“A love letter to mighty veg; everyone needs this beautiful book in their life,” says Jamie Oliver of Cooking with Vegetables, the debut cookbook by rising chef Jesse Jenkins. Championing seasonal produce and bold flavour, Jenkins shares a fresh and unfussy approach to plant-led cooking. These three standout summer dishes – Grilled Peas, Pickled Tomato and Burrata, Smashed Cucumber Caesar and Miso-Glazed Courgette – offer a taste of his vegetable-first philosophy, perfect for lighter summer eating.
Grilled Peas, Pickled Tomato And Burrata
Getting some fire under peas adds a subtle smoky flavour and tightens their skin, giving them a little extra pop when you bite into them. If you don’t have a gas hob, you can try grilling them at your next barbecue or cooking them in a smoking-hot cast-iron pan with no fat. This method tastes more charred than smoky but it is delicious nonetheless.
INGREDEIENTS – Serves 3-4
6-8 pickled tomatoes (see page 31 for 3-2-1 method and use peppercorns), plus a splash of the pickling liquid
200g frozen garden peas
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ green chilli, diced
6-8 chives, thinly sliced
handful of basil leaves, thinly sliced
handful of mint leaves
250g burrata
salt
FOR THE SEASONED BREADCRUMBS
50g panko breadcrumbs extra virgin olive oil
pared peel of ½ lemon
1 garlic clove, smashed (skin on)
1 sprig of rosemary or thyme
METHOD
First, pickle the tomatoes following the method on page 31 and toast the breadcrumbs. You need to do this a little ahead (about 30 minutes).
To toast the breadcrumbs, heat a generous amount of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat along with the lemon peel, smashed garlic and rosemary or thyme. Add the breadcrumbs and toast for a few minutes till golden brown, then season with salt.
Grill the peas from frozen in a fine-mesh sieve over an open flame. Try to avoid getting the mesh too hot and keep them moving – they will be ready in 3-4 minutes.
Put the peas into a bowl with a pinch of salt and the olive oil, chilli, chives, basil and mint. Add the pickled tomatoes and a splash of their pickling liquid just before serving (if you let the peas sit in the vinegar for too long, it will start to dull their vibrant colour). Mix well and spoon over some broken burrata, adding 2-3 tablespoons of the toasted breadcrumbs at the very last second, so they stay crunchy.
Miso-Glazed Courgette
Nasu dengaku – miso-glazed aubergine – is one of my favourite dishes, and I’ve adapted the Japanese recipe for courgettes. It’s a great sharing dish, but we often have it in individual portions with steamed rice and carrot and ginger-dressed salad.
INGREDIENTS – Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side
2 courgettes
neutral oil (I use rapeseed), for pan-frying
1 tbsp white miso paste (or to taste)
1 tbsp honey (or to taste)
white sesame seeds
squeeze of lemon juice
salt
spring onions, trimmed and chopped, to serve
METHOD
Halve the courgettes lengthways and score each half in a crisscross pattern – you want the flavour to be able to get in there, so cut about halfway through. Season them with salt, rubbing it into the cuts thoroughly, then place them cut side down on a paper towel for 30 minutes – this will extract excess water, helping them tenderise without falling apart when cooked.
Dry the courgettes thoroughly and heat a few tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Add the courgettes to the pan cut side down and fry for 5-10 minutes, until golden, then flip and baste them with the oil for a few more minutes, so they cook through evenly. Transfer to a wire rack or paper towel to drain, then place the courgettes cut side up on a baking tray.
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.
Whisk the miso paste, honey and a splash of water in a bowl until smooth and spreadable. Taste for seasoning, adjusting to your preference based on the saltiness of the miso, then spread a thin layer of the miso glaze over the cut side of the courgettes and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top. Bake for 7-10 minutes, ensuring the sesame seeds don’t burn, until the glaze has caramelised.
Mix a little lemon juice into the remaining miso glaze. Spread it on a plate, place the courgettes on top, and garnish with chopped spring onions. Enjoy!
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.
INGREDIENTS – 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
METHOD
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.
Extracted from COOKING WITH VEGETABLES by Jesse Jenkins
(Published by Bluebird on 12th June 2025, £28)
Photography by Jesse Jenkins.
SHARE THIS STORY
