Restore

Veganism and the soy industry

Many people are choosing a plant-based diet in response to the damning environmental science surrounding the global beef and dairy industry, and much of the new plant-based produce being sold to ‘save the world’ is made using the following crops: soy, corn and pea protein. Soy’s reputation as a vegan and eco-friendly protein alternative has come under serious scrutiny recently. Soy and corn are not just farmed for human consumption: they are also grown for use as animal and fish feed and increasingly for use as a cooking oil and biodiesel/fuel, and pea proteins are quickly catching up. These crops are most responsible for single-crop monocultures, depleting the land of water and nutrients, and most have been genetically modified to such an extent (prior to GM foods being banned in this country) that they are genetically almost unrecognisable when compared to their heritage species. Soy production does require less water than cattle farming in the areas it’s grown, but this is not the full story: soy is the second largest agricultural driver of deforestation. Eighty per cent of the world’s soy is grown in Brazil, Argentina and North America. Over the past 20 years, over 300 million hectares of tropical forest have been felled to feed the voracious appetite for land to support vast soya plantations. The transformation of some of the most biodiverse habitats on the planet into bleak pesticide-fuelled monocultures is as depressing as it gets.

Huge global corporations such as Monsanto, Unilever and Carrefour have become equivalent to oil barons when it comes to their domination of soy agribusiness. The displacement of small farmers and indigenous peoples is just part of the human impact this monster of an industry is having. Soy production is only expected to increase, as the demand for meat and plant-based protein alternatives increases, especially in developing countries.

Be wary of the word ‘natural’ on soy product packaging. Often packaging neglects to mention that products were made using hexane, a neurotoxin petrochemical solvent. Nasty. Opting for organic soy helps avoid this. There are organic soy, pea and corn producers who are rebuilding their produce to be truer to its original genetic form. I use British and French organic soybeans at Filth Foods, the sustainable nutritional burger company I founded with my good friend, nutritionist Rosemary Ferguson. Soybeans produced on a large scale, with fertilisers, normally hold little nutritional value, but organic beans are full of fibre, protein, iron and calcium.

Is organic best?

I support the ethos of organic farming, and biodynamic farming for that matter (my restaurant, The Nitery, was built on this ethos), but there is a lot of misleading information, and organic doesn’t always guarantee the best produce. A lot of land certified as organic soil can retain synthetic chemicals that were applied for decades previously, meaning produce grown on that land will contain them too, but often regulations still allow the produce to be sold under the ‘organic’ banner. I look for producers who have slow-grown their foods.

Buy local

Importing and food miles is a huge issue. Having access to exotic fruits and vegetables is part of the joy of the modern world, but we should all aim to buy seasonal, locally sourced produce wherever possible. Buying our food this way should be cheaper, given the lower food miles and reduced storage times, and the abundance of a seasonal crop, but sadly, smaller-scale farmers have a hard deal competing with supermarkets that have an 85 per cent share of the grocery market and are constantly driving down prices. Supermarkets’ commercial structure often means an abhorrent version of economic colonialism, that dominates other less affluent countries’ agricultural industries, too. Looking beyond the supermarket is a great way to discover different varieties of fruit and vegetables: e.g. there are over 2,200 varieties of apples, and supermarkets usually only sell about five, with just one in three coming from the UK. That is crazy, especially considering that the UK has one of the oldest relationships with apple farming – we as consumers are missing out.

Shopping at local greengrocers and farmers’ markets, growing your own or signing up for vegetable box schemes can help stem the supermarkets’ tyrannical rule (and tends to involve less plastic packaging too), but for most of us, supermarkets are the most convenient and practical option for food shopping. I just can’t, and won’t, buy meat from a supermarket, especially as we’re all cutting back now (*I’m eyeballing you all, because this is what has to happen*), but I do buy organic fruit and vegetables there, particularly from the frozen, dried and canned sections where it’s cheaper than buying fresh.

Here is a guide to what’s in season when:

January: apples, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, chicory, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, mushrooms, parsnips, pears, pomegranate, potatoes, rhubarb, spring onions, squash, swedes, turnips

February: Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celeriac, chicory, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, parsnips, potatoes, purple sprouting broccoli, rhubarb, salsify, shallots, swede, truffles (black), turnips

March: artichokes, beetroot, cabbage, cauliflower, chicory, cucumber, kale, leeks, oranges, parsnips, purple sprouting broccoli, radishes, rhubarb, sorrel, spinach, spring greens, spring onions, watercress, wild nettles

April: artichokes, beetroot, cabbage, chicory, kale, morel mushrooms, new potatoes, parsnips, rhubarb, rocket, sorrel, spinach, spring greens, spring onions, watercress

May: apricots, artichokes, asparagus, aubergine, beetroot, chicory, elderflowers, lettuce, marrow, new potatoes, nectarines, peas, peppers, radishes, rhubarb, rocket, samphire, spinach, spring greens, spring onions, watercress

June: apricots, asparagus, aubergine, beetroot, blackcurrants, broad beans, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cherries, chicory, courgettes, cucumber, elderflowers, fennel, globe artichoke, gooseberries, lettuce, marrow, new potatoes, nectarines, peas, peppers, radishes, raspberries, redcurrants, rhubarb, rocket, runner beans, spring greens, spring onions, summer squash, Swiss chard, turnips, watercress

July: apricots, aubergine, beetroot, blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, broad beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cavolo nero, cherries, chicory, chillies, courgettes, cucumber, fennel, French beans, garlic, globe artichoke, gooseberries, greengages, loganberries, new potatoes, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, raspberries, redcurrants, rhubarb, rocket, runner beans, samphire, spring onions, strawberries, summer squash, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, watercress

August: apricots, aubergine, beetroot, blackberries, blackcurrants, broad beans, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cavolo nero, celery, cherries, chicory, courgettes, cucumber, damsons, fennel, fig, French beans, globe artichoke, greengages, leeks, lettuce, mangetout, marrow, mushrooms, parsnips, peas, peppers, potatoes, plums, pumpkin, radishes, raspberries, redcurrants, rhubarb, rocket, runner beans, samphire, spring greens, spring onions, strawberries, squash, sweetcorn, Swiss chard, tomatoes, watercress

September: apples, apricots, aubergine, beetroot, blackberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, cavolo nero, celery, chicory, courgettes, cucumber, damsons, fennel, fig, globe artichoke, leeks, lettuce, mangetout, marrow, onions, parsnips, pears, peas, peppers, plums, potatoes, pumpkin, radishes, raspberries, rhubarb, rocket, runner beans, samphire, spinach, spring greens, spring onions, strawberries, squash, sweetcorn, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, wild mushrooms

October: apples, aubergine, beetroot, blackberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, cavolo nero, celeriac, celery, chestnuts, chicory, courgettes, cranberries, cucumber, elderberries, fig, kale, leeks, lettuce, marrow, onions, parsnips, pears, peas, potatoes, pumpkin, radishes, rocket, runner beans, spinach, spring greens, spring onions, squash, summer squash, swede, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, wild mushrooms

November: apples, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chestnuts, chicory, cranberries, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, onions, parsnips, pears, potatoes, pumpkin, squash, swede, Swiss chard, turnips, watercress, wild mushrooms

December: apples, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chestnuts, cranberries, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, onions, parsnips, pears, pumpkins, quince, radicchio, salsify, swede, sweet potato

English Garden Antipasto

I have vivid early memories of being eye-height to a glorious plethora of antipasti on display at Justin de Blank Provisions Ltd on Elizabeth Street, Belgravia, the delicatessen owned by the father of my future best friend, Martha Sitwell. He was a true pioneer both as a restaurateur and a food importer, bringing Italian, French and world foods to the streets of London back in the 1970s. I must have been two or three, and the myriad colourful produce glistening in oil made a big impression on me.

Traditionally served in Italy as the first course of a meal, antipasti can include anything from cured meats to olives or marinated anchovies, but here I want to focus on the vegetables. While the dish is associated with the south Mediterranean, we can grow the vegetables I’ve featured here in the UK and this is a great way of making the most of seasonal vegetables. Antipasto can be eaten in all kinds of ways, as a side to grilled meats or fish, or incorporated into other recipes, but this is such an impressive thing to bring to the table when you use a wide array of vegetables that it warrants being the main feature, perhaps with a simple green salad and crusty bread. Peppers, artichokes, aubergines and courgettes are classic summery choices, but this can work just as well in autumn and winter with young kale, mushrooms, leeks or squash. Roasting or grilling the vegetables intensifies their flavour, and the chilli and parsley in the dressing bring the whole thing together with an extra little kick. Use this as a guide to working with whatever’s available and in season, picking and choosing from the ingredients here and on the following pages. Apart from the artichokes, which are slightly more complicated to cook, I’ve not provided quantities – just work with what you have available. The dressing recipe makes enough for a large, mixed platter of vegetables to serve 4–6 people.

All the vegetables keep well if submerged in oil and kept in a clean, airtight jar.

Roasted Violet Artichokes

1 tbsp sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling

2 lemons, halved, plus a little extra juice for the acidulating water

4 violet artichokes, trimmed

olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat the oven as hot as it can go (about 260°C/240°C fan/gas mark 10).

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the salt and squeeze in the juice from both the lemons. Add the artichokes and par-boil for 6–7 minutes. Remove and place top down on a tray to drain. Once cool enough to handle, quarter lengthways and use an ice cream scoop, knife or metal spoon to remove the fibrous part of the heart. Set aside in a bowl of cold water with more lemon juice.

Peel off and discard the tougher outer leaves, then place the artichokes on a baking tray. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, then turn over and roast for a further 10 minutes until the outer edges of the leaves are crisp.

Butternut Squash and Pumpkin

Peel the squash or pumpkin, remove the seeds and fibres and cut the flesh lengthways into roughly 6mm-thick slices. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Drizzle the squash or pumpkin slices with oil, season with salt, place on the griddle pan and grill until softened and charred, turning them to give them a criss-cross pattern if you wish – it may help to put some weight on the slices with another pan or baking tray.

Aubergines

Cut the aubergines lengthways into 8mm-thick slices. Heat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Drizzle the aubergine slices with olive oil and season with plenty of salt. Grill for a few minutes on each side until the flesh is charred and is becoming translucent – it may help to weight the aubergine slices down with another pan or baking tray. I lie the aubergine horizontally in the pan and then vertically on both sides to create a criss-cross pattern.

Courgettes

Cut the courgettes lengthways into 5mm-thick slices. Heat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Drizzle the courgette slices with olive oil and season generously. Grill for a few minutes on each side until charred and becoming translucent. I lie the courgettes horizontally in the pan and then vertically on both sides to create a criss-cross pattern.

Peppers

Preheat the oven as hot as it can go (about 260°C/240°C fan/gas mark 10). Put the whole peppers in the oven on a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes, shaking to turn the peppers a couple more times during cooking. (The same method applies to chillies, only roast them for half the time.) Once the skins are charred and the flesh is soft, remove the peppers from the oven and set aside to cool, covered with a clean tea towel (this helps to steam them, which makes removing the skins easier). When cooled enough to handle, pull out the stalks and the seeds, and gently peel off the skins revealing the soft flesh within.

Portobello Mushrooms

Preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas mark 9. Put the mushrooms on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and put in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Turn down to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6 and cook for a further 10 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and starting to crisp at the edges.

Leeks

Preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas mark 9. Prepare the leeks by cutting them in half lengthways and giving them a good wash under cold running water to ensure you’ve removed any grit from between the leaves. Place the whole leeks on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and season with salt. Roast for 20 minutes until charred.

Kalettes

Preheat the oven as hot as it can go (about 260°C/240°C fan/gas mark 10). Blanch the kalettes in a pan of salted boiling water for 30 seconds, then refresh in ice-cold water to maintain the vibrancy of the green leaves. Place the kalettes on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, season and roast for 5–7 minutes, until the edges of the leaves begin to become crisp.

Tomatoes

Preheat the oven as hot as it can go (about 260°C/240°C fan/gas mark 10). Place the tomatoes on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and add a good sprinkling of salt. Roast for up to 30 minutes, depending on their size (larger tomatoes will need longer). Remove from the oven when soft, yielding and the skins are beginning to split and char.

FOR THE DRESSING

700ml olive oil

2 heads of garlic, cloves peeled and thinly sliced

2–3 dried chillies, broken up

5 sprigs of rosemary

1 tsp salt

a decent grinding of black pepper

100ml red wine or sherry vinegar

large bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Put 200ml of the oil in a saucepan with the garlic, chillies, rosemary, salt and pepper, and cook slowly over a medium-low heat for 5–10 minutes, letting the garlic soften, become translucent and begin to colour, but not letting it get brown and crisp – be sure to keep an eye on it. Pour in the vinegar, increase the heat and allow to reduce until nearly all the vinegar has evaporated. Remove from the heat, pour in the remaining 500ml of oil, add the parsley, and stir to combine.

Ratatouille

Ever since seeing the film Ratatouille, I haven’t been able to get the image of the actual ratatouille out of my head, because of how neatly the character Remy presents his version of the dish in the film (I have the same thing when I think of oysters because of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland). The flavours of ratatouille are quite simple, but what was it about the ratatouille in that film that made it scream out to me to be made? Well, firstly, it was based on a beautiful version of ratatouille made by the guy who held the title of best chef in the world for many years, Thomas Keller, and if this peasant dish screams out of the telly at me, even in a cartoon version, I know it’s going to be good. What separates Keller’s version from a classic ratatouille is that all the vegetables are very thinly sliced and are all pretty much the same size. If you can’t find vegetables that are roughly the same diameter and there’s a bit of haphazard variation in their size, it doesn’t really matter: the main thing is that they are sliced to the same thickness. The best way to ensure uniformity is to slice everything on a mandoline. My French pastry chef says this dish is actually called a ‘tian’ of Provençal vegetables, but I argue that in this version the vegetables sit in a piquant tomato sauce (my Slow Cooked Tomato Sauce) and that makes it a ratatouille. Either way, the dish has been hijacked by a cartoon and I love this version of it. Serve it as it is, with a rice pilaf, or alongside simple grilled white fish.

SERVES 2 as a main course or 4 as a side dish

Preparation time 15 minutes, plus 1 hour 45 minutes for the tomato sauce

Cooking time 20 minutes

300g Slow Cooked Tomato Sauce

1 large green courgette, thinly sliced widthways on a mandoline

1 yellow courgette, thinly sliced widthways on a mandoline

2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced on a mandoline

1 aubergine, thinly sliced widthways on a mandoline

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

sea salt flakes

basil leaves (micro basil if you can find it), to serve

You will need a 2-litre gratin dish or 4 small 500ml gratin dishes, and a mandoline.

Preheat the oven as hot as it can go (about 260°C/240°C fan/gas mark 10).

Pour the tomato sauce into a 2-litre gratin dish (or divide it among 4 small 500ml gratin dishes) in an even layer. Make two stacks of vegetables, alternating the slices in a pattern (or one stack if you are using smaller gratin dishes) – one slice of aubergine, then green courgette, then yellow courgette, then tomato – and repeat until you have used everything up. Carefully transfer the stacks of vegetables to the gratin dish (or dishes), lying them down so they are in two rows (or one), with each vegetable slice overlapping. Generously drizzle olive oil over the top and add a good sprinkling of salt.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the veg have softened and are beginning to caramelise. Remove from the oven and serve straightaway, garnished with basil leaves.

AVOCADOS

Hailed as a superfood, avocados have become ubiquitous. You can’t read a brunch menu anywhere without seeing them in some form, whether smashed, smoothied or sliced. As an excellent source of much sought-after, heart-healthy monosaturated fats (including oleic and linoleic acid, which are linked to preventing high cholesterol), not to mention vitamin E, soluble fibre, potassium, iron and the B vitamin folate, it certainly deserves its superfood status and it’s no wonder that they have become so popular, especially among the more health-conscious younger generations. But the western world’s insatiable appetite for this fruit comes at a heavy price.

Demand for the crop is off the charts, and it is putting unprecedented pressure on the avocado farmers. Avocados grow in tropical climates, with Mexico being the world’s largest exporter, and the current booming market has seen avocados becoming more profitable to grow than most other crops in the region. This is leading to some farmers unlawfully felling mature, established pine forest in order to plant avocado trees, which require cyclical input of fertilisers and pesticides to deliver the highest yields. As with any monoculture, a lack of diversity strips the soil of fertility over time and devastates local wildlife and ecosystems. Much like almonds, avocados have a large water footprint, which puts huge pressure on water reserves in an increasingly hot and dry climate. Produce imported from far flung climes such as Central and South America is inevitably going to have a major carbon footprint due to the airfreighting, which is hard to justify when we are facing such an enormous climate crisis.

As with any farming, it’s also important to consider the impact on the workers involved. Soaring prices of avocados in Mexico has led to drug cartels monopolising production, which means that any revenue may well be going to fund criminals who wreak fear and suffering among the communities they dominate (refusing to capitulate to these gangs will most likely have terrifying consequences). A crop once known by locals as ‘green gold’ is now referred to as ‘blood guacamole’. The pesticides and chemicals used to grow avocados on such a large scale pollute water systems, which in turn impacts the health of the workers, who are often paid next to nothing.

Like with other tropical fruit, opting to buy certified Fairtrade avocados can mitigate against the negative environmental and ethical impact to some extent. If you really must eat them, buying Spanish-grown avocados means less air mileage, and more stringent EU regulations with regards to their production.

I truly believe that we need to seriously consider our level of avocado consumption. I don’t see how, taking into account all the negative factors, we can include it as a staple food in our diets. I think we should only consume them as the occasional treat – it just simply isn’t sustainable the way things stand.

Green Tomato Salsa

This might resemble the simple green salsa you get in burrito restaurants, but its heritage in Mexico is rich and varied. You can dress your tacos and dishes with a variety of salsas in Mexico and this one is prized for its clean green acidity. Green salsas are usually made with tomatillos, which are a variety of the deadly nightshade plant family (as aubergines, peppers and tomatoes also are) and they are prevalent in Mexico. They are green and unripe in flavour, and the green tomatoes that grow on our fair shores will do the job brilliantly. This recipe is smashing on so many things such as tacos with the Pumpkin Seed and Cocoa Mole Sauce and Queso Fresco, or with fried battered fish in tacos, and it also makes a terrific base for my Green Shakshuka.

MAKES 600g

Preparation time 10 minutes

Cooking time 20 minutes

600g green tomatoes

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

2–3 fresh green jalapeños, stalks removed and cut in half (seeds or no seeds, depending on your preference)