray. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, turning over halfway, until golden on both sides, softened and cooked through.
Meanwhile, blitz the walnuts, garlic, vinegar, spices and ¼ cup (60 ml) just-boiled water in a blender until a smooth paste forms. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine all the sauce ingredients and set aside.
When the eggplant is completely pliable, remove from the oven and leave until cool enough to handle. Scoop a teaspoon of the walnut paste onto one of the short edges of each slice, then roll, pressing the end over and resting it on this side to keep it secure.
Arrange the eggplant rolls on a platter. Drizzle with some of the dipping sauce and scatter with pomegranate seeds and coriander. Serve with remaining sauce.
Recipe and images from The Little Box of Veg by Alice Zaslavsky, photography by Ben Dearnley. Murdoch Books RRP $29.99.
