Cashew miso cream recipe with young vegetables

Use the freshest veg you can.

Miso cream with young veg from HOW WILD THINGS ARE by Analiese Gregory

“I suppose every chef that ever worked for Michel Bras has their version or homage to his famous dish ‘The Gargouillou’, comprised of over 50 different vegetables, herbs and flowers, purées, pickles, fruits and French country ham,” says chef Analiese Gregory. “This one incredible dish taught me so much about seasonality flavour, ingredient combinations, and how truly great dishes transcend food trends and fads.

“This is a very simple salad, loosely inspired by my time at Bras, that basically includes every vegetable we have in the fridge in early summer in Tasmania. An autumn, spring or winter version would be just as great – just different.”

Cashew miso cream recipe with young vegetables

Ingredients:(Serves 4)

½ baby romanesco1 baby cucumber1 baby gem lettuce4 (yellow) butter beans2 Paris market carrots2 courgette flowers (if available)2 purple carrots2 hakurei turnips1 baby Chioggia (candy stripe) beetroot and its leaves1 pink turnip6 amaranth leaves (if available)6 blueberries4 purple basil leaves4 shiso leaves (if available)4 Greek basil tipsOlive oil, to serve

For the cashew miso cream:

250g raw cashew nuts220ml water50g Chickpea miso or a sweet, nutty brown rice miso¼tsp salt

Method:

1. Soak the cashews in cold water for at least two hours or overnight.

2. Drain, then combine with the water, miso and salt and blend on high speed until smooth. It may take a while.

3. Clean and slice the vegetables, keeping edible leaves on where possible. All vegetables in this particular salad are raw, sliced thinly or into florets or left whole depending on the vegetable. It’s about taking a whole bunch of beautiful, in-season vegetables and treating them like crudités, dragging them through the cashew dip.

4. Dress a plate with the cashew miso cream and arrange the vegetables on top. Dress with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

How Wild Things Are: Cooking, Fishing And Hunting At The Bottom Of The World by Analiese Gregory, photography by Adam Gibson, is published by Hardie Grant on March 4, priced £22.