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Showing posts with label root vegetables. Show all posts

Monday, November 5, 2012

What Can I Do With Leftover Braising Liquid? Good Questions

Q: I made a delicious corned beef dinner in my crock pot to hold me through the hurricane, and now have a very nice rich, meaty broth left over. It seems so wasteful to throw this out. Do you have any ideas for making it into another meal?

Sent by Louisa

Editor: Louisa, I would simmer some root vegetables, cooked beans or chicken thighs in the liquid and serve it over polenta or rice to soak up all the yummy juices.

Readers, any ideas for transforming leftover braising liquid into another meal?

Next question?

Related: 15 Braised Meat & Vegetable Dishes for Eating All Week Long

(Image: Faith Durand)

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Thursday, October 18, 2012

What's the Best Way to Shred Hard Root Vegetables? Good Questions

Q: I recently got an immersion blender as I need to be on a mostly liquid diet due to a medical condition. I'm loving making pureed soups, but have run into a slight problem. Many of the recipes call for carrots, sweet potatoes and other harder vegetables to be shredded. What is the best method or product for the job?

I have very limited space, and am looking for tools that can withstand use almost every day. What do you recommend?

Sent by Danielle

Editor: Danielle, you might already have a great tool at your disposal did your immersion blender come with a mini chopper attachment? Although it would require shredding vegetables in small batches, it's very powerful tool.

If your immersion blender didn't come with a chopper attachment, you may be able to buy one directly from the manufacturer. Here's a link for buying the extra accessories for the popular Cuisinart SmartStick:

SmartStick Parts & Accessories at the Cuisinart website

Readers, what tool would you recommend for shredding hard vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes?

Next question?

Related: Quicker Vegetable Stock: Try Shredding the Vegetables

(Image: Faith Durand)

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Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Crock-Pot Cooking: 7 Principles For Making Better Soup in the Slow Cooker

If you're trying to adapt a regular soup recipe to your slow cooker or improve one you've already made, here are a few slow-cooking tips to help you make the best soup ever.

1. Ingredients to Add at the Beginning
Some ingredients stand up to, and benefit from, longer cooking times more than others. All of these can be added at the very start of cooking.

Vegetables - Onions, root vegetables like potatoes and carrots, winter squashes, tomatoes, celery, cauliflower, and broccoli
Meats - Lean cuts from the shoulder and rump of beef, lamb, goat, pork, whole chickens, chicken thighs, and chicken legs
Spices - Most spices can and should be added at the beginning of cooking, though I find that rosemary can become bitter over the longest cooking times and is best added at the end.

2. Ingredients to Add at the End
These are quicker-cooking ingredients that wouldn't hold up over hours of cooking and add some fresh flavor to a slow-cooked dish. Add all of the following ingredients in the last 30-45 minutes of cooking.

Vegetables - Softer vegetables like peas, corn, bell peppers, and spinach.
Meat - Chicken breast, fish, and other seafood. Check the chicken breast for doneness at the end of cooking and give it a little more time if it's still pink in the middle.
Pantry Items - Rice, noodles, and other grains. You can add these already cooked, though uncooked grains are helpful for soaking up excess liquid and it makes them more flavorful. Beans can cause some debate; personally, I like to add them at the end of cooking so they retain some firmness, though they can be added at the beginning if that's easier for you.
Dairy products - Milk, yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese. Coconut milk is also best added at the end.

3. Cut All Ingredients to the Same Size
This ensures that all the ingredients will cook at basically the same rate.

4. Take the Time to Brown Your Ingredients
With our busy schedules it's tempting and sometimes necessary to just dump all the ingredients in the slow-cooker and press "go." This is perfectly fine and will give you a nice warm dinner to come home to.

If you have a few extra minutes and want to take that soup up to the next level, brown the veggies and sear the meat before putting them in the slow cooker. You'll be rewarded with richer, more intense flavors in your soup.

5. Use Less Liquid
There is very little evaporation in the slow cooker. If you're adapting a regular soup recipe, it's likely that you won't need to use all the liquid called for. Put all your ingredients in the slow cooker and then pour the broth over top. It should cover the vegetables by about 1/2 inch. If you have excess liquid at the end of cooking, remove the lid for the last 30 minutes to let some of it evaporate.

6. Place Longer-Cooking Ingredients on the Bottom
Meats and root vegetables will take longer to to become tender than, say, cauliflower. Nestle those items around the bottom and sides of the slow-cooker, where they will have more direct contact with the slow-cooker's heating element.

7. Choosing a Cooking Time
Recipes with meat like chili and pork shoulder are best when cooked for six hours minimum or up to ten hours. Vegetarian recipes are best cooked for around four hours, but can do a minimum of two hours or maximum of six hours (after which the vegetables start to get unpleasantly mushy).

Keep these key tips in mind when putting together your slow-cooker recipes and you can't go wrong. A slow-cooker is also a tool like any other and you'll get better at cooking with it the more you use it.

What are your favorite slow-cooker soups and tips for cooking them?

Related: 10 Winter Dinners from the Slow Cooker

(Image: Emma Christensen)

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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

How To Keep All Your Fingers Intact During Root Vegetable Season Knife Skills

Fall is open season on cook's fingers. Why? All those root vegetables, of course! Have you ever been in fear for your digits while dismantling a pumpkin or a butternut squash? Have you ever come close to losing thumb while peeling a rutabaga? I still have a scar from a run-in with a tough little potato, of all things. Here are some safety tips on keeping your fingers safe and unharmed during the root vegetable season!

Here are my own little reminders for knife safety this time of year. I try to slow down and remember these each time I have a big batch of tough vegetables to slice.

Keep Your Fingers: 5 Good Knife Skills
1. Use a sharp knife!
The biggest thing you can do to chop safely is use a well-sharpened, honed knife. The sharper the knife, the less pressure you have to put on it when peeling or cutting a large vegetable. Then, if you slip, you only nick yourself instead of hacking off a finger.
2. Stabilize your cutting board.
Place a rubber mat under your cutting board (or a damp paper towel) so it doesn't move around. This will not only make your cutting safer, but speedier, as you're not constantly adjusting and pulling your board around to straighten it.
3. Go slow and focus.
My worst kitchen injury ever came while I was chopping a big batch of potatoes and chattering with friends at the same time. I looked the wrong way, missed the potato, and hit my finger. Several stitches later, I was renewed in my resolve to pay attention to what I'm doing when I have a knife in my hand. Go slow, tell your friends to set the table, bodily harm is never worth the distraction.
4. Soften the vegetable first, if possible.
Some vegetables can be softened up in the microwave or oven before cutting. Sometimes I roast half a squash for half an hour, then peel and cut it up. It's much softer and easier to handle.
5. Cut the top and bottom of the vegetable first.
Just like stabilizing your cutting board, the beet or cabbage or squash you're cutting should be stable too. Cut the top and bottom off first so you can lay the vegetable flat and firm on your cutting board. (Especially good to remember when using a knife to peel something hefty!)

Friday, September 28, 2012

Decorate Your Table With Fall Vegetables A Subtle Revelry

One of the best parts of fall (besides the flavors) is the abundance of root vegetables that are not only tasty meals, but also make for fabulous centerpieces. By now, we're not new to the idea of food instead of flowers, but it's a great time for a reminder!

Victoria over at A Subtle Revelry is always dressing up a pretty table, but recently she sent out a reminder to folks that you can make this pretty little setup with very little effort. While fresh-cut flowers will really only last a week, even with proper care, these vegetables will have more purpose than hitting the trash can when it's time to redecorate the table.

If your vegetables are coming from the garden, make sure and keep the roots. You can place them in a container of water to expose them and keep them fresh for even longer. Check out Victoria's tips on creating this look at home over at Subtle Revelry.

Read More: Fall Market Centerpiece from A Subtle Revelry

Related: Tip: Keep Herbs Fresh In Your Table Bouquets

(Image: A Subtle Revelry)

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