Beautiful Edible Side Dishes That Can Be Made From Boring Ugly Vegetables
Thanks to certain food contests shows, the side dishes have gotten a bit tactless. “Should I eat this?” The Brooklyn pasta mogul chef grins, contempt dripping from his handsome mouth. I understand their point of view, but it saddens me a little, because beautiful little pieces of carved vegetables will always delight me.
After all, we eat with our eyes first, and the fancy carrot butterfly – or, dare I say, the banana dolphin ? – does not harm anyone. Also, have you seen vegetables? Some of them are ugly. I mean, look at these guys.
However, carving vegetables is kind of a pain. I love the radish rose, but every time I try to brew it, a thousand cuts is death (to the poor radish).
Luckily, I found two adorable little side dishes that just about anyone can make, whether they have the skill of a vegetable carver or not.
Cucumber roses
Ultra-thin cucumber slices produce beautiful, almost translucent, delicate petals. Unlike radish roses, there is very little fancy knife work here, especially if you have a mandolin cutter . First, cut 10-12 very thin slices from the cucumber. (Again, use a mandolin if you have one.)
Arrange them all in a straight row so that each slice overlaps about half the previous one.
Then, squeezing them tightly, roll them up until you get a neat bag of slices. This will seem a little daunting at first, but just keep rolling and pinching. Cut the bunch in half and look at your lovely flowers.
Spread them around any plate that would benefit from a touch of flavor, especially salads that need a little spice.
Carrot waves
Okay. I admit that some carrots, especially rainbow ones, are already amazing on their own, but could you take a look at this little wavy leaf-like thing? I’m not entirely sure who he should be, but I know I love looking at him.
I also love how easy it is to make it. Using a peeler, make ribbons from the widest part of the carrots. Let the pieces soak in warm salted water for five minutes, then dry and place one on a cutting board.
After making two oblique cuts, cut a parallelogram from the tape, then make small cuts on the inside, perpendicular to the one you just made.
Wrap the carrot slice with a toothpick and let it sit for half a minute or so.
Unroll your unusual carrot creation, straighten the incisions a little, and place on a very lucky plate.
Are these cute little things a little silly? Sure, but they’re also pretty good, and a little silly beauty can be a very welcome thing. (Don’t act like you wouldn’t be completely mesmerized if someone served you a cucumber rose for dinner on Tuesday; you know you will.)