Vegetables

[Champagne]

What would you consider to be the most boring vegetable in the world? (i.e. limited culinary use & bland taste).

I'm torn between marrows, courgettes and aubergines.

[Kim A]

Definitely marrow. Slimy, yucky, watery and not worth putting in your mouth. Courgettes and aubergines - can't agree with you on those - versatile, delicious and able to be cooked and eaten in loads of delicious ways.

[Plocket]

Sorry but I disagree - I adore stuffed marrow, and courgettes are gorgeous.

I absolutely loathe celery but couldn't call it boring. For me it's cabbage, especially if cooked by my grandmother when I was little!!!

[cameo]

love marrow - i'm the only one in my family.
hate aubergines and celery - but that doesn't necessarily make them boring!

i would have to say most boring vegetables are Peas - i like them i just find them boring!

[Rock'n'Roll]

i'd go for cucumber,can't see any point other than tainting a salad with a terrible taste

[n00dles]

Champers

You've not tried baked marrow?! Delicious, when it goes golden and gooey around the edges (like toffee)...very tasty!

Hollowed out and baked with favourite mix i.e. savoury mince or bolognese..delicious!

Courgettes, sliced and fried till golden with flaked almonds!

You can STICK the aubergines tho! ☺

[Sherry1]

I agree Rock'n'roll it's got to be cucumber... only place I like it is in Pimms!!!

[n00dles]

Marrow and Ginger Jam is nice too!

[billearly]

Try peeling and dicing marrow then saute in butter and herbs lovely, boring veg i cant stand swede although i am told cooked properly it is very good,agree with you as regard to aubergine though yuk

[Champagne]

Hi Noodles. I've actually dug out a recipe for stuffed marrow (with a bolognaise type sauce). So I'm going to try it before I make my final decision. I'm also going to try Moussaka for the first time so I may just change my mind about eggplant too!

[n00dles]

Go for it Champs

Plain boiled marrow is quite bland but with a white sauce can be quite tasty (onion or a little cheese added if you prefer).

Had a bad experience with a Moussaka once, and it did put me off - it was so bitter!

When we went to Cyrus a restaurant used to serve up a very popular starter....using courgettes sliced lengthways and filled with a delicious minced meat filling and grilled, but damn me I can't remember the name!...so if there's anybody out there that knows I will be very grateful....

Bon Appetite C.

[painterman]

Most boring vegetable? dot hawkes

[Blyss]

painterman , was that really needed ??
shame on you .

[lia*]

i love all vegetables! yum yum☺

[nickmo]

Hi n00dles - 'olokithakia gemista me kima' to you:

4 lbs ripe courgettes - go for the big ones for ease of stuffing
1 lb minced beef
2-3 medium sweet onions
2/3 cup rice
7 tbs butter
1 small bunch parsley
1 egg yolk
3 tbs flour
1 lemon
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

-Cut the ends off corgettes and take out all flesh

-Place 'shells' in a bowl of water and after 5 min strain them

-Put meat in a bowl with finely chopped onions and parsley and mix, add rice, salt and pepper and mix and water or stock to loosen if too dry.

-Stuff courgettes with mixture - leave space at the ends because the rice once cooked expands

-Melt most of the butter in large saucepan and add courgettes. Cover with stock or water, and add salt and place a plate on top of them to hold them down as they cook and cover pan.

-Let simmer until fully cooked

-When ready, melt rest of butter in a small saucepan. Add flour and whisk. Add juices from courgette pan to the flour to make a paste then enough stock and simmer until sauce gets very thick

-Beat the yolk in a large bowl and add to the sauce while stirring, finish with lemon juice to taste.

Flash under grill and serve

Above is an adapted base recipe - few versions around of course.

And '. . . me kima' is with meat, '. . . .me avgolemono' is with an egg and lemon sauce, '. . . me Yiaourti' is yoghurt sauce. And KOLOKITHAKIA TIGANITA is plain fried courgette with a yoghurt.cucumber sauce for dipping.

Hope thats what you were looking for. . . .

Who says veg is boring??? Marrow - stuff with couscous, spicy sausage and peppers, rice and herbs, any ragu: cucumber - peel, slice and fry and add to any veg dish. Use bitter c/cumber for another taste; aubergine - stuff with

[nickmo]

Cursed preview panel - recipe is for KOLOKITHAKIA GEMISTA . . . missed off the 'K' - sorry . .

[pagey3]

no way champagne got to disagree - aubergines courgetts and marrow all have lots of good uses!

for me its peas. yuk yuk yuk, and really, what do they contribute to a meal? all you can do is boil them or puree them - eugh!

nice recipe nick!

[nickmo]

Hi pagey3 - Peas! Boring! - Got to take issue with that one . . .

raw fresh peas, straight from the garden into a salad - heaven - sweet, crunchy and the real summer taste.

Or add to sauteed lettuce. Or make a pea soup - serve really cold with a swirl of sour sream and olive oil, or hot with bacon; or make to a sauce for pasta, or process and add to cream cheese and seasoning for a pate, or make a pea rissotto . . . and so on and so on . . .

Sorry Champs - I'll stick up for vegs. They are good for you, versatile and yes, tasty too . . .

[pagey3]

hee hee - sorry nickmo I really really hate peas! my boyf loves them too so we regularly have this argument - and as he does all the cooking he keeps making pea and ham soup - bleurgh!

[WendyS]

Agree that marrow doesn't have much going for it. We grow our own courgettes and pick them when they're only three inches long. This small, they're delicious raw in salads and also lightly stir fried.
Celery hearts are lovely but some of the outer stalks of the commercial stuff are bitter and unpleasant.
Commercially grown cucumber are an abomination. However, if you grow your own mini cucumbers and pick them when they're about four or five inches long they're crisp and crunchy - just like biting into a juicy apple.
I think some of these vegetables taste boring because they're commercially grown for size and yield rather than smallness and quality of taste.