Cindy and Michael from over at where’s the beef?, tagged me with this vegetable medley of a meme.
1. Is there a vegetable you hated as a child, but came to love as you got older?
I absolutely abhorred eggplant, which was quite unusual for a child brought up in an Italian household full of wonderful dishes such as baked melanzane parmigiana etc. I thought it had the consistency of slime, the taste of mouldy shoes, and the look of a colourless sludge. But then one day in my late teens, my taste changed. I now can’t get enough of them – diced and sauteed with potato, parsley, parmesan and olive oil. Or baked. Or in a curry. Or in a ratatouille. Or in a moussaka. Or in a baba ghanouj. Or in a….
2. Most underrated vegetable?
The onion. It is used by practically every cuisine, and whilst rarely eaten on its own (though I do love a good roast or pickled onion), it is often an integral part of most dishes.
3. Name one favourite summer vegetable dish.
Tomatoes – still warm from the sun after being picked off the vine and diced into bite sized chunks. A little thinly sliced white onion (see above). Freshly cracked black pepper. Maldon sea salt flakes. Fresh torn basil leaves. Extra virgin olive oil. Mix together and leave to macerate at room temperature for half an hour. Hunk of pasta dura bread. Dip. Scoop. Eat. Mmm.
4. And one for winter?
Just a good ol’ thick vegetable soup, heavy on the green matter with a spattering of plump fagioli (beans). A lick of olive oil and grated parmesan to serve.
5. What vegetables are in your fridge and freezer right now?
Fridge: Carrots, broccoli, broccolini, snow peas, tomatoes, lebanese cucumbers, red capsicum, corn (on the cob), bok choy, button mushrooms
Freezer: Baby peas, broad beans, silverbeet (in vast quantities from the Greek neighbour down the road, which was shredded and wilted for future soup making use), spring onions
Cupboard: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions (of course)
6. Is there a vegetable you really like but don’t make much yourself?
Jerusalem artichokes. But only because they cause extreme flatulence.
This is now an open tag to all. Let me know in the comments if you pick up the gauntlet 
Thanks for taking part, Mellie.
I’m pretty sure I would have hated eggplant as a kid (even though I like it now) but my parents weren’t adventurous enough to try it themselves anyway!
Ok, I’ll bite… and will have the blog up soon
Hey there Cindy – No worries at all. I love taking part in a short and sweet memes
Yes…the much maligned eggplant. It really does cop a bad wrap, huh?
Hi Anna – you go girl! Looking forward to your entry.
I would do this Mellie if it were about anything else, but I don’t like vegetables at all. It’s ok if they’re in a dish with something else and I’ll eat most types, but I don’t like them in general. There’s some things I won’t touch, like raw tomato and the one I hate hate hate, celery. I do love a good potato though.
Hey ya thanh7580 – how can you not like vegies? Were you not introduced to them as a child? Veg are so amazingly wonderful and versatile, and packed full of flavour and nutrients. You can’t help but feel great just eating them!
And potatoes don’t count
Everyone loves potatoes.
I thought potatos don’t really count hahaha. I was forced to eat veg like any other child. I have come to tolerate vegetables, and sometimes when its done so well, I do like it. But on the whole, vegetables and I are just two casual acquaintances who bump into each other occasionally. We aren’t friends and I don’t think we ever will be.