Did You Know – Cooking Vegetables
Learn how to prepare your vegetables, how to cook them and for how long. Fresh vegetables are plentiful this time of the year in Ohio. If we don’t grow it we stop to support the local farm stands.
VEGETABLES |
WAYS TO PREPARE |
SIMPLE COOKING METHOD |
TIME |
CELERY |
Scrub thoroughly. Cut off leaves and root end. Cut the celery into desired lengths. |
I put celery in most of my casseroles, soups etc. so I don’t bother to precook them. If you have a dish that calls for cooked celery you can cook them covered in boiling water or broth. |
10-15 mins. |
CORN |
Remove husks and silks from fresh corn. Rinse and cook whole. |
Cook uncovered in enough boiling salted water to cover ears. |
6-8 mins. |
EGGPLANT |
Wash and if the skin is tough, remove it. Cut in 1/2 inch slices. |
Dip eggplant in beaten egg, then in fine dry bread crumbs. Brown slowly on both sides in hot oil, remove to a plate with paper towel then season. |
Approx.4 mins. |
MUSHROOMS |
Wash and cut off tips of stems. Leave whole or slice. |
Add mushrooms to melted butter in a skillet. Cook slowly, turning occasionally. |
8-10 mins. |
OKRA |
Wash then cut off stems. Slice or leave whole. |
Cook covered in small amount of boiling salted water. |
8-15 mins. |
PARSNIPS |
Wash thoroughly then remove the skin. Slice lengthwise or crosswise. |
Cook covered in small amount of boiling salted water. |
15-20 mins. |
PEAS, Green |
Shell and wash. |
Cook covered in small amount of boiling water. |
8-15 mins |
SPINACH |
Cut off roots and wash several times in lukewarm water, pour off the water as you wash. |
Cook spinach, covered, with butter, olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook until the spinach has wilted. |
3-5 mins. |
TOMATOES |
Wash ripened tomatoes. |
Cook slowly, covered, without adding water. |
10-15 mins. |
ZUCCHINI |
Wash and slice either with or without the skin. |
Season and cook covered in butter for 5 mins. Uncover and cook till tender, turning slices. |
10 mins. |
I hope when you read how simple it is to cook these vegetables that it may interest you in trying a new one.
http://www.InDianesKitchen.com
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Categories: Celery, Did You Know, Mushrooms, Okra, Spinach
I am of the generation who’s mothers boiled all the flavour and nutriments out of everything
Well Jackie’s meals sound like they are delicious and full of flavor! She’s quite the cook and you can tell her I said so! Lol
I did. She expressed surprise 🙂 Thanks very much, Diane
We like spinach, but it’s quite a long process to wash it over and over again to get rid of all the sand. We have never cooked okra, maybe we should try that. Thanks Diane, this is quite a handy list!
You’re welcome Corna!
Thanks again Ned!
A while ago, I bought an eggplant starter and it gave me so many eggplants all summer long. I ended up giving most away – and used a few for soups – and reading the way to cook eggplants by browning them in oil sounds really good. – mmm
I didn’t know they produced all summer long! That’s one thing we haven’t grown.
well I do not remember how long it gave me eggplants – but I just remember having. alot of them – and remember writing about the gorgeous flowers – and I tried another eggplant plant a few years later and it did not do well.
But that first one was prolific and was a treat!
hope your month of august is going well
Thank you Yvette! I can’t believe it’s almost September.
I know!! 🙂🙂
Thanks Ned!
Thanks, Diane. I’m going to print this out and keep it in my kitchen. 👍
You’re welcome and I’m so glad it will help Annie!
Again Goddess, this is right on! The only thing I would add is with the egg plant. Nonna would always pile them and put the iron on top. Why? I couldn’t tell ya.
That is the question of the day! I remember college students made toasted cheese sandwiches with an iron but never egg plant.
What a very useful post, Diane. I love how you presented the info so clearly and concisely. Your eggplant tip is similar to a Filipino dish I love called tartong talong (eggplant omelette). You should look it up and try it.
I also love okra – the hubby hates it – so it’s rarely made at home as I’d only be the one who eats it! 😆
Thank you Ab! I’m with you about okra and my hubby doesn’t like it either.
My mom/Filipinos stirfries okra with squash and dried shrimp. It’s very tasty!
Sounds tasty! I have never heard of dried shrimp. Off to Google now. Lol
Great chart. I wish we had a few local stands.
Our best farm stand is only 20 minutes away but we have a small one about a mile from our house. Another one is about 15 minutes away but they sell really different produce that we don’t care for, they sell to restaurants too so they are very expensive.
I bought Zucchini for the first time and I am glad I know now how to clean them. Thanks🙏
You are very welcome Doreen! I don’t care for plain zucchini but everyone of these recipes I love.
Well this is handy Diane – I would not have known how to prepare many of these items.
After all these years of cooking it’s easy to assume everyone else knows how too. I try to think about the new cooks with posts like this. Thank you Linda!
It’s probably easier for the new cooks these days as they can Google. Remember in the past how people used to say how busy the Butterball Turkey phone line would on Thanksgiving by new cooks wanting their first Thanksgiving dinner to turn out right. (I don’t know why they didn’t just rely on their mother to ask the how-to questions, but that phone number was pretty busy.
Oh yes I remember them talking about that every year. The tv news always showed a panel of people answering phones.
Yes and new brides frantic their meal would not pass muster with the inlaws. 🙂
Oh I remember that first day cooking for the in-laws, simple spaghetti! 🤣
You didn’t burn the sauce or the noodles were still crunchy I hope?
Oh no, I don’t like my pasta Al dente. But I did have to ask my MIL how to make strawberry shortcake. 😂
I would not know how to make strawberry shortcake, unless I bought those little yellow sponge cakes, six in a pack. 🙂
It’s just strawberries crushed with sugar to taste. Lol That’s why I felt stupid but I was 19 years old.
Well I am pushing 70 and would not know. 🙂
Thanks Diane, great info 😊
You’re welcome Susan!
Thanks for the food education 🙂
You’re very welcome!