Leftover Vegetables Marinated With Garlic And Thyme Food

MEDITERRANEAN MARINATED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Peel the garlic cloves and tip into a food processor with the thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns and oil. Whizz well to release the flavours - alternatively grind dry ingredients using a pestle and mortar then blend in the oil.
• Prepare 900g-1.3kg/2-3lb of assorted vegetables (e.g asparagus, large or baby courgettes, sweet potatoes, aubergines, fennel, red onions, corn cobs, parboiled new potatoes). Halve asparagus lengthways, cut large courgettes into chunks or halve baby ones lengthways. Cut sweet potatoes and aubergines into thick chunks, cut fennel and red onion lengthways into wedges, corn into chunks and potatoes in half lengthways. Mix the vegetables and marinade together and marinate for a couple of hours before barbecuing. Cooking times will vary according to your choice of vegetables and their thickness - keep turning and prodding them and you'll feel when they're done.

AMAZING PICKLED AND MARINATED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Make sure you have some small sterilized jars ready to go. Bring the pickling liquid ingredients to the boil in a big pan. Put the pickling marinade ingredients into a large bowl with your chosen herbs and mix well. Slice up your chosen vegetables any way you like, but if it's a larger vegetable try to get the pieces around 1/2-inch in thickness. This way, the flavors and pickling liquid will penetrate sufficiently. Smaller vegetables, like mushrooms or very small onions, can be left whole.
• Place the sliced vegetables in the boiling pickling liquid and leave for around 3 minutes - they'll probably rise to the surface, so keep pushing them down to ensure they are all immersed. Lift the pieces out with a slotted spoon and place them into your bowl of pickling marinade. Toss together - it will smell fantastic.
• Pretty much straightaway, put the hot vegetables and pickling marinade into your sterilized jars, filling them to the very top. Cover the vegetables completely with the marinade and put the lids on tightly. Put the jars aside until they're cool. Clean the jars, attach sticky labels and write the date and the contents on them. Store the jars somewhere cool and dark - it's best to leave them for about 2 weeks before opening so the vegetables really get to marinate well, but if you absolutely cannot wait, you can eat them sooner. They'll keep for about 3 months - but they're so bloody good I'm lucky if the jars last for a couple of weeks in our house!
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• Choose 1 of the following vegetable and herb options: .

MARINATED VEGETABLES WITH GARLIC AND THYME

Steps:

• Place cooked leftover vegetables in large strainer. Lower strainer into large pot of boiling water until butter and seasonings are removed, about 30 seconds. Rinse with cold water; pat dry. Transfer to large bowl and mix in tomatoes.
• Whisk all remaining ingredients in bowl; toss with vegetable mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 2 days. Bring vegetables to room temperature. Season with salt and pepper; serve.

MARINATED FETA IN THYME & CHILLI OIL

Steps:

• Tip the olive oil and thyme into a bowl and blitz with a hand blender. Stir in the garlic, chilli and lots of black pepper (but no salt). You could add some of the oil from the tomatoes and artichokes, too.
• Cut each block of feta into 4 (or 6) and arrange in a dish or a food container with the tomatoes, artichokes and olives. Spoon over the herby oil, scatter with extra thyme and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.

GRILLED & MARINATED SUMMER VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Whisk dressing ingredients and some seasoning in a large bowl. Heat a griddle pan. Blacken peppers on all sides. Put in a bowl and cover with a plate until cool to touch.
• Griddle the other veg, without oiling, until charred on each side and softening. As they cook toss them straight into the dressing, separating onions into rings. Peel peppers, reserving the juice in the bowl, deseed and cut into strips. Toss in with the rest of the veg, then strain the juice over. Leave everything to cool, then season. The salad can be kept in the fridge for 2 days, but bring it out a few hrs before serving. Then stir through parsley and garlic.

LEMON & THYME BUTTER-BASTED ROAST CHICKEN & GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In a small bowl, mash the butter with one-third of the thyme leaves, the mashed garlic and the juice of half a lemon. Mix everything together with some seasoning and set aside.
• Use your hand to loosen the chicken skin away from the breast, then push most of the butter mix into the gap. Rub the rest of the butter all over the outside of the chicken, then stuff the cavity with the lemon halves, remaining thyme leaves and stalks, and the garlic.
• Scatter the chopped carrot, onion and bay leaves over the base of a small roasting tin. Sit the chicken on top, breast-side up, and roast on the middle shelf for 1 hr 30 mins, basting with the buttery juices after about 40 mins. When the chicken is dark golden, crispy-skinned and the juices run clear, remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 5 mins. Use a pair of tongs to pull the lemons, garlic and thyme out of the cavity and into the tin. Lift the chicken up, letting any juices dribble into the tin, and transfer the chicken to a serving platter to rest for at least another 15 mins.
• To make the gravy, squeeze the juice out of the cooked lemon halves and discard the skins. Place the tin on a low heat, stir in flour and sizzle until light brown. Gradually pour in the stock and cook for a few mins. If you like a darker gravy, add a splash of soy sauce to the tin. Strain the gravy into a jug and serve with the chicken.