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Preparing Vegetables
Preparing Vegetables
Flavor
Color
Nutrients
The changes in these four characteristics determine the
outcome of the dish that you are cooking.
Texture
White-pigmented vegetables:
Add a little lemon juice or cream of tartar to the
cooking water (Do not add too much as this may
toughen the vegetable). Covering the pot also helps
keep acid in.
Cooking for a short time, especially in the steamer,
helps maintain color (and flavor and nutrients as well).
Overcooking or holding too long in a steam table
turns white vegetables dull yellow or gray.
Red-pigmented vegetables:
Anthocyanins dissolve easily in water which means:
Use a short cooking time. Overcooked red vegetables lose a
lot of color.
Use only as much water as is necessary.
Cook beets whole and unpeeled, with root and an inch of
stem attached to protect color. Skins easily slip off cooked
beets.
When steaming, use solid pans instead of perforated pans to
retain the red juices.
Whenever possible, serve the cooking liquid as a sauce with
the vegetable
Yellow and orange-pigmented vegetables:
Carotenoids get affected by acids and alkalies
minimally.
Long cooking can dull the color while short cooking
not only prevents dulling of the color but also
preserves vitamins and flavors.
Green-pigmented vegetables:
Cooking uncovered to allow plant acids to escape.
Cooking for the shortest time possible. Properly
cooked green vegetables are tender-crisp, not mushy.
Cooking in small batches rather than holding for long
periods in the steam table.
Flavor
The best dishes are made with the use of the freshest
ingredients. That is why most of the time cooks prefer
using fresh vegetables. This lesson will present the
procedures for preparing vegetables for cooking and
the measures for controlling the changes in the quality
of vegetables during cooking.
Washing:
Wash vegetables thoroughly.
Root vegetables that are not peeled, such as potatoes for baking,
should be scrubbed very well with a stiff vegetable brush.
If needed for later use, drain vegetables well, cover and refrigerate
to prevent drying.
LESSON 3: Cooking and Plating Vegetables
Introduction
This lesson will present the different methods
vegetables can be cooked. Moist and dry heat methods
will be presented as well as procedures for cooking
vegetables in batches for food service. This lesson will
also present the topics to help you determine the
qualities of a well-cooked vegetable and reminders on
the appropriate accompaniments of vegetable dishes.
TOPIC 1: Boiling and Steaming Vegetables
150 g - Broccoli
½ cup - Cream
½ cup- Milk
1 Tbsp- Parmesan cheese
As needed- Water
tt - Salt and pepper
Procedure
Place the milk in a small bowl.
In the same bowl, add the cream, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
Mix the ingredients together until well-blended.
Place a saucepan over low heat.
Pour the milk mixture into the pan.
Heat the mixture until it thickens. Stir the mixture occasionally to avoid
lumps to form.
Set aside.
Trim and wash the broccoli. Separate large pieces into smaller serving pieces.
Split or peel stems for even cooking.
Arrange broccoli in a pan with the flowers outside and the stems in the center.
Pour in boiling water to partially cover the broccoli. Cover with clean wet
towels.
Simmer until blossom parts are nearly tender.
Leave stems covered and continue simmer until stems feel tender but al dente
when pierced with a knife. Drain well.
Ladle the sauce over the broccoli.
Plate and serve immediately
TOPIC 2: Sautéing Vegetables
100 g- Eggplant, medium diced
70 g- Zucchini, medium diced
40 g-Green bell pepper, medium diced
1 Tbsp- Olive oil
¼ cup-White onion, diced
1 tsp- Garlic, minced
½ cup- Button mushroom, sliced
½ cup- Tomato concasse
1 Tbsp- Tomato paste
30 ml- Vegetable stock
As needed- Fresh herbs
tt- Salt and pepper
Procedure
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and
sauté until translucent.
Add the garlic and sauté until it releases its aroma.
Add the tomato paste and cook over medium heat until it
turns a deeper color and gives off a sweet aroma.
Add the bell pepper, eggplant, zucchini, mushroom and
tomato concasse. Stir as necessary.
Pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer over low heat until the vegetables are fork-
tender. Add chicken stock if the stew begins to appear dry.
Serve immediately or hold for later use.
TOPIC 4: Grilling and Broiling Vegetables
Procedure
Prepare the marinade. Mix the olive oil, wine, lemon juice, mustard
and the herbs in one bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Toss the vegetables into the marinade. Coat the vegetables and
marinate for 30 minutes.
Set the grill to medium heat.
Place the vegetables on skewers. You can run the vegetables on the
skewer alternately for presentation. If you are using wooden skewers,
it is advisable that you soak them in water for 30 minutes before use.
Grill the kebabs for 10 to 12 minutes.
Brush the kebabs with the marinade every two to 3 minutes as you
rotate the skewers.
Take the kebabs out of the grill when the vegetables are brown and
tender.
Plate and serve.
TOPIC 5: Frying Vegetables
75 g- Eggplant
75 g- Squash
10 g- Asparagus
75 g- Zucchini
75 g- Carrots
2 pcs- Eggs, beaten
25 ml- Milk
25 g- Flour - Baking powder
¼ cup- Cooking oil
As needed
tt- Salt and pepper
Procedure
Combine the eggs and milk.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt pepper. Add
to the milk and eggs and mix until smooth.
Let the batter stand for several hours in the refrigerator.
Blanch the vegetables into simmering water until half
cooked and cool.
Coat the vegetables with the batter.
Scoop a portion of the mixture into deep fat at 350°F or
175°C. Hold the measuring cup just above the hot fat
when dropping. Fry until golden brown.
Drain well and serve.
TOPIC 6: Cooking Large Quantities of Vegetables
In quantity cooking, it is rarely possible to cook individual
vegetable portions to order. After 20 to 30 minutes at steam
table temperatures, even carefully prepared vegetables are
usually overcooked. Two common systems have been devised
for quantity cooking are:
Batch Cooking - a method of quantity cooking suited for
set meal services or those with fixed menu items. In this
method, vegetables are cooked one batch at a time.
Blanch-and-Chilling - a method that involves partial
cooking and chilling vegetables to be cooked just before
serving. Blanch-and-Chilling is most helpful in extended
meal service as it gives the cook complete control over the
degree of doneness of vegetables when served.
TOPIC 7: Checking Vegetables for Doneness