Vegetable Marinades – Do You Need to Use Them?

It could just be me but when someone mentions marinades, I think about chicken.  And there are a lot of nice chicken marinades out there.  But there are also lots of marinades for vegetables.  Why, you might ask, do I need to use vegetable marinades?  You don’t – but they might just add something to a dish!

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What is a marinade?

A marinade is a solution that you soak foods in and yes, meats are most commonly associated with it.  The aim of the marinade is to enhance the flavour of the food and also to break down the process of cooking.  This is done with certain ingredients such as vinegar, wine or even some fruit juices such as pineapple or papaya.  Spices such as ginger can also do a similar job.  This helps keep the meat moist while making sure it cooks properly.

Marinades are used a lot for grilling and this is because the heat a grill usually creates.  High temperatures can lead to harmful substances on food but the marinade combats this.  So while they do add to the flavour of the food, there are practical reasons to use them.

Vegetable marinades

Another reason to use marinades particularly for vegetables is that it stops them sticking to the cooking dish or surface.  Most marinades use an oil for their bases such as olive or vegetable oil and this acts as a non-stick coating to the food.

Marinades naturally draw water from vegetables so those with less natural water work well – artichokes, asparagus, zucchini, onions, mushrooms and peppers are examples of veg that can be marinade for a long time to good effect.  On the other hand, those with lots of water, like tomatoes, should only be marinade for a short time before cooking.

Enhancing the flavour

Away from the technical reasons for using marinades, there is a real flavour enhancement that they bring.  And let’s be honest, some vegetables don’t have a massive amount of flavour on their own.

Marinades can use different herbs and spices to add or accent a particular flavour.  For example, Robert said if you wanted to roast some vegetables to go with a dish take some new potatoes, parsnips, carrots and red onions then make a marinade of rosemary and honey to pour over them.  Also, add a couple of fennel bulbs to further complete the taste.

Another example of a simple marinade could work with squash, peppers, carrots and cauliflower.  Take 1/3 cup rice vinegar and the same of water and mix two teaspoons of soy sauce, add two cloves of garlic and one tablespoon of minced ginger.  Finish the mix with two tablespoons of orange juice and add to the veg before cooking.

Making marinades ahead

With some marinades, it can be a good idea to create them the day before and leave them to settle overnight.  Or you may even want to marinade the vegetables in the mix overnight – remember those water level tips above.

A marinade for artichokes, carrot slices, cucumber, celery, zucchini or small whole tomatoes would use ½ cup of canola oil, ½ cup olive oil, 3 cups of apple cider vinegar and ½ cup granulated sugar.  Add 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of mustard and the same of salt along with a little black pepper.

For a spicy (and slightly boozy) marinade, take 1 hot chilli pepper, 2/3 cup of orange liqueur (such as Triple Sec or Cointreau) with 4 ¼ cups of fresh orange juice and 1 1/3 cup of coriander seeds.  Dice up a handful of fresh coriander and use this on any vegetables you like – plus it would work well on chicken too.

Have vegetables as a main dish

Vegetables in a marinade don’t just have to be a side dish either.  You can make them as a main dish by increasing quantity.  Here are a couple of Robert’s vegetable marinade meal ideas.

Chargrilled vegetable tian

• Peppers, courgettes, aubergine and onion marinade in olive oil, garlic and basil then served in a stack (tian) with a tomato sauce

Vegetable kebabs

• Take button mushroom, courgette rounds, peppers, red onion, cherry tomatoes marinated in olive oil, lemon, thyme and a little chilli then put onto skewers with the mushrooms on each end (because they look cute!)

Mixed vegetable couscous

• Mixed vegetables marinated in maple syrup, olive oil and wasabi then served with couscous (or pasta or rice if you prefer)

Enjoying vegetable marinades

The thing with marinades is that there’s no strict rules – you can make your own around the flavours you like.  If you are a spicy person, up the chilli level.  Or if you love garlic, then use more garlic and less of something else.  They are flexible, easy to make and add your own unique flavour to any vegetable dish.

Do you have a favourite marinade you use for vegetables or for meat?  I’d love to hear about it!