Every Night of the Week Veg by Lucy Tweed

Following her wildly successful first book Every Night of the Week, Lucy Tweed is back with her answer to the daily challenge of getting vegetables into the mouths of every member of the household: Every Night of the Week VEG.

It’s another wildly entertaining book, full of delicious meals that vegetarians and meat eaters will love in equal measure, served with a generous dollop of Lucy’s trademark wit.

Start off the week with pasta every which way. Then make your way through toned-down Tuesdays with big bold flavours and the laid-back attitude of a one-pan recipe, and saucy wet Wednesdays. Soups and curries anyone? Carbs-filled-with-things Thursdays feature loaded buns or spuds with lovely things squashed into the dough. It’s truly comfort central!

By the time Friday rolls around, throw-it-together munchies rule the day and Lucy’s recipes are governed by two criteria: use it all up and make it irresistible!
Show-off salads take the spotlight come BBQ Saturday, followed by Sunday Oeufs, because “everything is sexier if you say it in French.” Then, of course, there are sweet treats for any day of the week.

Rich in warmth, humour and simplicity, this is the cookbook with the perfect balance of deliciousness and the hacks and shortcuts we are all looking for.

Full metal jackets Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 6 large brushed potatoes butter and extra virgin olive oil, to serve
  • CURD DRESSING
    • 2⁄3 cup (150 g) goat’s curd
    • ½ cup (125 g) sour cream
    • ½ teaspoon finely snipped chives
    • ½ teaspoon finely chopped dill
    • ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • SALSA
    • 1⁄3 cup (60 g) pitted kalamata olives, finely chopped
    • 1 cup (200 g) chopped tomatoes, seeds removed from large ones
    • ¼ red onion, finely diced
    • 2 Lebanese (short) cucumbers,
    • seeds removed*, finely diced
    • ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
    • chilli seems unnecessarily aggressive but go for it

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F) fan-forced.
  • Wash and scrub the potatoes and pat dry. Wrap each spud in foil and place them on a baking tray. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, using hand-held electric beaters, beat the goat’s curd and sour cream on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, around 2 minutes. Add the chives, dill, lemon zest and garlic powder and beat on high for 2 minutes. This dressing can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for 2 days in an airtight container.
  • To make the salsa, combine the olives, tomato, red onion and cucumber in a small bowl and dress with the olive oil and white vinegar. Season with salt and dried oregano.
  • Once the potatoes are cooked and soft to the squeeze from a pair of tongs, remove the foil and place them on a serving platter.
  • Slice the potatoes lengthways, but not all the way through. Give them a gentle squeeze to push the flesh upwards towards the opening.
  • Top each potato with a big swipe of butter and then a dollop of curd dressing and splash the salsa all about. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve as is.

Try as I might, I can never smoothly scrape cucumber seeds out of the centre. Maybe I need to get my spoons sharpened. I just cut a 5 mm (¼ inch) thick slice off one side of the cucumber, lay it flat and do the same on each side, rotating it until the flesh is trimmed and the seeds remain. Throw the seeds into a carafe of water for ultimate hydration – yes, we are now advancing into true
health care.

This article was posted on November 3, 2023