Category Archives: Vegetable

Vegetable — Spinach and Grape Tomatoes in a Wok

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As we have resolved to eat more vegetables, I have developed a fool-proof method for cooking delicious mixed vegetables in my Wok.

You will need a Wok or skillet with a lid and 2 heat-proof spatulas.
First you will stir-fry the vegetables and seasonings in hot oil, then add chicken broth and steam until the vegetables are just cooked.

Serves 2 to 4 people.

Ingredients:o

  • 2 to 3 T Olive Oil
  • 4 cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
  • Freshly grated Black Pepper and Salt
  • 240 gms pre-washed Spinach
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 200 gms Grape or Cherry Tomatoes

Instructions:

  1. Heat the Olive Oil in a Wok.
  2. Add the Garlic and toss for 1 minute
  3. Add the Spinach, and toss to completely coat with Oil.
  4. Add Pepper and Salt to taste.
  5. Continue to toss the Spinach until it begins to wilt.
  6. Pour the Chicken Broth over the Spinach.
  7. Place the lid on the Wok, and turn down the heat to steam for 4 minutes.
  8. Taste the Spinach to test for tenderness.
  9. When the Spinach is tender, turn off the heat and add the Tomatoes.
  10. Toss the mixture well and pour into a serving dish. The Tomatoes only heat, they do not cook.

Enjoy!

 

Vegetable — Zucchini Flowers!

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Our friend and ex-restauranteuse, Elaine, in San Francisco, gave us this recipe when we emailed her from Hobart, Tasmania, telling her about the abundance of fresh zucchini flowers at the Salamanca Farmers' Market.

Hi Dorothy. Lucky you, Zucc. flowers!
(It was winter in San Francisco at the time.)

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 cup all purpose Flour
  • 1 cup Water
  • Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil, enough to come 3/4″ up the side of your frying pan.

Instructions:

  1. Put 1 cup Water in a soup plate and gradually add the Flour, sifting it and constantly beating the mixture with a fork until all the Flour has been added. Batter should have the consistency of sour cream.
  2. Heat the oil in the skillet over high heat.
  3. When the oil is very hot, dip the flowers into the batter, and slip only as many as will fit loosely into the skillet.
  4. When a golden crust has formed on one side, turn them over.
  5. When both sides have a nice crust, transfer the flowers to paper towels to drain, and sprinkle with Salt.
  6. Serve piping hot.
  7. The secret is to work quickly.

Happy cooking
Love ya Elaine

 

Vegetables — Asparagus, Cauliflower, Carrots and Grape Tomatoes

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For years I have avoided cauliflower as boring and difficult to make delicious. Since I have been cooking it this way, I love it. It turns golden on the edges, and picks up some color from the carrots. I love cooking vegies this way because I can steam them in the flavorful broth until they are just cooked, then rush them to the table, hot and steaming. You must work quickly, using a hot Wok, for best results. I always cook the vegetables while the meat rests after cooking, so the vegetables are hot when taken to the table.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

  • 2 bunches of the freshest, thin Asparagus
  • 500 grams medium Carrots
  • 1/2 head Cauliflower, center stalk removed and cut into medium flowerlets
  • 200 grams Grape Tomatoes
  • 10 medium cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup Chicken Broth
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt and Black Pepper, in grinders

Instructions:

Prep the Asparagus:

  1. Rinse the Asparagus and break off the ends where the end stops bending and breaks
  2. Peel the Asparagus below the tips, and, with the tips lined up, cut the Asparagus into thirds.
  3. Rinse again and set aside.

Prep the Carrots:

  1. Peel the carrots and cut off the ends.
  2. Using a Mandolin or sharp knife, slice the carrots 2 mm thick.

Cook in the Wok:

  1. Put a large Wok or frying pan over High heat on the stove top.
  2. Add 2 Tbsp Olive Oil, 3 cloves of the chopped Garlic and the Asparagus.
  3. Stir fry for about 2 minutes, to thoroughly heat the Asparagus and coat with Olive Oil
  4. Grind some Salt and Black Pepper over the Asparagus.
  5. Pour in 1/3 cup Chicken Broth and place a lid on the pan. Steam for 2 minutes, or until just tender but still crisp.
  6. Pour the Asparagus into a warm serving bowl, and place a lid over it.
  7. Add 3 Tbsp Olive Oil to the Wok. Add the Carrots, Cauliflower and 7 cloves of the chopped Garlic.
  8. Stir fry for 4 minutes, heating all the vegetables and coating thoroughly with the oil.
  9. Grind some Salt and Black Pepper over the vegetables.
  10. Pour in 1/2 cup Chicken Broth and place a lid on the pan.
  11. Decrease heat to Medium and steam for about 3 minutes, or until the Carrots are just cooked but still firm.
  12. Remove the lid to stir and scrape the bottom of the pan every 60 seconds.
  13. Add more Chicken Broth if it evaporates in the pan before the vegetables are cooked enough.
  14. Use a fork to test the doneness of the Carrots.
  15. Quickly add the Grape Tomatoes; stir a few times, then add the Asparagus. Stir twice.
  16. Pour into preheated serving dish and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

 

Swiss Chard (Silverbeet) with Garlic and Sun-dried Tomatoes

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This recipe shows how I use my Wok to make perfect vegetable dishes. The basic concepts for Wok-cooked vegetables are: (1) Fresh vegetables sized to cook evenly, (2) High heat, (3) Oil, (4) Stir-fry technique, (5) Steam with chicken broth. One of the main benefits of this technique is that you can taste the vegetables at any time while they are cooking, and stop the cooking as soon as they are tender, but not yet mushy.

Ingredients:

  • Medium-large size, very fresh bunch of Swiss Chard (called Silverbeet in New Zealand and Australia)
  • 4 to 5 large Garlic cloves, sliced into large pieces
  • 1/3 cup Sun-dried Tomatoes, packed in oil, cut into 1/4 inch wide strips
  • 1/4 cup of the flavored oil from the jar of Sun-dried Tomatoes
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground Black Pepper
  • 1/3 cup Chicken Broth

Equipment:
– Large Wok with a lid
– 2 spatulas.

Instructions:

  1. Pour the flavored oil into the Wok.
  2. Cut the ribs out of the leaves of Swiss Chard, wash them in a bowl of water, drain, and cut into strips about 2 inches wide. Place into the Wok.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients to the Wok and turn the temperature up to High.
  4. Using 2 spatulas or a spatula and a wooden spoon, toss the ingredients in the Wok until all the leaves are covered with oil, and continue to toss as the Swiss Chard heats, cooks and slowly shrinks.
  5. When the Swiss Chard is about 1/2 its original volume, pour the Chicken Broth into the Wok and cover with a lid.
  6. Turn down the heat to Medium High.
  7. After about 3 minutes of steaming, open the lid and remove a piece of Chard with a fork. Allow to cool and taste for tenderness.
  8. As soon as the Swiss Chard is tender, remove the Wok from the heat and pour the contents into a heated serving dish.
  9. Cover the serving dish with a heated lid until you are seated at the dining table and ready to eat.

Enjoy!

 

Fresh Corn Fritters

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Serve warm or cooled, as a side at breakfast, as an appetizer with garnishes or melted cheese on top, with soup, or as a dessert with orange marmalade, honey or molasses. We like them sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese and/or bits of sautéed Chorizo sausage.

I cook the fritters on a teflon-coated griddle. If you cook them on a griddle or skillet that is not teflon, coat the pan with oil before cooking the fritters. I am using fresh corn, but I am sure that defrosted frozen corn kernels would work well, too. I prefer the sun-dried tomatoes that are marinated in oil. I like to use some of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes marinade in the fritters.

Ingredients:

  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
  • 3 cups fresh corn kernels
  • 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes cut into small pieces
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 cup buttermilk (I usually mix 1 teaspoon vinegar into 1 cup milk)
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Instructions:

  1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a medium skillet or Wok. Add the corn, sun-dried tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cook and toss the mixture over medium-high heat until heated and well-mixed, about 3 to 4 minutes. Spread the corn onto a plate to cool slightly.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
  3. Stir together the buttermilk, eggs and remaining oil. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until blended.
  4. Add the corn mixture and stir until just combined.
  5. Heat a griddle to medium-high. Drop large spoon-fulls of the mixture onto the griddle, turn the temperature down to medium, and cook for 3 minutes. Turn over and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from griddle onto a plate.

 

Enjoy!

 

Swiss Chard (Silverbeet) with Garlic and Sun-dried Tomatoes

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This recipe shows how I use my Wok to make perfect vegetable dishes. The basic concepts for Wok-cooked vegetables are: (1) Fresh vegetables sized to cook evenly, (2) High heat, (3) Oil, (4) Stir-fry technique, (5) Steam with chicken broth. One of the main benefits of this technique is that you can taste the vegetables at any time while they are cooking, and stop the cooking as soon as they are tender, but not yet mushy.

Ingredients:
Medium-large size, very fresh bunch of Swiss Chard (called Silverbeet in New Zealand and Australia)
4 to 5 large Garlic cloves, sliced into large pieces
1/3 cup Sun-dried Tomatoes, packed in oil, cut into 1/4 inch wide strips
1/4 cup of the flavored oil from the jar of Sun-dried Tomatoes
Salt
Freshly ground Black Pepper
1/3 cup Chicken Broth

Equipment: Large Wok with a lid, 2 spatulas.

Instructions:

Pour the flavored oil into the Wok.
Cut the ribs out of the leaves of Swiss Chard, wash them in a bowl of water, drain, and cut into strips about 2 inches wide. Place into the Wok.
Add the remaining ingredients to the Wok and turn the temperature up to High.
Using 2 spatulas or a spatula and a wooden spoon, toss the ingredients in the Wok until all the leaves are covered with oil, and continue to toss as the Swiss Chard heats, cooks and slowly shrinks.
When the Swiss Chard is about 1/3 its original volume, pour the Chicken Broth into the Wok and cover with a lid. Turn down the heat to medium high.
After about 5 minutes of steaming, open the lid and remove a piece of Chard with a fork. Allow to cool and taste for tenderness.
As soon as the Swiss Chard is tender, remove the Wok from the heat and pour the contents into a heated serving dish. Cover the serving dish with a heated lid until you are seated at the dining table and ready to eat.

Enjoy!

Dorothy Darden
S/V/ADAGIO
New Zealand, 2012