Deceptively Delicious - Jessica Seinfeld [5]
Which vegetables do you buy? Decide which you think your child is most likely to eat. If he is very picky about green vegetables, I’d suggest starting with cauliflower, butternut squash, zucchini, and yellow squash, because they’re easier to conceal.
And how much? Start with one pound of each vegetable, or one head of cauliflower, or one butternut squash. Once you get a stash of purees in your freezer, you can simply replenish it as necessary each week.
You can steal a few minutes here and there at other times during the week, too: when I’ve got the oven on for baking, for example, I’ll throw in a couple of sweet potatoes to roast alongside whatever else I’m cooking.
Step 2
Prepare vegetables and fruits.
1. Wash the veggies and fruits and drain in a colander.
2. Lay out a sheet of waxed paper, a dish towel, or a recycled paper shopping bag (cut so that you can open it out) to collect the trimmings.
3. Prepare the vegetables and fruit as shown.
Sometimes, instead of using fresh produce, I’ll use frozen veggies or just open a can. Canned beets and pineapple, for instance, make fine purees (buy pineapple that’s packed in natural juices, not sugar syrup). Drain before pureeing.
If I’m really in a hurry, I’ll sometimes use the cut-up fresh vegetables that are sold in supermarkets. Check that they look fresh, not dried or discolored.
4. Remember that the good thing about fruits is that they don’t need to be cooked. In certain recipes, even the vegetables don’t need to be cooked—just finely chopped in the food processor. You’ll see that I’ve noted this in recipe headnotes, wherever possible.
Step 3
Cook the vegetables.
Steaming is a great way to cook vegetables because it preserves their nutrients. You can use a rice steamer, a collapsible steamer basket, or a pasta pot with drainer.
1. Peel, trim, and cut up the vegetable as shown.
2. Put about 1 inch of water in the bottom of a pot. Add a steamer basket (without the vegetables), cover, and bring the water to a boil. (Or follow the instructions that come with your rice steamer.)
If you don’t have any other type of steamer, you can also steam in a saucepan: bring ½ inch water to a boil, add the veggies, cover, and steam. But be careful—the water evaporates quickly; if it does, the vegetables may burn.
3. Place the vegetables in the steamer—up to a double layer will steam well—cover, and steam the number of minutes recommended.
If you’re steaming several different batches of vegetables, start each batch with fresh water. Particularly with green vegetables, the steaming water gets bitter and it will turn the vegetables bitter, too.
4. Drain the vegetables in a colander.
Roasting is our friend. It is an easy way to cook sweet potatoes, beets, and butternut squash—just throw the vegetable unpeeled in the oven, set a timer, and forget about it while you go check your e-mail or make a fort with your kids.
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Prepare the vegetables as recommended, place them on a foil-lined baking sheet, and roast until tender.
3. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Then peel beets, or scoop sweet potato or squash out of the peel with a tablespoon—it should glide right out.
Microwave cooking is fast and requires no special cooking equipment. Since all microwave ovens are different, it’s impossible to give hard and fast cooking times, but you’ll get a handle on it quickly with a little trial and error.
1. Peel, trim, and cut up the vegetables.
2. Put the vegetables in a glass or ceramic container (no metal!). Add 2 tablespoons of water. Loosely cover with microwaveable plastic wrap, a microwave-safe lid, or waxed paper.
3. Microwave in 1-minute increments until the vegetables are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
Step 4
Puree.
1. Put the veggies and fruits into a food processor or blender, secure the lid,