For me, eating vegetables can be a joy. Their health benefits are mentioned in a celebratory tone at my annual visits with my primary doctor. His eat-veggie reminders only confirm what I already suspect. When I eat plenty of vegetables, I feel a gain in my mental wellbeing. I dub it “vegetable happiness.”
Nonsense? I have no proof, yet I know when I’m downing lots of dishes that are rich with vegetables, I feel good. Tuned in. That is especially true when they are showcased in dishes that are irresistibly delicious. Here are some tips for buying and storing the vegetables used in the following recipes, suggestions to help lengthen their freshness:
Bell Peppers: Select those with glossy, smooth skin without soft spots or wrinkles. Choose those that feel heavy for their size. Store them, unwashed, in plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer.
Broccoli: Buds should be tightly closed and uniformly green. If leaves are present, they should be green without any yellowing. Stalk bottoms should be green. It should smell fresh. Refrigerate unwashed, in plastic bag in refrigerator crisper drawer generally up to 7 days.
Celery: Look for bunches with some leaves still intact because fresh-looking leaves are a good indication of quality. Stalks should be crisp. Avoid those with brown spots or yellow leaves. Many vegetables are best stored unwashed in the refrigerator. Celery is one of the exceptions. To store it, trim the base and wash in a bowl of cold water, swirling the celery to remove any dirt and separate the stalks. Drain (but leave some water on the stalks) and make two bundles. Wrap each bundle with a damp paper towel. Place in a zipper-style storage bag and partially seal. Refrigerate.
Cucumbers: Look for firm cucumbers without shriveling or discoloration. Check ends for desired rigid texture; ends generally are the first area to soften. Refrigerate unwashed and uncut, in crisper drawer up to 6 days, but monitor sooner for softening.
Zucchini and crookneck squash: Exterior should be free of soft spots, nicks, or shriveling. Smaller, less mature zucchini or crookneck squash will have fewer seeds and a more delicate flavor. Store unwashed in plastic bag in crisper drawer.
Pasta with Broccoli Pesto
This pasta dish shows off broccoli in a delicious way. It uses the broccoli as the cornerstone of a tasty pesto. The recipe is from “The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple” by Jenny Rosenstrach (Clarkson Potter). Rosenstrach explains that broccoli is the perfect component to use in the pesto but wrote that cauliflower can be substituted. I appreciate that the pasta is cooked in the same water that is used to cook the broccoli. One less pan to wash. If you want to make a vegan version, she suggests substituting 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast for the Parmesan cheese.
Scooping up the broccoli with a slotted spoon is fine, but if you have a culinary tool called a spider, the job goes much faster. A spider is a type of skimmer prevalent in East Asian cuisine in the form of a wide shallow wire-mesh basket with a long handle, used for removing hot food from a liquid.
Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
Kosher salt
5 cups roughly cut broccoli, including stalks (from 1 large head)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 garlic clove, pressed and peeled
3 green onions, white and light green parts, roughly chopped
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti, fettuccine, or bucatini
Dried red pepper flakes for serving
DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of salted water (at least 10 cups) to a boil. Add the broccoli and boil gently for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out about one-third of the broccoli and set aside on a cutting board to cool, then finely chop. Continue to gently boil the remaining broccoli for another minute. Turn off the heat, scoop out 1/4 cup of broccoli cooking water, then using a slotted spoon, scoop out the broccoli and add it straight to the blender.
2. To the blender add oil, garlic, green onion, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, 1 to 2 tablespoons reserved broccoli water, and salt and pepper. Blend until emulsified and saucy (you want it to be pourable — thinner than a milk shake), using more broccoli water as needed. Taste; it may need more salt or pepper or juice.
3. Bring the broccoli water back to a boil. Add pasta and cook to al dente according to package directions. If you’ve used up your reserved broccoli water, scoop out another 1/4 cup and set aside. Drain pasta, drizzling on a little olive oil and toss to prevent sticking. Return pasta to the empty pot and toss with pesto until it coats the pasta but doesn’t look gloppy. (Use some reserved pasta water if needed). Serve with a judicious sprinkle of dried red pepper flakes, the reserved chopped broccoli, and more Parmesan cheese.
Source: “The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple” by Jenny Rosenstrach (Clarkson Potter)
Gazpacho
Serve this scrumptious gazpacho in bowls to create large servings. Or if you prefer, small servings of cold, celery-spiked gazpacho make a classy appetizer. For this approach, use 2-ounce shot glasses and garnish each with a celery leaf and narrow, oven-crisped tortilla strips. If desired, rim each glass with a mixture of coarse salt and seasoned salt.
Yield: 8 large servings, or about 35 (2-ounce) appetizer servings
INGREDIENTS
1 medium hothouse cucumber, peeled, finely diced; see cook’s notes
2 stalks celery, trimmed, finely diced, (reserve leaves for garnish)
1/2 medium sweet onion or red onion, finely diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, finely diced
1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, finely diced
4 ripe Roma tomatoes, seeded, finely diced
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 small jalapeño chili, seeded, minced; see cook’s notes
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
32 ounces tomato juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
Freshly ground black pepper
As needed to adjust seasoning:
Optional hot pepper sauce
Optional seasoned salt
Garnishes:
Celery leaves
Lime slices
Optional: Toasted tortilla strips; see cook’s notes
For serving in glasses: 2 tablespoons seasoned salt mixed with 2 tablespoons coarse salt, and fresh lime juice for moistening glass rims
Cook’s notes: Hothouse cucumbers generally have very small seeds and do not require removal. If using another cucumber variety, remove seeds by cutting in half lengthwise; run bowl of spoon down center of cut edge to scoop out seeds. Use caution when working with fresh chilies; wash work surface thoroughly upon completion and do NOT touch face or eyes.
To make toasted tortilla strips, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut 3 corn tortillas into 1/4-inch wide strips. Place on rimmed baking sheet in single layer. Bake in middle of preheated oven and bake until crisp and lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.
DIRECTIONS
1. In nonreactive container such as glass or ceramic, combine all ingredients except optional seasoning and garnishes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Cover and refrigerate overnight or about 8 hours.
2. Stir and taste. Adjust seasoning as needed.
3. If serving in small glasses, place salt mixture in one saucer and lime juice in another. Dip the lip of each glass in lime juice, then into salt mixture. Ladle gazpacho into each glass. Garnish glasses with celery leaf, lime slices and two tortilla strips. For large servings, ladle into soup bowls and garnish each with a couple of tortilla strips, celery leaf and fresh lime slice.
Source: “Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce” by Cathy Thomas (Wiley)
Squash and Orzo Salad
Olives make a great garnish for this vegetable-rich salad. Their salty brininess adds an appealing contrast. Olives with their pits still in place taste better than pitted, but if using the unpitted beauties, be sure to put them off to the side rather than atop each serving so guests have a better visual clue that they aren’t pitted.
Taste a little piece of red onion before using it. If it is fiery, place the diced onion in ice water for 15 minutes; drain and pat dry.
Yield: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
8 ounces orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow crookneck squash, trimmed, diced
2 medium zucchini squash, trimmed, diced
1/2 large red onion, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, diced
1 cup grape tomatoes or cherry, halved lengthwise
Minced zest of 1 lemon (colored portion of peel)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
4 cups washed baby spinach or mixed baby greens or baby kale
Optional: 1 ounce salami, cut into 1/8-inch dice
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup drained olives, such as kalamata or Niçoise
Optional garnish: microgreens or thinly sliced kumquats
DIRECTIONS
1. Bring large pot of water to boil on high heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt and orzo; cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain, refresh with cold water. Drain and toss with 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil. Set aside.
2. Place squash, red onion, bell pepper and tomatoes in large bowl. Gently toss. In small bowl or 4-cup measuring cup with handle, combine zest, juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, pepper and parsley. Stir to thoroughly combine. Pour on vegetables and toss. Add orzo and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Divide spinach or mixed baby greens or baby kale between 6 small plates. Top with vegetable-orzo mixture. Sprinkle each serving with diced salami if using and crumble feta on top. Place a small pile of olives off to the side of each salad. If desired, scatter some microgreens (tiny immature greens) on top of salad.
Source: “Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce” by Cathy Thomas (Wiley)
Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at @CathyThomas Cooks.com.