Adding a ZING to "mundane" vegetables

[Henry dV]

We`ve just had a typical "Sunday roast" and I tried adding some toasted and ground corriander seed to bashed neeps(turnip/swede/rutabaga) and carrots then seasoned and added a drizzle of lemon juice and I have to say it was a hit and will be used again.

So Guys and Gals what do you add to lift the "mundane"veggies and turn them majestic ?

[nduran]

Ponzu

[emilyr]

Nutmeg if they're creamed.

Almost any herb, fresh or dried, and olive oil if they're steamed or simply cooked.

[rooftop1000]

toasted sesame seeds and sesame oil for green beans and broccoli

broccoli can also get lemon zest and roasted garlic

carrots orange juice and zest or ginger

butternut squash lots of cinnamon

dont forget to roast your cauliflower

cold veggie salads perk things up too like a carrot raisin with lemon dressing and fresh thyme or nice crunchy cole slaw

tracey

[GTO]

We often add a spoonful of good Pesto to our mashed potatoes, or grated Parmesan to roasted vegetables, like carrots.

[JAZ]

I like mashed sweet potatoes with a little pureed chipotles in adobo; toasted cumin seeds with sauteed cabbage; and broccoli with oyster sauce or hoisin.

[Sugarella]

Steaming vegetables in vegetable or chicken stock with a bit of cayenne is way better than plain steamed....a broken garlic clove in the water helps too.

Green beans .... saute in olive & sesame oil for 2 minutes, add a splash of oyster sauce and continue for another minute, add a little chicken stock and simmer lidded for another minute. Finish with lemon.

Toss dry spinach in melted butter, salt, cracked black pepper and about 1 tsp. oyster sauce and cook lidded until just wilted.

Roasted cauliflower....

Any curry paste coating potatoes for roasting..... any herb rub bound with lemon or yogurt coating potatoes for roasting....

Beets in beef stock & a little red wine.....

Butternut squash gets chopped and steamed in vegetable stock, butter, nutmeg, a few whole cloves and a splash of rum..... when finished cooking remove cloves and dump the squash back into the steaming water and mash the whole thing. Finish with salt and cracked pepper.

Sautee cabbage with chopped bacon....

Mushrooms.... lightly salted to start the weeping, sautee in olive oil about 10 - 15 minutes until they've stopped weeping and are getting dry again, add a tiny splash of really good soy sauce and toss for a minute until the sugar in the soy sauce starts carmelizing.....

[jende]

Parmigiano-Reggiano and a little garlic works with almost any vegetable and is easy/always in the fridge.

A little goat cheese is good tossed in with most vegs, too, and adds great flavor and texture.

[Henry dV]

BRILLIANT people, keep them coming so many good ideas to try

[K8memphis]

I'm thinking hot Italian sausage would enhance the dickens

out of any old vegetable for me. Magestic yes palatial even.

[K8memphis]

Not to mention bacon grease.

[SheenaGreena]

I agree with k8memphis...everything should be cooked in bacon fat or lots of butter

veggies also taste really yummy with lots of kimchi and maybe some msg?

[Henry dV]

Green beans .... saute in olive & sesame oil for 2 minutes, add a splash of oyster sauce and continue for another minute, add a little chicken stock and simmer lidded for another minute. Finish with lemon.

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I`m going to give this a thorough investigation................ sounds yummy !

[DTBarton]

We really like sauteed zuchinni and summer squash with onions, salt, and pepper. Add fresh basil at the end. Second the pesto idea, we do that too in the winter.

Roast brussel sprouts with carrots and onions. Cut carrots about the same size as the sprouts. Put all the veggies in a ziploc bag, add olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little balsamic vinegar (Worcestershire sauce works as well) and shake. Put on greased cookie sheet (with foil), 350 for about 40 minutes or until sprouts and carrots are tender.

[Reignking]

Truffle salt.

[russ parsons]

mundane vegetables? MUNDANE VEGETABLES? YOU TALKIN' TO ME?

[jgm]

Another idea is to search out recipes for compound butters. You can freeze them for a couple of months (then the herbs tend to lose their zing), and just put them on the vegetables at the last minute. Very handy in a pinch, and if you're having "one of those days" when everything you planned to fix is either spoiled, or not in your kitchen, even though you were sure it was.

[SaltySnack]

Tony's Cajun Seasoning!

http://www.tonychachere.com/

[Sugarella]

Green beans .... saute in olive & sesame oil for 2 minutes, add a splash of oyster sauce and continue for another minute, add a little chicken stock and simmer lidded for another minute. Finish with lemon.

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I`m going to give this a thorough investigation................ sounds yummy !

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Lemme know what you think....

[KendallCollege]

compound butter?

my ZING to any veg is chorizo compound butter. my fiance is hispanic and always has one/two/three sticks of chorizo in our fridge. she never uses all of the sausages (she leaves the end-bits), so i render them to make chorizo butter.

its one of my staples. chorizo has EVERYTHING that a good veg can benefit from.

cheers.

trev.

[Sugarella]

my ZING to any veg is chorizo compound butter.  my fiance is hispanic and always has one/two/three sticks of chorizo in our fridge.  she never uses all of the sausages (she leaves the end-bits), so i render them to make chorizo butter.

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Sorry to ask a stupid question, but how exactly do you go about doing this? Never made a compound butter before (unless compound just means infused) and I have some chorizo right now....

Thanks....

[KendallCollege]

take butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature

put a non-stick pan on the stove over a low flame. add the chorizo. let the chorizo give-up its fat.

when a significant amout of fat has leaked out (the meat should by "dry" looking), pull the pan off of the stove.

strain the fat through a chinois. add the fat to the butter and incorporate.

when the butter is completely "orange", season with salt.

place the chorizo butter in the fridge to cool.

add a tbsp of chorizo butter to any hot pan and saute your heart away!

cheers

trev.

[Pontormo]

mundane vegetables? MUNDANE VEGETABLES? YOU TALKIN' TO ME?

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Thank you.

Seen first on Serious Eats.

[mtigges]

Similar to the pesto, I made a lot of garlic scape pesto (same as basil just no parm) and have been adding it to everything. I really love it.

This was just to use up the scapes, we have so many in the garden there's no way we could use them all.

[Henry dV]

its one of my staples.  chorizo has EVERYTHING that a good veg can benefit from.

cheers.

trev.

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Oh yeah!! I like where you`re coming from "Clever " Trevor !!

That is deffo getting a go !!