Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

In search of veggies


mamster

Recommended Posts

I'd try any of the suggested dishes with minor tweaks,such as adding roasted garlic to the asparagus,using the leftover winter squash with pasta and serving caramelized onions with all of the above . I'm surprised no one mentioned how great Brussel sprouts are shredded and sauteed in olive oil or butter[which improves just about anything] and seasoned with fresh nutmeg,s&p and grated hard cheese. Add some crunchy croutons and it's a meal. Mamster,didn't the steam table restaurant you reviewed early on have lots of veggies?

Judy Amster

Cookbook Specialist and Consultant

amsterjudy@gmail.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Which steam table place, heyjude?  The possibilities that come to mind are Kanadala Paradiso, China Village, and Whole Foods.  They do have a good broccoli with garlic sauce at CV.

As far as Ambrosia, I don't think I could shelve my prejudices well enough to really enjoy a vegan restaurant.  At some point during the meal I'd be prone to start ranting about how this would have been really good with a little bacon and this with butter and so on, and so I'd be truly missing the point.  I have a feeling I'd also be overly cognizant of how cheap the ingredients are compared to what they're charging me.

I guess I'd be willing to try it as an anthropological venture.  I think it was James Peterson who said, "I don't like my meat without vegetables or my vegetables without meat."

Matthew Amster-Burton, aka "mamster"

Author, Hungry Monkey, coming in May

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mamster,it was the place with the blood pudding where it was better not to know what one was eating assuming a certain level of squeamishness. Aiming at two threads,there are wonderful versions of Chinese broccoli at most dim sum restaurants. However,that still begs the question of whether there is such a place in the Seattle area. I haven't been to any other than in the ID and they haven't been very good,so it's off to Bellevue.

Judy Amster

Cookbook Specialist and Consultant

amsterjudy@gmail.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

=Mark

Give a man a fish, he eats for a Day.

Teach a man to fish, he eats for Life.

Teach a man to sell fish, he eats Steak

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Jon Lurie, aka "jhlurie"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

olive oil + salt

Real Good Food

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.com/recipes/re-c1/0,1724,13913,00.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Matthew Amster-Burton, aka "mamster"

Author, Hungry Monkey, coming in May

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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?

Matthew Amster-Burton, aka "mamster"

Author, Hungry Monkey, coming in May

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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..

'You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.'

- Frank Zappa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...