The Kitchen Counter Cooking School (14 page)

You just need to know the meaning of four words:
sauté, steam, roast,
and
grill
. Vegetables are done when they are tender but still crisp. Err on the side of undercooking. You can also toss in a vinaigrette from chapter 8 or a flavor splash (below), or toss with a handful of grated cheese and broil for a minute or two. There's nothing wrong with plain frozen vegetables. Flash-frozen on harvest, they're often as fresh as or fresher than their produce-aisle cousins. Frozen vegetables do best sautéed or steamed.

 

 

 

Virtually all vegetables lend themselves to being quickly cooked over high heat in a bit of fat. Cut them into
-inch pieces, get a skillet hot, and add 1 or 2 glugs of vegetable, olive, peanut, canola, or coconut oil. Add the vegetables and stir a few times. Most take less than 10 minutes. Firm vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots, take the longest, up to about 15 minutes. Cook greens such as Swiss chard and spinach with a bit of chopped garlic until wilted. Finish with salt and pepper. If you mix firm vegetables with softer ones, be sure to add the harder ones first.

 

 

This is simple yet yields great flavor. Line an oven-safe pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Cut the vegetables into uniform 1-inch or smaller pieces. Toss them generously with oil or butter, and add salt, pepper, and maybe a sprig of thyme. Roast at high heat (475°F) and stir a couple of times while cooking. Once diced, sliced, or otherwise broken down into smaller pieces, the following vegetables will cook in less than 15 minutes: asparagus, beets, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, green beans, leeks, mushrooms, parsnips, white and sweet potatoes, diced squash (hard outer skin discarded), and zucchini.

 

 

This is a no-fat way to cook utilizing a multitude of setups. Cut up larger vegetables into 1-inch or smaller cubes. Use an electric steamer, or add vegetables to a pan with a tight-fitting lid filled with an inch or two of water, or simply microwave a small batch of vegetables with a bit of water in a bowl covered with a plate. Cook until just tender. Add salt and pepper after steaming. This method is recommended for asparagus, green beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, kale, kohlrabi, onions, parsnips, peas, potatoes, spinach, diced squash, Swiss chard, cubed turnips, and zucchini.

 

 

If you grill often, invest in one of those square grill pans with holes. Cut vegetables into 1-inch pieces, and toss them with generous doses of oil, salt, and pepper. Put in the basket over hot coals, cover, and stir regularly until they are tender.

Just mix the ingredients together in a small saucepan, heat briefly, pour onto vegetables, and toss to coat. Each recipe coats enough for about four side servings of vegetables. (For more ideas, see the “Cheat Sheet” to Flavor Profiles in the Extra Recipes section at the back of the book.)

 

 

Warm 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, then add 1 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger or a couple of pinches of dried ginger, a few squeezes of fresh lime juice, and
teaspoon of soy sauce. Heat through for about 3 minutes.

 

 

Warm 2 teaspoons of olive oil, add 3 finely chopped green onions, and cook until tender, then add 1 teaspoon of Cajun spice blend, a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice, and a couple of drops of hot sauce.

 

 

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter, add 2 small cloves of minced garlic, a bit of fresh thyme or mixed dried herbs, and 1 teaspoon of lemon or orange juice, and sauté for a couple of minutes, until the garlic softens.