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egetables are not a side dish. Today, we are spoilt for choice with an abundance of wonderful produce at our fingertips, but we should still treat it with the respect it deserves. Cooking vegetables takes more thought and skill than cooking fish or meat. It’s also incredibly rewarding.
I love tomatoes. My grandfather’s tomatoes are still in my memory; the best I have ever tasted. The experience of growing up eating delicious tomatoes in season had a big impact on my father; he cannot get through a day without eating a fresh tomato.
They are so versatile: brilliant on their own or as part of a pasta sauce. My favourite recipe from Verdura is tagliatelle with tomatoes, courgettes and capers. It’s simple, tasty and a perfect summer dish.
My grandfathers tomatoes are still in my memory; the best I have ever tasted. He kept an immaculate greenhouse and grew Gardener’s Delight
As a child, I would watch my father eat tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers with such passion it would make me want to eat them, too. I picked this up from a young age and eventually took over salad duties. I’d caught Delia Smith on the telly tossing a salad with vinaigrette, and I felt inspired. I became hooked on eating and experimenting with salad. A seed had been planted.
At 15, I got a job washing dishes. From those humble beginnings, things took off. Vegetables were the star of the show at The River Café, where I started work in 1989. Looking back, it’s clear to me now how revolutionary the cooking there was, through its celebration of fruits and vegetables.
Our plates only got better as more Italian produce started coming into Covent Garden Market. Italian food at its core is vegetable based, and the Italians have perfected the art of getting a huge amount of fl avour from a handful of good-quality ingredients. You’ll get the best seasonal produce from a greengrocer or farmers market. Supermarkets are also getting good British produce. Good food starts with good shopping.
