I'm better acquainted with my inner rabbit than Iwas in my youth. But Idon't think my increasing propensity to eat vegetables raw is an age thing, and it's not some vain attempt to hold back the years. It's just that, now I'm older, I'm bolder, and a little readier to challenge assumptions that certain veg – most veg – should be cooked.
These days I'm more of the "give me one good reason not to eat this raw" school. There are, in fact, only two available: 1) "It might make you ill"; and 2) "It won't taste very nice." I've put a lot of raw vegetables in my mouth, and still haven't fallen victim to reason 1). As to reason 2), let me think… Potatoes, I guess, though raw sweet potato is rather nice.
By contrast, the list of veg Ieat as often raw as cooked is growing all the time. Peas, say, including sugar snaps and mangetout; asparagus (lovely dipped into garlicky mayonnaise); and a surprising range of roots, including beetroot, celeriac and even parsnip. Brassicas, too: young kale among the lettuces in a summer salad; shredded summer cabbage with asimple vinaigrette; thinly sliced cauliflower; kohlrabi… I'm also big on using herbs almost as salad leaves, great handfuls of flat-leaf parsley being my absolute fave. Of course, you can enjoy raw veg year round, but right now there is an abundance of the crunchy, the sweet, the fresh, the juicy and the aromatic.
Raw veg, of course, naturally lend themselves to instant gratification. But it's not always just a case of giving it a quick wipe or rinse and sinking in your teeth. Imagine crunching into an onion or a bulb of fennel as if it were an apple – that wouldn't be fun. Or chewing on awhole, raw mushroom – again, not very appealing. But slice that fennel into thin slivers, toss it with a lovely, mustardy dressing and sprinkle on crumbled goat's cheese – now you're talking. Or finely slice that mushroom, layer it on a platter, anoint with olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley and lemon juice, and you've got a nice little starter or side salad.
The way you cut your raw veg (and fruit) can make a phenomenal difference to how they taste. Awhole raw carrot is one thing, carrot batons another, and finely grated carrot something else altogether. The size, shape and thickness of the piece that enters your mouth has a distinct effect on the way you register its flavour, as, of course, do the other ingredients with which you combine it. Often, the thinner the better. Slenderly slivered or finely diced veg delivers maximum taste for minimum mastication. So a decent blade, asturdy chopping board and a sharp grater are essential. A mandoline is even better, and a food processor comes in very helpful, too.
We don't have to be ascetic about raw, though. Toasted seeds and nuts are fabulous additions to raw assemblies, while ready-made, pre-cooked and even tinned foods are often found alongside raw veg and fruit in my salads, picnics and lunchboxes: breads and cheeses, lentils and beans, cooked and cured meats, all mingle well with the uncooked. It's the combinations of tastes and textures that really work: the creamy with the crisp and the sharp; the nutty with the tender and the crunchy; the salty with the sweet and the bland.
The character of a vegetable is often totally different uncooked, so raw veg are a great way to expand your culinary repertoire. If you don't like it boiled, roasted or fried, that does not mean you won't like it raw: peas, carrots, beetroot, broccoli and spinach, say, are all so very different in their raw state that it's always worth offering them to those who are not usually a fan. Explore the raw and you'll pretty much double your vegetable vocabulary.
Salad of cauliflower with peanuts and coriander (V)
Using finely chopped cauliflower to create a kind of veggie "rice" is a technique you'll find in the realm of raw food-ism. With some punchy seasonings, it's surprisingly delicious. I like this as a side dish alongside home-cooked, well-seasoned sushi rice and some sliced avocado, or maybe a dish of spicy satay. Serves four to six.
1 small to medium cauliflower (around 700g), untrimmed
Lime juice
About 50g roasted, unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 medium bunch coriander, picked
A few sesame seeds (optional)
For the dressing
⅓ garlic clove
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar
1 tsp freshly grated root ginger
1½ tbsp rice vinegar
1½ tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
Trim the leaves and most of the stalk from the cauliflower, and cut the florets into small pieces. Put these in a food processor and process until very finely chopped and a little like fluffy white grains. Transfer to a bowl.
For the dressing, crush the garlic with a pinch each of salt and sugar, and combine with the ginger, vinegar, oil and soy sauce.
Pour the dressing over the cauli, stir and season to taste. Add asqueeze of lime, scatter over the peanuts, coriander and sesame seeds, if using, and serve.
Beetroot salad with walnuts and cumin (V)
I love the crunch, sweetness and vibrant colour of raw beetroot, but it needs to be cut fine. With the warmth of cumin, walnuts and creamy yoghurt, it makes a salad packed with mouth-filling flavour. Serves four.
75g walnuts
2 tsp cumin seeds
About 400g beetroot
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Juice of 1 small orange
Squeeze of lemon juice
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
Sea salt and ground black pepper
2 tbsp plain, full-fat yoghurt
A pinch of hot smoked paprika
Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat and add the walnuts. Toast gently for a few minutes, tossing often, until they smell toasted and are colouring in a few places, then tip into a mortar. Put the cumin seeds into the frying pan and toast gently for a minute or two, tossing afew times, just until they start to release their scent. Tip on to a plate to stop them cooking further.
Peel the beetroot, grate it coarsely and put it in a bowl. (If you have fresh baby beetroot, just slice it verythin.) Add the parsley, orange juice, a squeeze of lemon and atablespoon of rapeseed oil, andseason. Stir, adjust the seasoning to taste and, if possible, leave for 20 minutes or so, during which time the dressing will marinate and tenderise the beetroot.
Spread the beetroot in a dish. Roughly bash the walnuts with thepestle and scatter over. Givethecumin a rough bash in themortar and scatter most of it over the beets. Finish with afinal trickle of oil, dot with blobs of yogurt and sprinkle on the remaining cumin and the paprika.
Sprouted lentil, avocado and cheddar sandwich (V)
A raw lentil sandwich? Yes! Soaked and left to sprout, lentils go tender and nutty, and more of their goodness is unlocked. Sandwiches are just one application; they're also delicious in salads and I like to add them to a stir-fry for the last few minutes of cooking. Serves two.
50g green or puy lentils
1 large, ripe avocado
4 slices good fresh white or brown bread (toasted, if you prefer)
Sliced or grated mature cheddar
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Mayonnaise or butter (optional)
Put the lentils in a good-sized bowl (they will expand) and cover with cold water. After about 24 hours, tip into a sieve to drain off the water. That's the complicated stage out of the way. After that, you simply rinse and drain the lentils twice a day, morning and night, for four or five days, keeping them sat in the sieve suspended over a bowl. Cover loosely with a tea towel or piece of muslin, but don't use clingfilm because they need to breathe. On the second or third day, you will see tender, pale shoots. A day or so later, these will have grown into 2cm wiggly tails and you'll have what look like lentilly tadpoles. Give them a final rinse, drain and they are ready to eat, raw or cooked. They'll keep in the fridge for up to five days.
To make your sandwich, peel and stone the avocado. If it is ripe enough, spread it over two of the slices of bread like a thick layer of butter; alternatively, slice it thickly and lay on the bread. Put a good handful of sprouting lentils on top, add some cheese and season. Lightly spread the other slices of bread with mayonnaise or butter, place over the lentils and apply a bit of pressure to bed everything down. Cut in half and serve at once.
