QUICK TREATMENTS: Assorted Vegetables
Puréed soups from soft vegetables of one color
“I’m constantly making puréed soups when my vegetables begin to get soft. These are soups that anybody can make and you don’t have to let them sit and simmer a long time to have the flavors marry. Whether you have cauliflower, broccoli or carrots going soft or potatoes sprouting eyes, you can clean these up with a little paring knife. Cauliflower and potatoes make a nice “white” soup. I like to get them in a pot of water with a little milk added. When you cook the cauliflower and potatoes in milk it enhances their color (white!) so the soup doesn’t turn a weird funky color. Chicken broth would change the color.
For an orange-y carrot soup, I add ginger, orange zest or orange juice, and a little chicken stock. Even though the vegetables are expiring, I wouldn’t mix carrots and peas and purée them together. You’ll get a brown, awful thing. Instead, use the peas as garnish. You want to maintain the character of your freshest produce. Subconsciously, you know the vegetables were about to expire, but you still want to sit down to a great meal. You want it to taste great and look great.” (Dawn Viola, recipe developer, Central Florida)
Revive vegetables by roasting at high temps
“I love the way roasting revives past peak produce. For example, green beans that look like they’re ready to ‘go,’ I will roast at 425 degrees, which brings out the sugar and caramelizes the beans. I’ll roast peppers which are past their prime under the broiler until they are soft, wrinkly, and dark and I can peel the skins off. If I can’t use them in a week, I’ll throw them in the freezer.” (Bobbi Marstellar, recipe developer, Chicago)
Give smoothies added complexity by adding tired veggies
“My wife will put a carrot or a piece of celery into a smoothie [along with some fruit].” (Danny Hechtman of Ken’s Diner, Skokie IL)
Sauté and bake vegetables over an entrée
“Two or three times a week we make salmon. I will julienne whatever – zucchini, green peppers, carrots – season and sauté them in olive oil and then cover a large piece of salmon with that mixture, and bake it.” (Danny Hechtman of Ken’s Diner, Skokie IL)
Recycle prepped vegetables in a risotto or soup
“I tend to amass plenty of remainders at the cooking school. We might be cooking four dishes at once so we’re always cutting up a lot of carrots, celery and onions. There will be a lot of vegetables left over. We’ll recycle these ingredients in a risotto or soup.” (Martha Rose Shulman, recipe developer, New York City)
