What's Kohlrabi? How do you cook fennel? Can vegetarians load up on protein? We need answers! So we rounded up the best of your veggie queries on Twitter and put them to River Cottage's Tim Maddams
Could YOU survive without meat for a few months like Hugh did? @studentcooking
Of course! We're all hard-wired by our cultural habits towards meat, and the fact that the word 'survive' is in the question shows how much meat is ingrained in our psyche. I am not saying I wouldn't miss the meat, but I love veg to and it's always good to consider the way we eat and what options are available to us.
How do you make vegetable stock tasty? Mine's always really bland! Sarah Boning, Facebook
Well, you get out what you put in! 'Stock' is a misleading word. When we talk about stocks the mind visualizes a pot of bits and bobs all boiling away for hours on end. When we talk about veg stock I like to remind myself of the words 'tea' and 'infusion'. What you want to do is take your
carrot, onion, celery, garlic and grate them up. Add this to a pan of cold water along with a few peppercorns and a sprig of thyme. I also recommend a little salt in a veg stock (I wouldn't tend to put salt in other stocks). You want just enough water to cover the veg plus a little bit more. Bring this rapidly to the boil and simmer for five minutes. Then leave it to cool and strain it. That's it. The key is to keep it fresh and if it lacks in flavour . . . add more veg!
How do you cook okra so it is edible and not slimy? @Nibbly_Pig
You can successfully fry it in thin slices, dusted with a little flour. Personally though, I think it's best to embrace the slime!
I've always wondered how to treat a celeriac. I know it's lower carb than potato and makes great mash, but what else? @ChocoboChlo
I love celeriac raw - it's a great ingredient for slaws and salads. Gratins are always a winner too.
Kohlrabi. Who? What? When? How? And why? @jjbowie
Yep, love it or hate it the old Kohl rabi divides opinion. It's somewhere between a swede, a radish and a beetroot and it occupies the underworld of veg, seemingly waiting in the wings for its moment in the spotlight. Personally I'm not a big fan, but I have to say it's quite nice shredded raw and given the old soy dressing treatment.
Other than roasting or boiling, what are your suggestions for the under rated turnip? @fizzy23
Turnip makes a great soup when pureed, and you can add a nice pesto to garnish. I also love to chuck them in stews and curries. Again they are fantastic grated raw, and added to a salad. Don't forget, the leaves are often the lovely as well.
Do you really prefer polenta to lamb?! From James, your sous chef. @nopigtoobig
Why must we live in a world where it's all about preferences? I love lamb and I love polenta. If the question was: ' If you had a gun to your head would you choose never to have polenta, or never to have lamb again, what would it be?' I would probably end up taking so long to decide that the
lamb would become mutton, and thus render the question pointless.
What's a high protein veggie recipe that isn't soup or veggie burgers? @BekkePlatt
Great question! If you'll excuse a very poor joke, I always like to think along the lines of 'anything with a pulse' That's not a reference to my taste in women, only I that I always reach for the beans or lentils when I want to add protein. Try the chillies stuffed with beans from Hugh's new book, River Cottage Veg Every Day!
What veggie meal do you suggest for kids who are used to meat every suppertime? @charliebudd
Try making your own baked beans, that usually does the trick. And remember eggs! My little boy loves scrambled eggs so much that we have to ration him, or the chickens can't keep up! If the child is adventurous you could add some spice. The chickpea and ketchup curry from River Cottage Veg Every Day! is a winner with a bit less curry powder, and you can then spice up the rest of the batch for your own supper. Also kids love dips so try your own humous with some veg sticks - as always with children it's trying out what works, and then working on what doesn't.
If you could get people in the UK to eat more of one particular vegetable, what would it be and why? @ianbudge
Jerusalem artichokes. Despite the renowned side effects, it has the most amazingly unusual
flavour, and it's so easy to grow that even I manage not to kill them!
