58 replies to this topic

[mamster]

Hope nobody minds, but I'm going to move this thread to cooking.  I don't want the general public to miss out on all our recipes.

(Edited by mamster at 10:23 am on Feb. 4, 2002)

[=Mark]

One of my pet peeves concerning veggies served in restaurants is the fad of the past 10 years of serving them warmed but not cooked.  I like broccoli and carrots as much as anyone, but unless served in a salad they should not be crunchy.  I suppose this is a result of the misguided notion that veggies are more nutritious when uncooked.

[tommy]

crunchy is a matter of personal preference.  there is no right and wrong.   i prefer broccoli to fight back a bit.  i also like asparagus grilled to the point where they can just be snapped, with a little salt and pepper.

[mamster]

Tommy, I want a t-shirt that says "crunchy is a matter of personal preference," just so people will ask me what it means and I can be noncommittal.

[jhlurie]

Quote: from Sandra Levine on 8:31 am on Feb. 1, 2002
Roasting vegetables caramelizes them and concentrates the flavors.  With the exception of leafy greens, I can't think of a vegetable that doesn't  benefit from this treatment.

Even better, roasting in foil, with Olive Oil and Garlic.  Works with Brussel Sprouts, Asparagus, Corn, Broccoli, and many others.

[col klink]

I'm a huge fan of asparagus when they're in season and I enjoy them simply steamed to al dente.  After a couple turns on the old (coarse) pepper grinder I add some basalmic vinegar and I'm singing with the angels.  I've been known to make a whole meal out of it, also I like that preparation so much, that's how I serve broccoli as well.

However now, I think I'm going to start experimenting with roasting my veggies after reading these posts.

[Malawry]

I can't speak to where to get good veggies in the Pacific Northwest, but I did try a chard dish recently that worked out well. Basically we bought white-stemmed chard, cleaned it and cut the stems out. Chop the stems and cut up the leaves. Toast some pignoli in a dry skillet. Heat about 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a pan on the stove large enough to hold the chard in a single layer and, once hot, add the stems. Let them go for 2-3 minutes and then add the greens. Saute for about 7 minutes until tender. Add the toasted pignoli and shake on some raspberry vinegar. S&P and snarf. It was so good we made more for dessert (hey, raspberry = dessert, right?)

[Sandra Levine]

Not that far-fateched.   There is a sweet Swiss chard tart that is a Provencal dessert.

[Rachel Perlow]

Back to the roasted cauliflower for a minute... I tried it last night with some cauliflower florets I had in the fridge. Since they were already separated into florets, I didn't have the opportunity to slice a whole head, just the larger curds. Anyway, when you have a whole head, are you really just slicing it vertically? Aren't the middle pieces really big? How do you toss them with the oil?

BTW - it was really good :)

[mamster]

When we made it, the middle pieces didn't work so well.  Maybe with some more time they would have become tender.  Laurie and I agree that next time we'll probably just knock florets off.

[Sandra Levine]

The way I do it is to separate the florets and slice them vertically about 1/3" thick.  

[Jim Dixon]

re the slicing issue...

The last batch I made (a couple of nights back) consisted of two smallish heads of cauliflower. I actually slice them a bit thinner than the quarter-inch I mentioned earlier, maybe about 3/16, but probably not smaller than 1/8 (and of course I didn't actually measure the #### things, just sliced them thinly).

Sometimes there are larger, fan-like slices from the center that include a bit of the central stalk and florets from both sides. Often I'll break these up, but usually they break on their own when I'm stirring (usually 2-3 times during the course of roasting).

My reason for slicing rather than breaking up into florets is simply speed. It's pretty easy to trim off the leaves, cut the stem even with the bottom of the head, set it on the cutting board, and whack away. Since I cook everything at our house, and I start getting the "when's dinner" refrain by 6:30, speed is always a consideration for me.

I rarely have leftovers, but Judith is in Florida with her folks so I only ate half of this batch. The next night I tossed the rest with rigatoni (long pasta might've worked better, but these were at hand), lightly sauteed garlic, grated bottarga (dried tuna roe, but a few anchovies would provide a similar taste), chopped salted capers (didn't bother to soak with all of that pasta), bread crumbs, and a healthy drizzle of olive oil.

Jim

[Blue Heron]

It is so good, we've made it 3 times in the last 10 days.

I like the way it turns out with slicing.  Not only is it quicker, but the flat pieces lend to carmalizing nicely, and there are lots of pieces that crumble off which  also brown nicely.   To get it as brown as I like, I tended to bake it about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. 

John Ash on foodtv.com has done a similar recipe using slices of cauliflower, but I'm sticking with olive oil :-) http://dev.foodtv.co...4,13913,00.html

[CathyL]

What a nice end-of-week coincidence!  I just discovered this thread, although I've been roasting cauliflower for a year or so and was planning to do it for dinner.  

I saw the John Ash show and keep meaning to get some pecan oil - how could that not be delicious?  Among the seasonings I've tried with olive oil, my favorite is a dusting of curry powder (a good sharp/sweet/hot one) before the florets go in the oven.  

I think I'll try slices tonight.  Usually I roast florets at 450 for 30-45 minutes; they get brown and a bit crunchy but don't turn to mush.  

Celery root slices are also wonderful roasted.  Sometimes I add sliced parsnips.

[Blue Heron]

This is the recipe for one of my favorite restaurant veggie dishes, Wild Ginger's Sichuan Green Beans.  

The recipe comes from Best Places Seattle Cookbook  by Cynthia C. Nims & Kathy Casey www.kathycasey.com , Sasquatch Publishing copyright 2001  www.sasquatchbooks.com. They gave me permission to post this recipe to www.egullet.com, and I've referenced this link back to them.

Wild Ginger's Sichuan Green Beans

At Wild Ginger, the green beans are first deep-fried and then stir-fried with the remaining ingredients, using 2 separate woks.  If you have only 1 wok, use a saucepan for deep-frying.  Simpler yet, stir-fry the green beans in the wok until they begin to turn brown and blister, then continue as directed.  The double-whammy technique of deep-frying and stir-frying produces the best, most flavorful results, however.

Note that the green beans must be fully dry before adding them to the hot oil for frying.  If any water is clinging to the beans, they'll sputter violently when added to the oil.  You'll want to rinse the preserved vegetable under cold running water before using, to wash away excess salt.  Sichuan preserved vegetable is available in Asian markets and on well-stocked grocery shelves.

Peanut or canola oil, for frying
2 T soy sauce
2 t rice wine vinegar
1 t sesame oil
1 t sugar
1 lb. tender green beans, trimmed & thoroughly dried
2 T minced lean pork
1 T minced Sichuan preserved vegetables
1 t dried red pepper flakes

POUR THE OIL to a depth of 2-3 inches into a large, deep, heavy saucepan & heat over medium-high heat to 400 F degrees (the oil should come no more than halfway up the sides of the pan).

WHILE THE OIL IS HEATING, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar in small bowl.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved & set aside.

WHEN THE OIL IS HOT, fry the green beans, in small batches, until lightly browned & blistered, 1-1/2 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to paper towels to drain.  Allow the oil to reheat as needed between batches.

HEAT A WOK over high heat until very hot, then add 1 T oil (it will begin smoking right away).  Add the pork, preserved vegetable, and red pepper flakes & stir-fry for 10 seconds.  The pepper flakes will give off peppery fumes, so be prepared with an exhaust fan or nearby open window.  Add the soy sauce mixture & heat, stirring, for about 15 seconds, being careful not to burn the sugar.  Add the green beans & toss until most of the liquid is reduced & absorbed by the beans, about 30 seconds.

TRANSFER THE BEANS to a warmed platter & serve.

[mamster]

Thanks, BH!  Let's all start referring to these as "Blue Heron's green beans."  You've got to love a cookbook that includes the phrase, "If you have only one wok..."

I love the Szechuan green beans at Wild Ginger, but I love all Szechuan green beans.  This is what I always order if I see it on the menu at an iffy Chinese restaurant--even tired, tough supermarket green beans emerge from hot oil transformed.

[Blue Heron]

Thanks, BH!  Let's all start referring to these as "Blue Heron's green beans."  

Don't you dare!   I was initially surprised to see that they were double fried, no wonder they taste so good, but then that is the secret to better french fries, too.

I wonder how many other vegetable dishes are made better by double frying, or frying and then stir frying?  Is that pretty common in restaurants?

[Malawry]

I wonder how many other vegetable dishes are made better by double frying, or frying and then stir frying?  Is that pretty common in restaurants?

Tofu is often deep-fried (to make it chewy and give it crisp edges) and then stir-fried (with or without other ingredients) in a sauce. This is a common technique in many Asian cuisines. You can make your tofu similarly chewy by freezing it, thawing it, pressing out the water, and then adding it to a stir-fry, but it isn't quite as tasty as the fried stuff.

I know, tofu isn't regarded as a vegetable in most peoples' minds. Work with me here. :)

I also recently had a tempura dish where coated, fried veggies and tofu were quickly tossed in a wok with a thin, clear spicy sauce. That was pretty tasty. But then, I like anything fried.

[mamster]

As Malawry said, I think this is quite a common technique especially in Chinese cooking.  Have you ever made Szechuan shrimp with garlic sauce?  You deep-fry the shrimp, then pour off the oil and toss them with the sauce.  No wonder it's so good, right?

[Niall]

Most of the chinese greens are just fantastic with garlic and oyster sauce. If you toss in a few shitake and oyster mushrooms that have previously been fried in butter it just gets better & better...

On a more european front, when I'm feeling lazy I just throw a load of veggies into one pot, boil and puree. The veg do have to be added at different stages, but its still nice and easyto cook, and good with a pork chop and apple sauce. Its even easy to eat.. sometime I even skip the pork and just fry up some eggs with it..

[Niall]

Just did the cauliflower thing.... fanbloodytastic. It was one of the few veggies I had never considered roasting. It and cabbage. Anybody got any roast cabbage recipes?

[Sandra Levine]

My guess is that a firm, thick-leaved cabbage with a tight head will work best.  Cut it into chunks so that the leaves stay attached to a bit of the stem.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and drizzle oil all over, so that most of the leaves get at least a few drops on most leaves.  I bet caraway or cumin seeds would be a good addition.  Cabbage, I suspect, would take less time than cauliflower, at a slightly lower temperature.  Sprinkle some roasted sesame oil over the cabbage just before serving.  I'd be afraid of the leaves burning.  It might be better to par-boil the cut up cabbage until it softens somewhat before roasting, as above, in order to reduce the risk.  Again, I haven't tried this, but that's what I would do.

[Blue Heron]

Anybody got any roast cabbage recipes?

Just in time for St. Patrick's day... I came across a recipe for Dilled Roasted Cabbage today in the Seattle Times.  It comes from From "The Roasted Vegetable" by Andrea Chesman.  Here is the link: Dilled Roasted Cabbage

[Rachel Perlow]

Speaking of St. Patrick's Day, I recall a tip for making stuffed cabbage I read on a yahoo group freezer food forum: Freeze your head of cabbage instead of boiling!

That is, throw the whole head in there, you don't even have to wrap it since the outermost leaves are usually tossed anyway. About a day before you want to make your stuffed cabbage, remove the head from the freezer, place in bowl to collect drippings and defrost. The leaves will have softened in a way similar to boiling, but you don't have to heat the pot of water and risk scalding yourself.

[helenas]

some nice trick for roasted veggies: sprinkle them with some vermouth or white wine. I tried it the other day on melange of red peppers, shallots and shiitakes. vermouth definitely adds a flavor, but since the roasting is done on hign temperature, it's not overwhelming as vermouth can be

[franklanguage]

I suppose this is a result of the misguided notion that veggies are more nutritious when uncooked.

They are more nutritious when uncooked; cooking breaks down the nutrients in food.

On a more  ominous note, microwaving food apparently does some sinister and unforeseen things to food, according to this link and this one, among many others.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

[mamster]

franklanguage, can you be more specific?  Can you name some nutrients that are rendered biologically inaccessible through cooking, and which vegetables these nutrients are found in?  Does cooking remove all the nutrients or only some?  Do different cooking methods have different effects?  Are you talking about organic nutrients such as vitamins, inorganic nutrients such as minerals, or both?

[Sandra Levine]

I came across a recipe for Dilled Roasted Cabbage today in the Seattle Times.  It comes from From "The Roasted Vegetable" by Andrea Chesman.  

Has anyone seen this book?  I'm intrigued.

[Blue Heron]

I haven't seen the book, but I did try her recipe for Roasted Cabbage yesterday for St. Patrick's day.  It was pretty tasty, but was not as good as the Roasted Cauliflower.  If I make it again, I would cut the dill in half, and roast it an additional 5-10 minutes, also maybe experiment with 1/2 butter, 1/2 olive oil instead of all butter.  It turned out better than I expected though, and was nice for a change.