At risk of sounding like your mum, we're not doing a great job, as a society, of eating seasonally. It's an easy, slippery slope to go down.
The truth is that even for those of us who have a good idea of the seasonality of produce in New Zealand, it's too easy to forget what time of year it is when you're roaming the produce aisles and you can buy all sorts of deliciously February foods in the middle of chilly June.
Except they don't taste so delicious in June, do they? No.
Those poor winter tomatoes, beans, courgettes, eggplants and capsicums are either watery hothouse cousins of their sun-drenched summer muses, or they've had their spark (and nutrition levels) dulled by travelling thousands of miles and sitting round in ports.
There's not much to love in those vegetables - walk away.
But I hear what you're saying - the winter vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kumara, pumpkin and squash, leek - they're just not as sexy, they're just - well, boring.
They can be, if you don't know what to do with them. Too many of us grew up bearing witness to winter vegetable abuse - overcooked; under-seasoned: uninspiring!
It's time to rectify this, to show winter veg some love and in turn, grow to look forward to tackling a tightly packed forest-green head of broccoli.
Here's a look at some of the winter vegetables going cheap right now, and some ideas for making them delicious.
Cauliflower
Crispy Cauliflower.
Like its cruciferous cousin broccoli, cauliflower has suffered years of neglect, simply being steamed or boiled with nary a bedmate to be seen.
Of course, cauliflower cheese has its fans, but I argue smothering it with lackluster white sauce and cheese is not the highlight of cauliflower's existence.
Whole roasted or barbecued cauliflower is a bit of an Instagram classic, and it's true that it's surprisingly full of flavour like that.
But cauliflower's delicate flavour makes it a perfect carrier for spices, so try roasting florets tossed in ghee or coconut oil and spices like cumin, cinnamon, fenugreek and fennel.
Serve as a side dish as is or you could stir through some herbs and toasted nuts for more interest, or add halloumi or grilled lamb to create a rounded meal.
And although the buzz around Paleo-friendly cauli 'rice' has subsided somewhat, it's an avenue well worth exploring. Simply take a head of cauliflower, discard any tough bits of stalk and blitz the rest in a food processor to a fine rice-like texture. You can then cook this 'rice' by lightly steaming it over boiling water, then you can jazz it up: try it stir-fried in the style of a nasi goring with bean sprouts, Chinese sausage, egg, spring onion and curry powder, or made into a fragrant pilaf by combining it with caramelised strips of carrot and onion, sultanas, toasted pine nuts or almonds, and annointing with melted butter.
You can also use cauli 'rice' to make a faux pizza base - combine a cup of cauli 'rice' with a beaten egg, a tablespoon of chia seeds that have been soaked in water, 1/3 cup ground almonds and seasonings. Press this faux dough out onto a baking tray, brush with a little beaten egg, and bake it on its own for 5 minutes first to seal the surface, before topping with whatever you like and baking in a hot oven till the edges of the base turn golden.
No vegetable is more unfairly victimised than beautiful broccoli. It's as though parents have an inbuilt fear that their kids will loathe it, and the loathing becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. It's so weird, because it's certainly one of the more popular veges in my circle - my friends' kids mostly seem okay with, and my own children have been known to demand it from their position of power in the top of the supermarket trolley.
Yet I can see why broccoli faces continual slander - if you just throw it in a pot of water and boil it, it quick becomes a mushy, yellowed mess with little going for it.
Instead, blanch it in salted boiling water for just a few short minutes, then refresh with cold water to keep it nice and green. It tastes great just like so, but adding a squeeze of lemon and a scattering of grated parmesan or Grana Padano is a good idea. Or pop the blanched broccoli in a small ovenproof dish, toss through some olive oil, grated parmesan and chilli flakes, and blast for a short time in a very hot oven (220°C or so), till the edges start to catch a little. You could add some breadcrumbs, feta, pine nuts or lemon zest too if you like, and before serving add a squeeze of lemon.
Another idea is to avoid cooking it altogether - raw broccoli has a natural sweetness and no bitterness. Grate it, along with carrot, Granny Smith apples, and red cabbage to make a broccoslaw. A nice dressing which might also help ward off winter bugs is a blend of sesame oil, a little crushed ginger and garlic, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.
I've overcome my own prejudice against these guys, because I've just never been a fan of straight boiled or even roasted pumpkin - the gummy texture and sweetness can be cloying.
I recommend introducing some bold flavours to balance this out. When roasting pumpkin or squash try drizzling over some balsamic vinegar or a balsamic glaze towards the end of the cooking time. Then scatter over some lemon zest, crisp-fried sage leaves or fresh thyme, and drizzle with a nicely piquant extra virgin olive oil, or even better, a nut oil like walnut or hazelnut.
Or make a meal of it by taking that roasted pumpkin and adding roasted garlic cloves, tart feta, toasted nuts and very finely shredded kale leaves: dress with lots of lemon and olive oil.
Other things you might like to try are making bread with mashed pumpkin in the mix, or of course riffs on pumpkin soup - try using Moroccan seasonings and preserved lemon, and a dollop of yoghurt on top, or go Thai and throw in kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, ginger or galangal, chilli and fish sauce.
Another favourite for me right now is a roasted pumpkin puree - simply roast pumpkin and puree until ultra-smooth along with a splash of cream, Parmesan, lemon juice, olive oil and a touch of garlic. This puree is brilliant just dolloped onto a grainy salad, or spread onto a plate, then topped with rare-grilled lamb.
Oh, and who remembers spaghetti squash? Surely there is no better way to get a kid to eat their veg than producing one that's disguised as spaghetti - you can literally scoop out the tangled, steamed flesh and serve with pasta sauce and par. However it seems very difficult to source, these days - what's with that? In the North Island that is - I recently learned South Islanders have more regular access to spaghetti squash, so if you find it, try it!
