How to cook Vegetables
When I first became cognizant of cooking and cuisine, I was attracted to French Food. I remember going to a little French Restaurant in Farmington, Connecticut called
Auberge de Paris. It was a very romantic restaurant nestled under a stand of Maple Trees and on the bank of the Farmington River. I spent many happy times and had wondrous and what seemed to me exotic foods: Coq au Vin, Riz de Veau, Crepes Suzettes. They would serve beautiful salads and extraordinary cheeses which were completely unfamiliar to me. What I do remember most was the over cooked vegetables. Perhaps I liked them because they were drenched in butter. But whatever the reason, I believed that if the French served overcooked vegetables, then that was how they were meant to be served. WRONG!!!
Styles and times have changed. Produce is now more available and more fresh than it has ever been. I have my own garden, so when I serve a vegetable it was usually picked minutes before I serve it. I like to think that even after cooking, the process has been so fast that the vegetable still thinks it is alive and well in the garden.
With the exception of most root vegetables, the cooking time of most vegetables is between 1 - 3 minutes. Anything more than this, and you are DEFINITELY DOING SOMETHING WRONG. Here is a fool proof way to cook green vegetables.
String beans
Broccoli
Broccoli florets
Asparagus
Zucchini
Summer squash
And similar legumes
Place vegetables in a saucepan or steaming basket to fit.
If steaming the vegetables, place enough water in the pan to come to the bottom of the steaming basket. If cooking in a frying pan, cover the vegetables with cold water.
Place the pan on the stove and bring water to a boil or steam. When the water is boiling or the steam is strong, remove from heat, toss with oil, butter or lemon juice or whatever you wish. Serve immediately. When preparing a dinner, I do the vegetables last and just moments before I serve them.