Greener Greens

I'm back :)

Today I've got another cooking story for you. I've started to cook my vegetables the way Thomas Keller does them. So far I've only tried it with broccoli, but it should work with other vegetables. I just don't really know any other vegetables besides carrots. [Side note - what other vegetables do people eat? maybe string beans? All I ever buy is carrots and broccoli].

Before getting to the actual technique, I will discuss a few relevant issues. The first is salt. You may know that I generally try to limit salt usage. Not because I don't like salt, but because i think salt is typically overdone, and people are just enjoying something because it tastes like salt. This technique uses a fair amount of salt for my taste, but i think it's not overbearing and really serves its true purpose of bringing out the inherent flavors in the vegetable. The second issue here is what would best be called complexity. This is certainly not a difficult technique - it's super easy - but it requires slightly more attention than steaming - my previous default veggie cooking style - and also requires an extra bowl. But it's certainly doable.

Enough chit chat, let's cook.

First you need to get a big pot of salt water going at a rolling boil. How much water depends on how much broccoli you have. I do around 4-6 cups for like 1.5 cups of broccoli (these are just rough estimates). The reason for having a good amount of water is to have enough energy in the system that when you throw the veggies in, the water stays at a boil and cooks the veggies FAST. Keller actually makes people start all over if he sees them add the veggies to the water and the water stops boiling.
Now the second question is, how much salt do you use. Use a lot more than you usually add to your water when cooking pasta. I probably use 2-3 tablespoons or so in a quart of water. The water should actually taste salty, not just 'contain salt.'

Now you've got your water going, toss in your chopped broccoli. It will cook very quickly, roughly 2 minutes or so, but you'll have to experiment to see what works for you and your tastes. On the side, have a big bowl of ice water ready. Scoop out the veggies (I use a big strainer that I have) and plunge them in the cold water to stop the cooking. Don't leave them in too long or they will get cold. Drain, season, and serve. I season with a little pepper and garlic powder. Yumm.