In The Centre #16 | Cooking With Vegetables
Recipes from Jesse Jenkins* debut cookbook (*ADIP)
This week I’m really pleased to share with you a handful of recipes from Jesse Jenkins’ debut cookbook Cooking With Vegetables.
If you’re on Instagram, you almost certainly already know Jesse. Although maybe by his handle @adip_food - i.e. ADIP … Another Day In Paradise (he’s also over here as
).Jesse is a photographer, videographer and (I know first hand) a formidable cook with a stellar palate, whose social media accounts rightly blew up a couple of years ago when he started posting uniquely slick and stylish recipe videos, like this one:
and this
His food is a little bit Los Angeles, a little bit New York, a little bit London, and always a lot of flavour — frequently involving South East Asian and Central American condiments, and often vegetable forward.
Which leads neatly to his cookbook. Which is not vegetarian, but does major on things grown in the ground.
Instructions are succinct but also conversational, with helpful observations shedding light just at the right moment (i.e. when something is ‘done’, what adaptations or flexes you might consider). In many ways they reflect his photography, films and food — unfussy and without clutter, yet worth consuming slowly.
I’m drawn to loads of the dishes in the book (all photographed by Jesse, unusually on film). But things like heart of palm tostada and kimchi pasta puttanesca are the kind of dishes that both make my mouth water, and also reflect the style of his food and flavours he pushes. Also mad keen on a ‘hot and sour’ minestrone — I love in that how he mixes piquant giardiniera pickles (another recipe in the book) through more traditional minestrone ingredients.
You can get a further taste of the book through three recipes extracted here: along with the Smashed Cucumber Caesar that follows, beneath the paywall are Jesse’s recipes for Aubergine Katsu and a Beetroot Chocolate Cake. Plus I’ve a copy of the book to giveaway as well (although of course I think you should get yourself a copy anyway). Upgrade to a paid subscription to ensure you receive all posts without restriction, and have access to the ever expanding Rocket & Squash recipe Archive.
The Recipes
Extracted from Cooking With Vegetables, by Jesse Jenkins (Bluebird).
Smashed Cucumber Caesar
When the process of breaking something creates unformed beauty, it is incredibly satisfying. If it also has a practical function, I'm sold. The jagged texture of the cucumber here creates more surface area to grab onto sauce and toppings. I learned the technique while making oi muchim, a Korean spicy cucumber salad, and have used it ever since. This version goes full Caesar and it's totally delicious.
Serves 4
3 cucumbers, washed
3 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, bashed (skin on)
4 thyme sprigs grated zest of 1 lemon handful of chives, thinly sliced
handful of parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper
For the dressing
4-6 tinned anchovy fillets in oil, crushed to a paste
25g Parmesan cheese, grated with microplane grater
1 egg yolk
15g Dijon mustard
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tabasco
100ml extra virgin olive oil
Smash the whole cucumbers using the flat side of a large knife until they start to break down, then roughly chop them into uneven, large bite-sized pieces. Put them in a colander over a bowl with a good pinch of salt, mix well and set aside for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the breadcrumbs in the olive oil in a frying pan with the garlic cloves and thyme till golden brown. Remove from the heat and season with salt and the lemon zest while hot, then set aside.
You can make the dressing in the same way as you would a mayonnaise, putting all the ingredients other than the oil into a bowl and mixing well, then slowly streaming in all the oil, whisking constantly throughout. Otherwise, blend all the ingredients at once in a blender (I often blend it). Check for seasoning.
Drain the cucumbers, then add them to the dressing with half the herbs. Mix well, then finish with the toasted breadcrumbs and the rest of the herbs.
Aubergine Katsu
