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5A Wednesday, May 8, 2013 – Daily News County Fare & tasty fresh Glazing, what good vegetables deserve Map out your By Russ Parsons Los Angeles Times (MCT) So many home cooks are obsessed with making dishes just like the professionals do. They buy hand-forged Japanese chefs knives, seek out $50 bottles of olive oil and spend hours preparing elaborately composed dishes from "The French Laundry Cookbook" or "Eleven Madison Park." But a lot of them have never even heard of one of the most basic techniques of cooking, one that requires no special equipment or expensive ingredients. In fact, you can probably do it in just a few minutes with what you have in your kitchen right now. It's called glazing vegetables, and it's as fundamental to a cook's repertoire as roasting a chicken. In fact, it may be more so. Learn to roast a chicken and you can probably extrapolate that knowledge to, well, roasting a turkey. But glazing works for all sorts of vegetables, and particularly now, when we're enjoying the full flush of the spring harvest, it's something you ought to master. Here's how you do it: Cut the vegetables into equal-sized pieces, so they cook at the same pace. Place them in a skillet just big enough to hold them, one that has a securely fitting lid. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan (roughly 1⁄2 cup — very dense vegetables will take a little more; soft vegetables will take a little less). Add a little bit of fat: a thumb-sized knob of butter or a couple of glugs of olive oil. If you have seasonings that need to be cooked — minced onions, shallots or garlic — add them too. Place the pan over medium heat, cover tightly and cook. Stir every couple of minutes, checking to see when the vegetables are becoming tender. If the water gets low too quickly, add a splash — just 2 or 3 tablespoons. Just when a paring knife penetrates easily, remove the lid and turn the heat up to high. Cook, tossing and stirring fairly constantly, until the liquid is gone and the vegetables meal to avoid menu mishap By Carolyn O'Neil The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (MCT) MCT photo Carrots can be glazed with butter, serrano chile and shallots; finish with orange juice and mint. are shiny and just beginning to brown; it'll take only a couple of minutes. Add the final seasonings — a sprinkle of salt, chopped herbs or spices, and a splash of acidity from a squeeze of citrus or a spoonful of vinegar — and serve. Seriously, that's all there is to it. Here's why it's so great: As the vegetables cook under cover, they release moisture of their own (most vegetables are more than 90 percent water). When you uncover the pan and turn up the heat, the water evaporates and the flavor essences left behind mix with the fat to coat the vegetables with a delicious glaze. At one time, I insisted on calling this "braising" because it is very similar to what happens when you stew a piece of meat. That little bit of added liquid serves to soften the cellulose structure of the vegetable, releasing the juices inside, which are then reduced to a sauce. In the case of vegetables, it's just done backward; you soften with liquid first, then brown at the end. But at this point I'm willing to reconsider. Partly it's a bow to the wisdom of my betters. If Thomas Keller says it's "glazing," not "braising," who am I to argue? Mainly, though, "glazing" just sounds prettier. No doubt that's at least partly the result of decades of drably colored and dully flavored overcooked stewed vegetables. That association is not at all appropriate for these sparkling gems. Glazing doesn't work with all vegetables. They need to be firm enough so they won't fall apart during cooking. But for the ones it does work for, it's almost infinitely flexible. Master this one technique and you have learned dozens of "recipes." The only thing it requires is a certain amount of minding — getting the vegetables perfectly done (cooked through but not mushy) requires paying attention. But that's one professional skill that every home cook needs to acquire. A FEW IDEAS FOR GLAZED VEGETABLES Glazing vegetables is so simple it doesn't really require a recipe. But here are some ideas for flavor combinations that you can explore. Remember, this technique is incredibly flexible, so these are just a few of the many possibilities. Artichokes: Glaze with olive oil and garlic; finish with lemon juice, parsley and pine nuts. Carrots: Glaze with butter, serrano chile and shallots; finish with orange juice and mint. Celery root: Glaze with butter and shallots; finish with lemon juice and celery leaves. Fennel: Glaze with butter and garlic; finish with Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon juice and fronds. Parsnips: Glaze with butter, honey and shallots; finish with white wine vinegar and cinnamon. Pearl onions: Glaze with rendered bacon fat and shallots; finish with crumbled bacon, red wine or balsamic vinegar, and rosemary. Turnips and rutabagas: Glaze with butter and shallots; finish with sherry vinegar and chopped walnuts. Zucchini: Glaze with olive oil and garlic; finish with lemon juice and basil. You may have heard advice to dine out less often if you want to weigh less. That's like telling people to leave their cars in the garage if they want to avoid getting into an automobile accident. To improve highway safety, we need driver's education. Diners' education can help avoid menu mishaps. Menus are maps: Read the menu and listen carefully when servers list the specials. Check out the menu online to help you plan a safe route. If you want to splurge on the fried calamari, choose a grilled entree. If you love sweets, ask to see the dessert menu first so you know where you're headed. Signal your moves: Be specific about what you want or don't want. For example, "May I have more lemon slices?," "Can you lightly brush the fish with butter?" Keep your eyes open: Look around and see what other diners are eating so you get a visual on portion sizes. Way too large? Split the entree or plan to box up half for carryout. Note road hazards: The fresh baked bread can be hard to resist. Ditto the bowl of olive oil. Did you know that olive oil and butter have the same number of calories? And dipping bread in olive oil can soak up more fat than a thin spread of butter. Mixed green salads are a great starter, but watch out for goat cheese, blue cheese, cheddar cheese and sugarglazed nuts that can add hundreds of calories. Look for alternative routes: Be honest when the server asks you how you like your meal. They want to work fast to make you happy. Is the snapper still swimming in butter? Don't suffer in silence. Send it back. Control that sports car: Cheering on the baseball team at the stadium? Avoid driving up calorie scores. The Dixie Dog, a half-pound of frankfurter that's flashfried and topped with pulled pork barbecue, low-country mustard, barbecue sauce, pickles and creamy Southern slaw, has about 1,277 calories, 98 grams of fat and 2,280 milligrams of sodium. Enjoy the ride: Make dining out a special occasion and enjoy the conversation and the entertainment as much as the food. WE ACCEPT FOOD STAMPS WE FEATURE BLACK CANYON ANGUS BEEF 8049 Hwy 99E, Los Molinos, CA "Your Family Supermarket" NO CARDS REQUIRED FOR EVERYDAY LOW PRICING OR SALE ITEMS We appreciate your business - and we show it! 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