We can all agree that vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals and that it is important to prepare nutritious meals for our families. The ultimate question is, how do we do this in the tastiest and most aesthetically pleasing way that will convince our children to partake of these wonderful dishes? Many of us spend an incredible amount of energy trying to cajole our children into tasting vegetable dishes. That's why this week I'd like to offer a number of recipes that will make this process just a little bit easier. I love to hide vegetables in creative ways by pureeing them, chopping them into tiny pieces, or baking them inside savory pastry dough. Vegetable dishes have taken on new acclaim in Israeli cuisine and you can now purchase all sorts of rare vegetables at farmers' markets. Vegetarianism and veganism are also much more popular in Israel than in previous decades, and many grocery stores now cater to this niche market. Times have changed so much in fact that at many tables, vegetable dishes are the main course. Vegetable dishes can be the most delicious parts of a meal when prepared with lots of herbs and spices, and even more so when combined with grains or legumes. There are so many different textures and flavors that make the dishes look and taste delectable. A couple of the recipes below require a bit of time and effort, but the gorgeous results will have made it worthwhile and all your family members will finally enjoy eating their vegetables. In addition, I've included a couple of no-fail, oldies-but-goodies that are pretty quick to put together. FANNED VEGETABLES OVER TOMATO SAUCE For this dish, it's important that all the vegetable pieces are of similar size, so take note when you're slicing them to cut them evenly. I like to arrange the vegetable slices by fanning them out accordion-style. Alternatively, you can also make a spiral in a round pan or lines in a rectangular dish. Some people like to steam the vegetable pieces ahead of time, but I find that it's easier to arrange the slices when they're raw, so I just add on a few minutes to baking time. I recommend using a mandoline slicer so that the pieces come out the exact same thickness. 2 large light green zucchini 1 large dark green zucchini ½ to 1 eggplant, long and narrow 2 narrow red peppers 1-2 red potatoes 1-2 sweet potatoes, long and narrow Sauce: 3 tomatoes 1 onion 4 cloves of garlic 6 basil leaves 3 tbsp olive oil ½ cup water or white wine Salt and pepper to taste Wash: ¼ cup quality olive oil Directions: Rinse and clean the vegetables well. Cut them into even slices. Make sure that all the slices are the same width. If some of the vegetables are taller than others, you can chop off bottom or side to make them same size. Pour all of the ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. (You can add up to ¼ cup more water if necessary.) Pour the sauce into a pan and spread. Arrange the vegetables on top of the sauce in the shape of a fan or a spiral. In the middle, you can arrange some of the vegetables in the shape of a flower. Brush the vegetables with a little olive oil. Cover with baking paper and then aluminum foil. Bake in an oven that was preheated to 180° for 40-50 minutes. Remove the foil and baking paper and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes until vegetables turn crispy. Remove from oven and decorate with mint or basil leaves, and serve straight away. MULTICOLORED CARROTS Many stores now sell packages of multicolored carrots. You can bake them with pearl onions light seasoning. Makes 6-8 servings. 1 package multicolored carrots 3-4 sprigs of thyme 2 cups pearl onions Salt and coarsely ground pepper ¼ cup quality olive oil Decoration: Olive oil, thyme and kosher salt Clean and peel carrots, but leave them whole. Place them in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix and then transfer to a baking pan. Cover with baking paper and then aluminum foil. Bake in an oven that was preheated to 200° for 30 minutes. Lower to 180° and bake another 20 minutes. Remove the baking paper and aluminum foil and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes until carrots become crispy. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and thyme. Serve hot. SPICY ACORN SQUASH This dish is easy and quick to prepare for 6 servings. 3 acorn squashes 1 eggplant, peeled and cut into cubes 3-4 sprigs of thyme ½ tsp spicy or sweet paprika 3 cloves of garlic, crushed ½ tsp kosher salt Olive oil 2 tbsp sunflower seeds, roasted Cut the acorn squashes in half. Clean out the insides and rinse. Dry them and place them on baking paper. Fill the half squashes with cubes of eggplant and sprinkle with garlic, Paprika, salt and thyme. Pour oil on top and cover. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180° for 25-30 minutes or until squashes are soft and beginning to brown. Alternatively, five minutes before it is ready, you can drizzle a little silan over squashes. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and serve. Translated by Hannah Hochner.
(photo credit: PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN)