The Inspired Vegetarian

I've been trying to entice people to come to vegetable cooking classes for years. They have been, ahem, slightly less than popular. Until Jessica Bongard's The Inspired Vegetarian class, that is, where everything fresh and bright and green was on the menu, and vegetable lovers and vegetarians alike arrived in droves ready to cook and eat. The food was amazing.

An avid cook who also works at Half Pint Farm in Burlington's Intervale, Jessica is as vivacious about vegetables as anyone I know. We made grilled zucchini rolls, pickled radishes, omelettes with ricotta and greens, and asparagus and roasted sweet potato salad (recipes below). Her recipes are full of fun, flair, and of course, flavor!

I'm excited to bring her back seasonally to teach some of her favorite dishes. In between, you can catch her at her home cooking studio, Sweet Lime, for a mouth-watering selection of monthly classes and beautiful food photograhy.

Here are some photos from the class:

Jessica demonstrates how to roll grilled zucchini around fresh goat cheese and microgreens.

 

The zucchini were first cut on a mandolin, then oiled and lightly grilled on a stovetop griddle.

 

The results are too pretty for words!

 

Light and fluffy omelettes stuffed with ricotta and basil and served with pickled radishes.

 

Here's a close-up of the pickled radishes, flavored with coriander and star anise.

 

Asparagus and roasted sweet potato salad rounded out the meal, generously dressed with a lemon vinaigrette.

Save-the-date: Join us for another Inspired Vegetarian cooking class on Monday, August 5, at 6 p.m.!

Grilled Zucchini Rolls

3 medium sized zucchini, cut lengthwise using mandolin

1 Tbs. olive oil

pinch of salt and pepper to taste

4 oz. fresh goat cheese

1 Tbs. minced fresh parsley

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

2 cups microgreens or pea shoots

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves

Preheat your grill pan over medium heat.  The outermost slices of the zucchini can be composted since they are too thick for use.  Once all the zucchini is sliced with the mandolin, lay them out on your work surface and lightly brush both sides with olive oil and season with a bit of salt and pepper.  Grill until dark grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side.  In a small bowl, using a fork, mix the goat cheese, parsley, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Roughly roll a ball of cheese the size of a grape and place it at one end of the zucchini strip.  Place one small basil leaf and a little pile of micros or pea shoots on top, and roll it up.  Repeat. Serves 4, makes 16 rolls. Adapted from The Food You Crave, by Ellie Kriege.r

Pickled Radishes

1 bunch radishes

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled, and sliced into matchsticks

½ tsp. coriander seeds

1 star anise

1 red chili pepper, deseeded and finely diced

2 tsp. sugar

4 Tbs. white wine vinegar

½ tsp. salt

Trim and slice radishes lengthwise.  Place into a bowl along with the strips of fresh ginger.  Heat a small pan over medium-low heat and toast coriander and anise for a minute or so.  Add the chill, sugar, vinegar and salt and allow to simmer to dissolve sugar and salt granules.  Stir vinegar mixture into radishes.  Cover and put in the fridge to mellow overnight. Serves 6 as an accompaniment. Adapted from Delicious Magazine UK

Omelet with Ricotta and Greens

3 eggs

splash of milk

2 Tbs. butter

3-4 Tbs. Maplebrook ricotta

handful of chopped sorrel/watercress, parsley, tarragon and chervil

Lightly beat the eggs and milk together with a fork in a bowl.  In a nonstick pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Pour the eggs into the pan when the butter begins to foam.  Allow them to set a bit, 2-3 minutes or so.  Tilt the pan and using a spatula, lift one edge of the omelet and let some of runny egg run underneath.  Reduce the heat to low.  When the eggs have set on the bottom and still slightly runny on top, add 3-4 Tbs. of ricotta and half the herbs down the center.  Let it cook a bit more until the underside is a light golden brown.  Fold into thirds and turn out onto a plate.  Garnish with leftover herbs.  Season with salt and pepper. Serves 1-2. Adapted from Canal House Cooking vol.4

Asparagus & Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths

juice of ½ a lemon

2 spring onions, finely chopped

½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 cup arugula, roughly chopped

For the dressing:

2 green chili peppers, seeded, minced

zest and juice of 1 lemon

¼ tsp. sugar

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400F.  Mix sweet potato and 1 Tbs. of olive oil with salt and pepper on a baking sheet.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring 2-3 times to allow even browning.  Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add asparagus and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes until light golden in parts.  Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice and place in a large bowl.  Whisk all the dressing ingredients with salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Add the sweet potato to the large bowl with the asparagus.  And also add the chopped spring onion, parsley and arugula.  Add desired amount of dressing and toss together gently to combine.  Serve immediately. Serves 4. Adapted from Delicious Magazine Australia