Different cooking methods for some usually acquired tastes

[Guest guest]

HI again. Someone made a good point earlier and I can't find the

message. They said that someone in their family only likes broccoli

if it's prepared a certain way, and that can really be the key to

getting someone to eat an unfamiliar food, or one that they think

they don't like at all. I read about one mother who got her fussy son

to eat broccoli by serving it covered with marinara sauce for

instance, but I'm talking more about how the cooking method alone can

change the taste and/or texture of something. Most of my favorite

veggies are things that a lot of people don't like for various

reasons, so here are some things that you can try with some of them.

 

A friend who's a chef always sautees the vegetables for a soup before

adding the water, it adds depth to the flavor. I like to also add

Braggs Liquid Aminos and seasonings while they're cooking down.

 

As a child I never ate cooked carrots or raw tomatoes, but gobbled

down prodigious quantities of raw carrots or cooked tomatoes. Love

raw tomatoes now and have trouble finding decent ones, go figure.

Still not crazy about boiled carrots, but bake them with butter or

stir fry them and I'm there!

 

Green cabbage takes on a whole new dimension when sliced thin and

fried limp and brown with plenty of paprika and fresh ground black

pepper. This is superb mixed in with cooked noodles and served with

sour cream on the side. When making cabbage rolls, you can lightly

fry up the leftover cabbage from the core, then layer it with sliced

onions and stewed tomatoes and some tomato soup for a nice change.

 

Brussels sprouts are horrific even to me when they're boiled, so I

used to steam them tender then add butter, garlic and some prepared

mustard (WARNING: WORLD CLASS GAS!!!! LOL, not kidding....). Right

before T-Day last year I found a recipe on a Martha Stewart video

on for BAKED brussels sprouts with chestnuts and said hmmmm.

No chestnuts to be had, so I halved some sprouts, added butter and

popped them in the oven in a covered pyrex casserole. Baked them

until slightly browned, stirring occasionally, and the results were

in every way *spectacular*. Sweet, earthy, tender, mellow, full

flavored and not in the least bit slimy, which is a usual complaint

that people have about sprouts, even when steamed. I added sliced

carrots and pieces of squash to this the next time, intending those

for my dogs, and ate most of them myself! Another time I made it

with sprouts, carrots and almonds, and think that it would work well

with any root or winter vegetable. Each time it was a delightful

dish, real comfort food.

 

Asparagus topped with seasonings, dotted with butter and Braggs (and

some cheeses if you eat them) then baked brown is another delicious

changeling. It works equally well in any stir fry. Cutting it into

short pieces and not overcooking greatly reduces the stringiness that

people dislike.

 

Beets can be sliced and stir fried by themselves, or baked to bring

out their sweetness (I use butter but don't season them otherwise).

 

I usually boil frozen lima beans in just enough water to cover with

a bit of sugar or honey, a little onion powder and some black pepper.

This is my Granny's recipe, and she was a truly great vegetable cook.

You have to find the balance of flavors, but done properly, it's a

superb seasoning for limas. They're savory and tender with just a

bare hint of sweet, and not at all " beany " , which is what most people

object to. For something a bit different, I fry the frozen limas in a

bit of oil until browned, season with some pepper and a little sugar

or honey, then add just a few spoonfuls of water, as in a stir fry,

and cover and cook until tender. I like them plain like this, or you

can cook in a few spoons of catsup, mustard, honey and vinegar at the

end for an ersatz " baked bean " taste in 20 minutes or less.

 

Oh, and I seldom use salt, but only fresh ground sea salt when I do,

and add black pepper, dried parsley and paprika to almost everything.

 

I've babbled enough. Ni ni! Hope someone can use this. Yowza.

 

Barbara