Vegetables

There is nothing in the food world quite as varied as vegetables. They come in a huge array of colors, shapes, sizes and from a vast range of habitats. Nowadays, more than ever before, we seem to be introduced to a new vegetable almost every week, and old familiar faces appear in new guises. Tiny yellow pear-shaped tomatoes are seen alongside cherry tomatoes and beefsteak tomatoes. Red and green peppers, once rare and exotic themselves, are joined by yellow, orange, black, white and purple peppers. The size of our vegetables is also changing. Prizes may be given for the fattest leek and the largest cauliflower, but in culinary terms “small is beautiful”. Tiny carrots, pencil-slim leeks, miniature com cobs and egg-sized cauliflowers have become fashionable. They taste good too and are tender.