Vegetables

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Vegetables

• Different parts of plants including the roots,
  stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds
• Vegetables are versatile, colorful, and available
  in many varieties and forms.

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• Avocados
• Actually a fruit with substantial amount of fat
• Flesh is creamy and buttery and turns brown after
  cutting
• A ripe avocado is firm but yields slightly to
  gentle pressure.
• Cabbages
• Include cabbages, Brussels sprouts, broccoli
  cauliflower
• Cabbages include Savoy, Chinese, napa, bok choy
• Vegetables should have uniform color, stems that
  are not split, leaves that ar not dried out

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Gourds

• Include cucumbers, eggplant, summer and winter
  squash
• Summer Squash
• Zucchini, yellow squash, pattypan squash
• Pick when immature
• All parts may be eaten
• Larger older the vegetable, the thicker
  tougher their skins, dryer their flesh have
  larger seeds

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• Winter Squash
• Acorn, butternut, delicata
• Rinds are inedible and seeds need to be removed
• Seeds can be eaten like nuts
• Flesh is usually yellow to orange

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Leafy Greens

• Include salad greens and green vegetables used
  for cooking
• Types spinach, Swiss chard, turnip greens
• From cabbage family collards and kale
• May be sauteed, steamed, or braised

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Mushrooms

• Vary in size, shape, color, flavor
• Cultivated mushrooms include white, portobello,
  cremini, shiitake, oyster
• Wild mushrooms include porcini, chanterelles,
  morels, truffles, others
• Mushrooms should be firm, without soft spot,
  blemishes, or breaks in the cap or stem
• Keep in frig covered with lightly dampened paper
  towels

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Onions

• Includes garlic, shallots, green onions and dried
  onions
• Scallions, leeks chives are green onions
• Outer layers should be firm, but not dry and
  roots should be firm flexible
• Rinse well dry before use
• Pearl, red, yellow are dry onions
• Have juicy flesh with layers of dry, papery skin
  that is tight-fitting

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Peppers

• Sweet peppers or bell peppers start out green,
  but ripen into green, red, yellow, or orange
• Red and yellow peppers tend to be sweeter
• Chiles come in various sizes, colors, and levels
  of spice or heat
• Capsaicin is what gives a chile its heat and is
  most potent on the white ribs inside the pepper
• Smaller chilies are hotter

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• Popular varieties from mild to hot are
• Anaheim, poblano, jalapeno, cayenne, Scotch
  bonnet, habanero
• Peppers should be firm
• The skin should be tight and glossy with no
  puckering or wrinkling
• Flesh should be relatively thick and crisp

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Pods and Seeds

• Include peas, beans, bean sprouts, corn and okra
• Best eaten young, when they are at their sweetest
  and most tender
• Once picked, the natural sugars in the vegetable
  start to convert into starch
• Beans peas have both edible and inedible pods

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• Edible pods include sugar snap peas, snow peas,
  green beans wax beans
• All should be picked when the pod is still fleshy
  and tender enough to eat
• Inedible pods include green peas, fava beans, and
  lima beans
• Pods are removed before eating called shelling
• Pods should be firm and crisp, with bright color
  and no wilting or puckering
• Corn husks should be green and adhere tightly to
  the ear with dry brown or black silk

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Root Vegetables

• Grow underground and are rich in sugars,
  starches, vitamins, minerals
• Include beets, carrots, parsnips, radishes,
  turnips, celeriac (like celery), and Asian daikon
  radish
• Green leafy tops that are still attached should
  have good color and texture in the leaves the
  root should be firm dry

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Shoots and Stalks

• Include artichokes, asparagus, celery, fennel and
  fiddleheads (part of an edible fern)
• Only the lower part of the leaves and the heart
  of an artichoke are eaten

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Tomatoes

• Technically a fruit that comes in many varieties
• Have juicy flesh, edible seeds, and smooth, shiny
  skin
• Commercial tomatoes are picked unripe and allowed
  to ripen in transit
• Vine-ripened tomatoes have richer flavor and are
  juicier

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• Beefsteak tomatoes best for slicing to use in
  salads and sandwiches
• Cherry or pear tomatoes used in salads and cold
  platters
• Plum tomato and tomatillo used in sauces and
  other cooked dishes
• Tomatillos are green even when ripe and have a
  papery skin that is removed before use
• Heirloom tomatoes are a variety that existed many
  years ago

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Tubers

• The fleshy portion of certain plants that usually
  grow underground
• Potatoes are most common and fall into 3
  categories
• High-starch/low-moisture potatoes
• Russet (Idaho) which are used for baking
• Granular and dry after cooking
• Excellent for frying due to low moisture
• Will absorb moisture so good for scalloped
  potatoes

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• Low-starch/high-moisture potatoes
• Includes red-skinned potatoes, yellow potatoes
  (Yellow Finn Yukon Gold), all-purpose potatoes,
  boiling potatoes, heirloom varieties such as
  purple potatoes and fingerlings
• Referred to as waxy because the hold their shape
  even after cooking
• Good for boiling, steaming, sauteing, oven
  roasting, braising, stewing
• New potatoes (less than 1 1/2 in. in diameter)

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• Yams and Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet potatoes have tapered ends, deep orange
  flesh, dense texture, sweet flavor, and thin,
  smooth skins
• Use same cooking techniques as for
  low-starch/high-moisture potatoes
• True yams are starchier, dryer, and less sweet
• Have rough, scaly skin
• Blocky shape
• Pale to deep yellow flesh
• Use same cooking techniques as for
  high-starch/low moisture potatoes
• Tubers should be firm and appropriate size and
  shape for their type

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Market Forms

• Vegetables are sold by weight, count, box, crate,
  or bag
• There are also canned, frozen dried forms.
• USDA grades based on color, shape and size either
  by number of letter.
• Select vegetables that feel firm and have good
  color and unblemished skin.

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Storing Vegetables

• Most vegetables are perishable and need to be
  refrigerated. Exceptions are potatoes, tomatoes,
  avocados, dry onion, garlic, shallots winter
  squash
• The leafy tops and root of root vegetables should
  be removed before refrigerating.
• Avocados and tomatoes can be stored at room
  temperature.

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• Store tubers in a dry place away from direct
  light, heat, and moisture.
• Tubers that get green spots or sprout should be
  discarded as they can be poisonous.
• Onions, garlic, and shallots can be stored in a
  place that allows air to circulate, but not
  together to prevent flavor transfer.
• Any vegetable that has been trimmed, peeled, or
  cut should be treated as a perishable food.

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Preparing Vegetables

• First wash to remove any dirt, bacteria, and
  other contaminates by running under cold water.
• Remove the peels and woody stems.
• Tomato Concasse - preparation of peeling, seeding
  and dicing tomatoes
• Blanching tomatoes will make them peel easily

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Cooking Vegetables

• The level of doneness in vegetables is determined
  by how you intend to serve it, the vegetables
  characteristics, regional or ethnic preferences,
  and cooking technique.
• 4 levels of doneness are blanched, parcooked,
  tender-crisp, and fully-cooked

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• Blanching is good for vegetables that are served
  cold or those that will be cooked completely
  later.
• Parcooking is good when you want to later finish
  the cooking by grilling, sauteing, or stewing.
• Tender-crisp vegetables are cooked until they can
  be bitten into easily but still offer a slight
  resistance and sense of texture.
• Fully-cooked vegetables are quite tender, but
  should retain their shape color.

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• Boiling Steaming Vegetables
• Have vivid colors fresh flavors
• Veggies are best when simmered not boiled
• When veggies need to be partially cooked, drain
  and then immediately put in ice water to
  chill--this is called refreshing or shocking.
  Then drain and refrigerate.
• To steam veggies use a pot with a tight-fitting
  lid. The shorter the cooking time of the
  vegetable, the less liquid that is needed.

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• Pureeing Vegetables
• Purees are used for flavoring or coloring other
  dishes, thickening a sauce, or as a base for a
  sauce or soup.
• To make a puree,chop vegetables finely, cook
  until tender, drain, and then puree.
• Some purees require additional liquid, some need
  to be reduced slightly
• Other ingredients may be added for additional
  flavor

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• Glazing Vegetables
• Glazing is a finishing technique which
  incorporates aspects of boiling, steaming, and
  sauteing and potentially even roasting and
  baking.
• The classical method of glazing vegetables is to
  parcook your vegetables in water, then make the
  glaze in a separate pan, and finally toss your
  vegetables in the glaze and serve.

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Steps in Glazing

• Bring the liquid to a simmer and season or flavor
  as instructed.
• Sweat or smother the vegetables and any aromatics
  in cooking fat or in the cooking liquid.
• Pour or ladle enough cooking liquid into the pan
  to properly cook the vegetables.
• Cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are
  done.
• Remove the cover and let the cooking liquid
  continue to reduce to make the glaze.

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• Braising and Stewing Vegetables
• Vegetables cook in their own juices
• Should be fork tender
• These vegetables tend to hold well or even
  improve after resting
• Stew vegetables are cut into small pieces

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• Roasting and Baking Vegetables
• Roasted vegetables have a deep flavor
• Some are best roasted at a low temperature for a
  long time and others are best roasted at a high
  temperature for a short time
• Whole vegetables should be scrubbed and pierced
  before baking so they dont burst
• Marinades, butter, and oil are often used to add
  flavor and to help brown the vegetables
• Scooped-out vegetables can be stuffed

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• Grilling and Broiling Vegetables
• Have a rich, bold flavor
• Have a distinctive charred flavor and deeply
  browned exteriors
• High-moisture or tender vegetables can be grilled
  from a raw state
• Dense or starchy vegetables may require some
  precooking
• Hard vegetables may be marinated

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• Frying and Sauteing Vegetables
• Used for high-moisture vegetables
• Used as a finishing and reheating technique for
  parcooked vegetables
• The fat used in frying should complement the
  flavor of the vegetable.
• In stir frying, add vegetables that require the
  longest cooking first and end with those that
  require the least
• Pan fried vegetables may be breaded or coated and
  should have a crisp exterior and tender interior

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• Potato Purees
• To make light and flavorful potato purees
• Choose high starch/low-moisture varieties
• Dry potatoes before you puree them
• All ingredients should be hot when combined into
  the finished puree
• May use a potato masher, wooden spoon, sieve,
  potato ricer, or food mill
• Use of a blender or food processor will overwork
  the potatoes and make them too loose and thin

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Serving Vegetables

• How vegetables are prepared can produce dramatic
  differences in flavor, texture, color, and
  nutritive value.
• Are among the most versatile and interesting
  options on the menu
• Can be a side dish, an appetizer, main course,
  accompaniment to meat or fish, and in soups and
  sauces