It’s winter! Get cosy and creative with these top five best-selling winter veggies
The first of June has ticked over and just like that we’re heading for the shortest day of the year on June 21st. Savour the flavours of winter with our top five best-selling winter vegetables and some delicious ways to use them.
Winter is a celebration of comfort and the sustenance the earth provides us over the poorer months. Our winter edition of our Seasonal Guide will tell you what’s available and in season over the winter months, the focus being on root vegetables and tubers which store well, and cruciferous vegetables providing crunch and freshness as well as valuable vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
It’s no surprise that our best sellers over winter in our fresh produce sections at Hill Street are pumpkin, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes and carrots.
Pumpkins are pure comfort no matter how they are prepared. Sweet and colourful, they make a brilliant pumpkin soup perfect for a mid-winter night with some oozy cheese toasties on the side. They’re a great side dish roasted along with a joint of meat and make a delicious mash too. Pumpkins’ taste partners include almost all cheeses, and especially soft, blue, goats, feta, and parmesan, walnuts, cinnamon, raisins, maple syrup, cream and brown sugar. They also work well in baked goods like cupcakes, oatmeal cookies and America’s festive favourite, pumpkin pie, perfect right now in the colder months in the southern hemisphere.
Cauliflowers are another cold weather staple and make a delicious creamy soup, with feta in this one making a delicious addition. Cauliflower has come into favour recently as a gluten-free, low-carb rice alternative and can even be made into a bread. Of course no traditional Tassie meat-and-three-veg dinner is complete without cauliflower cheese complete with a cheesy bechamel, or try this comforting cauliflower mac-and-cheese. Caulis pair wonderfully with melty cheeses like gruyere, cheddar and mozzarella, as well as parmesan, breadcrumbs, butter, parsley, capers, olive oil, lemon juice, turmeric, cumin, and garlic. Try this healthy curried cauliflower salad for a wholesome vegetarian lunch or tasty side dish.
Broccoli provides a welcome green element to dishes in winter and is a versatile vegetable which can be steamed, boiled, stir-fried and roasted. It makes a great soup; this one with the addition of blue cheese is a classic pairing. It’s great in a curry and provides freshness to a winter salad. Broccoli goes with lemon, garlic, parmesan, almond, pine nuts, walnuts, eggs, pasta, blue cheese, cream, chicken, olives and chillies.
Potatoes barely need any extra rap given the love Tasmanians have for potatoes and our prized local varieties such as Pinkeyes and Kennebecs. They are perhaps the most versatile of vegetables when it comes to comfort food. Not many can resist a buttery mash or a stuffed jacket potato. And of course potato and leek soup is a classic winter dish, a meal in itself. They are an almost compulsory side to any roast – try these cheat’s make-ahead duck fat potatoes or this tasty variation on the traditional potato gratin which includes parsnips. Potatoes go with butter, olive oil, garlic, onions, cream, milk, melty cheeses, parsley, chives, sage, cumin, coriander, saffron, bacon, mushrooms and spinach.
Carrots provide wonderful colour, crunch and sweetness to dishes in winter. They are a great accompaniment to a roast and are delicious slowly caramelised with onions. They can be used raw in a fresh healthy salad like this one, as a side dish like these carrots roasted with honey and tahini, or in a carrot hummus. They are truly good for your eyes (it’s not an old wives’ tale!) due to their Vitamin A and antioxidant content, and provide a range of nutrients and fibre which make them a great choice over winter. Carrots go with butter, cream, parsley, onions, potatoes, peas, nutmeg, honey, raisins, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and brown sugar.
