Since 2010, Jeroen Meus’ “Daily Cost” has typically consisted of a classic piece of meat, french fries, and a bit of butter. Now he surprises with “Groentekost”, an all-vegan cookbook. “Still, vegetable dishes have been among my recipes since week one,” says Meus. “From veggies to mushroom and cheese croquettes, it’s not that hard.” HLN Food spoke to the chef and shared three exclusive recipes from the book.
Have you noticed a shift in the role vegetables play in your recipes today compared to your early years?
“Yes, times have definitely changed. Also, if you look at my first cookbooks, you will find that they are very different from what I have published in the last five years. Perhaps it is time to see if once a week is enough for vegan inspiration. I also notice the difference in Myself.Although I could be very craving a nice piece of game, a hearty piece of fish or a delicious sausage with white cabbage, we’re increasingly eating vegan at home.I haven’t eaten a steak this week and frankly: I don’t miss it either. Although I don’t want to make a statement with her. I wrote a vegan book because I have so many delicious recipes and I just enjoyed it.”
Is it difficult to cook with a lot of vegetables in Belgian cuisine?
“Our kitchen offers a lot of vegetables, but the preparations are often the same. We’re missing some variety. If you study that a little bit more, you’ll see kitchens in the rest of the world are much more creative about this. The great thing is that all these exotic ingredients are now available with us too. In cooking at a time it was still strange to take out a piece of ginger or serve pesto with a plate.”
For your first recipe right away misoand kombu and bok choy. Not exactly the most mediocre ingredients. A little more exotic than what we sometimes see in “everyday food”.
“Now you can find miso in many supermarkets. Bok choy is a little pak choy: they are there too. Kombu, a type of seaweed, can be found in Asian supermarkets or online. It is interesting to enter To an Asian or Turkish supermarket: You’ll find everything there. By the way, this miso soup is something my son George loves to eat for breakfast. Anyway it’s easy, because that way you have some veggies in the morning. The recipe in the book is kind of a meal copy. Faster than the original Japanese version, as they let the stock soak longer.”
It sends a bad signal to our kids that we teach them that things have to be done quickly in the kitchen. Preparing food is part of the evening ritual
Many of the recipes in the book are less “fast”. With a recipe with ravioli, she writes that it “requires a heavy amount of cooking, but with an amazing result.” Does it take more effort to cook a vegetarian?
“What makes me really comfortable is that cooking should always be quick and easy. It’s not necessary. Cooking is fun and interesting. It sends a bad signal to our kids that we teach them that things have to be done quickly in the kitchen. Preparing food is part of the evening ritual. I’ve always taught myself That there is a smell of food in the house, with my mom and dad. I don’t think my job is to make things easier for people. (Laugh) “
Do you think recipes from “vegetables” will convince people attached to the cut of meat to try vegetarian cooking, do you think?
“I don’t know if I can do it, but I really want to try it. With mushroom and cheese croquettes or pasta pesto with oyster mushrooms, they are easily accessible. In the end, you can be more creative with vegetables than with sausages. For those who prefer traditional dishes, I recommend the endive wrap with salsify.And yes, it’s an effective job to clean up the stiffness, but that’s really cool!Vegetables are a delicious comfort food.The veggie burger with mushrooms and beans is great too:you have plenty of veggies though.It’s actually thick Vegetable soup With a layer of cornmeal around it and some classic mushroom sauce and beans on the side. Nothing strange. “
I really like all kinds of vegetables. This was the case as a little man
Are you a fan of all vegetables or have you had to grow them too?
“I really love every bit of veggies. And that was the case as a little guy. I might have been struggling with Brussels sprouts and dandelions for a while, but that’s normal. Your brain associates the bitter taste with poison, and it hasn’t yet learned that those vegetables are OK.”
We are now in the fall. Are there vegetables we can pay more attention to this season?
“The classic, of course: pumpkin. You can do a lot more with it than just make soup. Try ravioli, a salad, oven squash or gnocchi with pumpkin and sage. I often work with pumpkin or walnuts in Hokkaido because they are manageable in size. In my garden there are some From them the size of a wagon wheel. It is better to make soup from it. You can also prepare red cabbage completely differently from sausage and chips. In gyoza, for example, these are Japanese dumplings or dough packets: I like it. My son was with me on the photo session And he loved them too. So this dish is bound up with a beautiful memory: and that’s what it’s all about at the end. It’s not about the picture or what the dish looks like, it’s about the fact that the food is delicious, that it is well prepared and that you can share it with each other.”
“Groentekost,” directed by Jeroen Meus, will be in stores from October 26 and published by Manteau Publishers.
Would you like to try a delicious meat dish from Jeroen Meus? View his soup box here.
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