Vegetables a la Grecque with egg and herb sauce
This is a way to showcase the best of the season’s vegetables and it makes a good vegetarian starter. It’s the perfect dish to cook in advance, which makes it a good summer recipe when you’re entertaining. This looks beautiful arranged on a large serving plate for everyone to help themselves.
Serves 6
This recipe originally appeared in House & Garden magazine
Ingredients
For the vegetables and poaching liquor:
12 baby leeks, well washed
3 carrots, peeled
½ cauliflower
Small bunch asparagus
6 sticks celery
Juice of ½ lemon
100ml white wine
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Sprig of thyme
For the sauce:
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ tablespoon mild red wine vinegar
20g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
20g basil, finely chopped
5 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
Instructions
For the vegetables and poaching liquor:
- Prepare the vegetables so they are roughly the same size: cut the leeks into short lengths, the carrots into sticks and the celery and asparagus into similar lengths; break the cauliflower into small florets.
- Put all the ingredients for the poaching liquor into a large pan and add a litre of water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil then add the leeks. After a minute add the other vegetables and simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until the vegetables feel tender but still have a little bite. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving dish, reserving the poaching liquor. Pour a spoonful of this over the vegetables and drizzle with olive oil.
To make the sauce:
- Roughly chop the capers and put them in a bowl with the mustard, vinegar, herbs and oil.
- Finely chop the eggs, add to the bowl with a couple of spoonfuls of poaching liquor. Stir well to make a loose sauce. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve the vegetables, warm or cold, with the sauce spooned over the top.
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