SAVOUR & SIP
ELISHA EATS
IT’S OFFICIALLY VEGANUARY – AND ELISHA YOUNG (AKA @ELISHA.EATS ON INSTAGRAM) WANTS TO INSPIRE YOU TO EAT YOUR FIVE A DAY
t’s cold. It’s dark. Christmas is officially over. And now everyone is telling you to go to the gym six times a week and eat nothing but plants all month? No thanks. But Veganuary doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. You already know that eating your greens is good for you, and everyone is all too aware of the climate crisis and the impact meat farming has. But becoming vegan (even temporarily) can seem so hard – especially when all you want to do is lie face-down in a vat of extra creamy mac and cheese and hibernate until spring. January is the worst month to feel like you’re depriving yourself. And anyway, those tins of Quality Street aren’t going to eat themselves. But then, Veganuary is also a good opportunity to discover new dishes and maybe even save a bit of money. It’s also a very popular New Year’s resolution. Even if you can’t bring yourself to commit to a whole month, meat-free Mondays are a good compromise – and there are only five Mondays this January, which seems pretty manageable in the grand scheme of things. This month, I’ve chosen to highlight parsnips. They’re often unfairly maligned – only added to Christmas meals and Sunday roasts as an afterthought. But I love their sweet, earthy flavour and ghostly colour. And since you probably have some languishing in the bottom of your fridge drawer from the Christmas aftermath, they shouldn’t be too hard to find. As a root vegetable, they do particularly well when diced and roasted in the oven, especially with some honey or maple syrup to complement their natural sweetness. But they also make for delicious rösti, gratins, cassoulets and stews. Parsnips will improve almost any winter classic – and they pair amazingly with herbs and spices. This month’s recipe suggestion is spiced parsnip soup. And it is ridiculously easy to make. I chopped up my parsnips (without peeling them, since there are lots of vitamins and minerals in the skin), roasted them in vegetable oil with turmeric,
PARSNIP SOUP FOR THE SOUL Eating a more plant-based diet doesn’t have to mean reduced flavour – just let your culinary imagination run wild
Even though I’m using parsnips as my example, you can substitute them with any vegetables you have going spare. The important thing isn’t the vegetable itself, but the creativity you put into the dish. Obviously, vegetables seem boring and uninspiring if they’re the lacklustre backdrop to meat or fish, overcooked and unseasoned. But I’m challenging you to try something different. Experiment with flavours, textures and cooking methods. Look to different countries for ideas. You could try japchae from Korea, Buddha’s delight from China, mushroom tagliatelle from Italy, ratatouille from France, miso soup from Japan… the possibilities are endless – all of them delicious.
coriander seeds and cumin seeds, then blended them with vegetable stock, sea salt and plenty of pepper. I topped my soup up with croutons, fried onions and coriander leaves, but it would be equally delicious mopped up with any kind of bread you have lying around. Discover new dishes and save a bit of money
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK JANUARY 2023 49
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