William Penn Life, 2014 (49. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2014-04-01 / 4. szám

• Clove Style: garlic, Mexican style (pale pink garlic with extra strong flavor), elephant (very large bulb and cloves), shallots.

7) Pods & Seeds:

• Com: sweet, white, yellow.

• Legumes: green beans, string beans, runner beans, snap beans, wax beans, haricot vert.

• Dried: black eyed peas, lentils, kidney, navy, pinto, chickpeas, split green peas.

• Fresh: soybeans, snow peas, peas shoots, fresh peas, okra, edamame.

8) Roots & Tubers:

• Taproots: beets, carrots, celery root, Jerusalem artichokes, jicama, parsnips, radishes, rutabagas, turnips, water chestnuts.

• Stalks: asparagus, bamboo shoots, celery, fennel, hearts of palm, nopales.

As you can see, there are many varieties and types of vegetables to choose, whether you're snacking or looking to complete a meal for your family. Fresh carrots and sliced cucumbers make for a quick snack in between meals. In the summer, you can enjoy a garden-fresh tomato, sliced with a sprinkle of granulated garlic (not salt) to savor the flavor. Let us not forget stalk veggies, like asparagus or celery, as an appetizer.

Vegetables can be prepared using simple culinary techniques. While you can boil vegetables, try steaming to keep more nutritional value in the vegetable. When you boil vegetables, such as carrots or potatoes, a lot of the flavor will transfer into the water. Next time you boil a vegetable, taste the water before you add the vegetables then taste it after your vegetables are cooked, and you will note a flavor difference. By steaming, fewer flavors are extracted from the vegetable which means a better tasting product for mealtime.

Frying vegetables, like potatoes or onion rings, enhances the flavor and gives crispness attributing to the kinesthetic experience when we taste those foods.

There are those vegetables which can be baked or roasted to bring out additional flavor. Beets peeled then roasted are an excellent source of iron. The earthy flavor is different than boiling or steaming that tuber. Many types of squash, usually of the winter variety, take on a different flavor profile when baked or roasted in the oven.

And, finally, you can grill vegetables in season to enhance your barbecue or cookout. Shish Kebabs with chunks of corn, onions, and peppers go great with any meat, fish or poultry.

Vegetables are available year round. Since they are grown both outdoors and in controlled environments such as greenhouses, there is always a plethora to select from and enjoy.

One last thing to consider when selecting any vegetables: if you cannot get fresh, get frozen. Commercially canned or home canning, while convenient, does not maintain as much nutritional value as fresh or frozen products.

Enjoy the recipes, and eat your vegetables!

Trivia Answer: Potatoes and carrots are the two most popular vegetables in the world. Food archaeology traces potatoes and carrots back to the Third Century. The potato has roots originating in South America. They are available in many colors, not just earthy brown or white. The original carrots were white in color and turned orange when cross bred with wild and cultivated varieties. The third most popular vegetable? Broccoli.