Fast, Fresh & Green (3 page)

Offering advice about shopping for vegetables always makes me feel a little silly. “Don’t buy asparagus with slimy tips. Don’t buy potatoes that are shrunken and dried up. Don’t buy moldy cucumbers.” Hello! We all know not to buy rotten produce; that’s obvious. What’s not so clear sometimes is which vegetables are of the best quality, which ones will taste great, and, yes, which ones are about to go bad (but aren’t yet in full demise).

I thought about this for a bit, thought about how I’ve absorbed this information over the years, and I realized there’s just one secret to choosing vegetables: practice. Become a frequent vegetable shopper. By that I don’t mean shopping every day of the week. I mean, if you want to get friendly with, say, eggplant, buy it several weeks in a row in the summer, when it’s in season. Buy some at the farmers’ market, get one from your neighbor’s garden, and buy some at the grocery store. Buy a few big globe eggplants, a few slim Japanese ones, and a couple of small white ones. Grill some, roast some, sauté some. Suddenly by Labor Day, you’re an eggplant expert. Better than reading anything I can tell you about how an eggplant’s skin should give ever so slightly when it’s perfectly ripe is the experience you’ll have of cutting into a few young ones with very taut skin and finding them a bit green inside (or, at the opposite extreme, picking up one that’s been in the fridge for too long and finding that your hand leaves deep fingerprints in it).

If you follow my suggestion and buy vegetables from different places (and even from different suppliers in the same market), you’ll begin to learn what sources to trust. And you’ll begin to understand why people like me jump up and down and beg you to buy the freshest vegetables possible (preferably ones that are in season locally and not shipped many thousands of fuel—saturated miles to get to you). You will be amazed at how much longer the vegetables you buy at a farmers’ market (or dig from your own garden) last than those you bring home from the Super Star Deluxe Big Box Grocery.

And, yes, you will be amazed at how much better locally grown vegetables taste. Get in the habit of tasting your vegetables raw (if you can) before cooking with them. You’ll begin
to notice subtle—and sometimes not—so—subtle—differences. Compare a young carrot that has been harvested locally (and hopefully grown in organic soil) to an older one that has been shipped from afar and conventionally raised in soil that is most likely nutrient—depleted. I picked those carrots because they’re such a good example of the range of sweetness to bitterness that a vegetable can have. (And those older carrots, even with the magic of roasting or sautéing, will still, unfortunately, retain some bitterness.) You can do this kind of taste comparison with other vegetables. For example, once you taste the distinctly nutty and spicy flavor of an arugula leaf from a fresh, loose, bunch, you might be more willing to wash the sand off it, rather than put up with the lackluster flavor of arugula leaves packed in a plastic bag or box, which was shipped days or weeks ago.

A few last things to think about when you’re at the grocery store: In general, buy vegetables that have been processed or packaged as little as possible. For instance, don’t buy sliced mushrooms or shredded cabbage if you can help it. Once cut, these veggies are going to spoil much more quickly. Look at labels and see where produce is coming from. Since I live on the East Coast, if I can’t buy local produce, I will buy whatever is in or closest to this region. I buy New Jersey blueberries, New York apples, and Maine potatoes when they’re available. I also keep my eyes out for variety labels, which are more common now. In the sweet potato bin, for example, there may be a mix of Jewels and Garnets and Gems (all lovely!), and it is fun to try different ones to see what you like. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of mislabeling and confusing labeling in the grocery store, too, so don’t be afraid to ask someone if you’re not sure whether you’ve got bok choy or Napa cabbage in your hands.

I love the idea of shopping on a Sunday afternoon, because you can come home and do some prep for the week. With a few extra minutes, you can wash, store, and, in some cases, even precook vegetables, saving time later on a weeknight. But even if you aren’t a Sunday afternoon shopper, these are all smart ideas for keeping your veggies in good shape through the week.

Stem, wash, spin dry, and store loosely in zip—top bags lined with paper towels to absorb excess moisture.

Cabbage and bok choy don’t discolor when cut, so go ahead and cut them before storing.

Wrap hardy herbs, such as rosemary, in damp paper towels and store in zip—top bags. Store parsley, stems down, in a glass of water. Cover the leaves with a zip—top bag. Keep basil unrefrigerated, in a glass of water, if you bought it in a bunch or picked it yourself. If you don’t plan to use it soon, wrap it carefully in damp paper towels, covering all surfaces, and store in a zip—top bag in the refrigerator. Store cilantro and mint this way, too, to prevent the oxidation of leaves. (If you bought any of these in a plastic box in a refrigerator case, though, keep it that way.)

Store stems down, in a glass of water.

Put in brown paper bags to ripen.

When it’s in season, boil ears ahead of time, slice off the kernels (see
page 67
), and keep them in a covered container in the fridge or freezer to be added to salads, sautés, and side dishes.

Put in a paper bag or a dark place (or cover with a dish towel) so that they do not turn green. Store separately from onions. Do not refrigerate.

Always store at room temperature, never in the fridge; cold kills their flavor. If you have spare time, make the Caramelized Plum Tomatoes in an Olive Oil Bath (
page 41
). They store well and make excellent ingredients for salads and pastas later in the week.

Most recipes can be cooked in about 30 minutes or less, and a dozen or so can be done in about 20 minutes. You can pretty much assume that all of the other recipes, except for those in the Baking Gratins chapter, can be done in about 45 minutes. (For any recipe that I’ve thought will take you longer, I’ve indicated the extra time needed in its headnote.) Many recipes, like those in the Quick—Roasting chapter, have a significant amount of hands—off cooking time, too. If you’re short on time, you can often skip a garnish of chopped parsley or toasted nuts (especially if you’re not keeping these on hand in the fridge) to speed things up. Estimated times do not include preheating the oven.

You will notice that a majority of these recipes serve three or four people, or else four or five. It’s not because I like odd numbers, but rather because that’s the yield of the suggested pot or pan (which are the sizes you are most likely to have and that will work best on home stoves). Of course, some recipes serve six or more. These tend to be salads and gratins, which come together in larger cooking vessels. Many recipes yield enough for two main dish servings, for a change of pace. And lots of recipes are easily doubled. To double those in the Quick—Roasting chapter, for instance, simply use two sheet pans and shift their positions halfway through cooking.

The cooking times and cuts for a vegetable are included in the recipe. Not all vegetables work in all foundation recipes. Some vegetables naturally lend themselves to certain methods, while others (like those darn carrots) seem to work with every method. All of the “workhorse” vegetables (such as broccoli, green beans, spinach, potatoes) will work in at least one of the foundation recipes, and usually more than that.

METHOD: Quick—roasting

EQUIPMENT: Large (18-×-13-×-1-in/45.5-×-33-×-2.5-cm) heavy—duty rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment paper, tongs, oven thermometer

HEAT: The oven, HOT! 450 to 475°F/230 to 245°C (Gas Mark 8 to 9)

RECIPES:
Foundation Recipe for Quick—Roasting •
28

Quick—Roasted Cauliflower with Zesty Orange—Olive Dressing •
30

Roasted Broccoli Florets with Two Dipping Sauces •
33

Quick—Roasted Beet Slices •
35

Roasted Beet, Orange, and Mâche Salad with Goat Cheese and Toasted Walnuts •
36

Sweet Potato “Mini—Fries” with Limey Dipping Sauce and Spiced Salt •
37

Roasted Green Beans and Cremini Mushrooms with Rosemary—Garlic Oil •
40

Caramelized Plum Tomatoes in an Olive Oil Bath •
41

Roasted Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella “Sandwiches” •
42

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Orange Butter Sauce •
43

Tiny Roasted Root Vegetables with Shallots and Fresh Herb Salt •
44

Warm Bistro Salad with Tiny Roasted Root Vegetables and Bacon Dressing •
47

Eggplant and Basil “Caponata” Salad •
49

Roasted Turnips and Pears with Rosemary—Honey Drizzle •
50

Vanilla and Cardamom Glazed Acorn Squash Rings •
51

Roast it, and they will eat it. It’s just a given. If you’re on a mission, like I am, to help people fall in love with vegetables, roasting is the way to do it. By now, you probably know this, and you’ve probably got a recipe for roasted potatoes that you turn to a few nights a week (if truth be told). What you might not know, though, is how delicious roasted broccoli and roasted cauliflower are—or that you can use a basic technique and formula to roast whatever you’ve got on hand, any night of the week.

To get that delicious caramelized, roasty—toasty flavor, you need just three things: a heavy—duty aluminum sheet pan, parchment paper, and a hot oven. Oh, and a sharp knife to cut your veggies and a sturdy pair of tongs to toss them wouldn’t hurt.

Honestly, I know it’s a drag when people say, “Buy this and buy that.” But these restaurant—style sheet pans are much easier to handle than flimsy cookie sheets, they won’t warp, and, most important, they’ll cook your vegetables much more evenly—especially at high heat—than anything else. (Do not be tempted to use nonstick sheet pans; their dark surface will brown the vegetables before they are tender inside.) Plus, size matters; these pans are big enough (18 × 3 × 1 in./45.5 × 33 × 2.5 cm) to accommodate a pound of vegetables while giving them enough breathing room. Your vegetables will tend to steam, not brown, if they’re crammed on a smaller sheet.

It’s also totally worth your while to get friendly with parchment paper. (No more sticking—I will say nothing else.) This isn’t too hard, considering you can order 100 premeasured sheets in a handy tube from the King Arthur Flour Web site or catalog.

I know I’m starting to sound like a QVC commercial, but I have to ask you to buy one more thing if you aspire to be the roasting queen (or king, or just hometown hero): an oven thermometer. These roasting recipes all call for cooking at pretty high temps—450 to 475°F/230 to 245°C (Gas Mark 8 to 9). If your oven is off (and most are), you might incinerate your veggies—or have to wait around for them to cook. With the help of an oven thermometer, you’ll know whether your oven is running hot or cool, and you can compensate by just raising or lowering the temperature. You should feel free to use your oven’s convection function for roasting vegetables; I think it makes especially crispy potatoes. You’ll have to compensate by lowering your oven temperature by twenty—five degrees and checking for doneness a few minutes earlier.

There is one more secret to quick—roasting: Cut your vegetables quite thinly, or into small pieces, and they will cook quickly. (No big chunks, please.) This is how, for instance, you can actually roast beets on a weeknight. Whole beets or even quartered beets take 1 or 2 hours to cook; beets sliced thinly roast in about 20 minutes. Don’t worry if your knife skills aren’t perfect. Try to keep your pieces about the same size, but we’re not giving out prizes for good looks.

That’s it. You now have a choice. You can follow one of the recipes in this chapter, each with its own flavor twist, or you can improvise your own roasted vegetables following the foundation
recipe I’ve provided on
page 28
and the table of cooking times for vegetables, below. Be generous with oil and salt at first, then adjust for your own preferences. Flip the veggies if you like; forget about it if it bugs you. One side of your vegetables will be browner than the other if you don’t flip, but they’ll cook through either way.

Here’s an opportunity to roast whatever you’ve got in the fridge or pantry tonight. If you want to roast more than one kind of vegetable on the same sheet pan, just be sure the vegetables are cut similarly and cook in about the same amount of time (see the table on
page 27
). And be sure you still have about 1 lb/455 g (after trimming) on a large baking sheet. Much more, and the veggies won’t cook evenly or very quickly. Much less, and the veggies will tend to cook too quickly, browning too much before becoming tender and leaving the parchment paper scorched.