Flash Cooking is Where It’s At!
19 January 2008 by Jean Johnson
It took 5 minutes to pull these vegetables together. There’s carrots to sweeten things. Cabbage just because. Dark leafy greens since we’re ‘sposed to eat ‘em. And a little onion, garlic, and leftover spaghetti squash–the trio I love so dearly.
The secret’s high heat. And a cast iron wok that I can’t recommend too enthusiastically. But even if you’re wokless, you can pull this off.
Start with enough water to keep things moist and forge ahead. In my kitchen, the steam is roiling while I’m finishing whittling down the cabbage and giving the greens a rough chop.
But, you say–all those vegetables and then what. How do they go from healthy and seasonal to delicious?
It’s true a person can eat a dab of them alongside some fish and wild rice, but that’s still a meat and potatoes kind of approach to dinner that keeps us from getting as many vegetables as our physicians say we need. So I thread the line somewhere between an Asian stir fry and a composed warm salad searching the refrigerator for tidbits.
It could be leftover legumes of some kind like black beans or regular old pintos that I’d toss into the vegetables. If I went that route, I almost surely would warm some corn tortillas to eat with and grate some cheddar to mound on top. Maybe even some sour cream. As you see, things can get interesting right way, and we haven’t even got to the cruets of good olive oil and vinegar that you can pass around at the table. Clearly, since there was no oil spared making this meal, folks can enjoy some front and center where it invariably steals the show.
Yes? Kind of a Mexican dish? Maybe even a dish a crushed red peppers to pass? And a cervesa?
No? Not to either a carnivore’s or vegan’s liking? For the carnes there’s always some shredded chicken with maybe some chunks of fresh pear. And vegan-style, nuts and nutbutters know no end. (Think cashews with dried cranberries.)
There. Everyone should be happy, including mamma. That’s important, of course, since if mamma’s not happy…
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2 Responses to “Flash Cooking is Where It’s At!”
What about tofu? Couldn’t that work in this dish?
By Michelle Loggins on Feb 23, 2008
Of course, tofu. I just don’t use it much because it’s high in fat and low in fiber. I used to make my own tofu with a press my dad made for me. What a lot of work first making milk from beans and then coagulating the beans into curds and whey and pressing the water out so you have a nice cake left. Clearly tofu companies earn the price they charge.
But now that you mention it, it sounds great and to heck with the extra fat. If I don’t eat it at dinner, I just end up lurking around for a rich dessert.
So I’ll nab some next time I’m at the store. Beautiful glistening cubes of creamy tofu should look fab amongst the colorful vegetables. Yes! Thanks, Michelle.
By The Cook on Feb 28, 2008