There are basic cooking methods and kitchen gear that recipes in this book, or most books for that matter, will call for. Let us briefly clarify them in alphabetical order:
Al dente: This means to cook something until it is tender but still firm. So for pasta or rice, al dente means it should not be entirely soft—it should be somewhat firm. For veggies this means they should be cooked so that they are still crispy, not wilted or flexible, and usually the cooking time is very short. “Chewiness” and “toothiness” are other words that are interchangeable.
Bake: To bake means to cook in a dry oven. Most often people think of baking breads, muffins, and so on. There are a few dishes that, just to confuse you, call for baking—but then have you place the cooking dish into a larger pan of water. Custards come to mind.
Generally, however, there is no moisture.
Blanch or Parboil: When you blanch something you, in essence, soften it before going on to another step. With blanching, you plunge the food into a pot of boiling water (not too much food at once, because you need to keep the water boiling) for the short duration prescribed by your recipe. Then you either take it out and drain it, or plunge the food into ice-cold water. Often this is done to either set the color or to peel the skin, such as for peaches or tomatoes.
Boil: It’s important to boil a lot of water or stock so that when you add the vegetables, they cook quickly. When almost done, drain immediately or the veggies will continue to cook.
Braise: This method of cooking is most commonly used for foods prepared in a small amount of water or stock. Meat or vegetable stews are the most common braised dishes. The dish is usually covered for most of the cooking and can be done on the stovetop or in the oven.
Broil: This is when food is heated on one side, generally 4–6 inches from the heating element, until browned. Some foods are cooked completely under the broiler and some are simply browned for a few moments or less. In contrast, typical baking heats the food from the bottom.
Chiffonade: The name of this slicing technique comes from a similar French word meaning “rag.” But don’t let that term trick you—it’s really an elegant cut. Slice large-leafed greens into thin ribbons by stacking the leaves (or doing it one at a time), rolling them up like a cigar, and then slicing them very thinly.
Double Boiler: This is a pot that fits within a pot so that when you heat your ingre-dient—generally chocolate, eggs, or cream—the heat is greatly diffused and the food is pro-tected from excess heat or burning. The water in the pan that is on the heating element maintains a simmer and not a boil. If you don’t have a double boiler, simply use a stainless steel bowl and place in a pot. Improvise!
En Papillote: All Patty’s kids know how to make Salmon en Papillote. “En papillote”
simply means “in parchment.” You wrap your ingredients in parchment paper, place it on a cookie sheet, and bake it. How simple is that? Once you master this simple technique, a myriad of variations will come to mind; start with the Salmon en Papillote recipe on page 161. (You can also wrap food in a banana leaf, corn husks, grape leaves, or even collard greens.)
Grill: Most people think primarily of barbecuing meats, yet grilled vegetables are just wonderful. Even though this happens mainly outdoors, there are indoor grill attachments to kitchen ranges as well. The grilling process adds a unique and enjoyable flavor to almost everything, and people will rave about vegetables on the grill. Dr. Haas offers these at most every party, with a combination of mushrooms, onions, garlic cloves, peppers, carrots, and zucchini. Special grilling baskets are now available and make this process quite easy, plus the vegetables can be cut into bite-size pieces before they are grilled.
Persillade: Typically used as a flavoring or garnish, persil-lade is generally equal parts fresh parsley and fresh garlic. It can be added to a dish while cooking or at the end for more zip! It is particularly good stirred into butternut squash the last 5 minutes of roasting or added to our Roasted Roots with Garlic side dish (page 191) after they come out of the oven in lieu of other seasonings.
Poach: This is a moist heat method whereby the water or other liquid that the food is poaching in maintains a temperature just under the boiling point. You can poach an egg in water or poach a piece of salmon in white wine.
Purée: This is when you finely blend your ingredient, usually vegetables or beans.
Often soups are puréed, or you can purée beans (or even oatmeal) to use as a thickener of a soup or sauce. You can use a food processor, food mill, immersion blender, or potato masher to purée.
Reduction: A reduction is a sauce in which liquid, generally wine-based, is simmered on the stove, uncovered, until it reduces by one-third or one-half. You may also reduce almost any vegetable juice. This procedure is used to intensify a flavor. As an example, you can place carrot juice in a pan and simmer it, uncovered, so that the liquid evaporates and the flavor intensifies. We give examples of these “reductions” in chapter 4.
Roast: No moisture is added when you roast. The oven is almost always preheated to the required temperature. Roasting often causes the caramelization of food, a wonderful flavor enhancer. Vegetables and meats are often roasted. Dr. Haas loves to roast vegetables;
he likes to chop them first, then add some oil, balsamic vinegar, Bragg Liquid Aminos (or salt, or soy sauce), and herbs, and then toss them before laying them in a pan to roast in the oven.
Sauté: This comes from the French word sauter, which means “to jump.” Sautéing is done in a pan without a lid. When you sauté, the food needs to be thin or minced and is generally in a single layer, otherwise it will steam. First you heat the pan, then add a bit of oil, and then the vegetables. You need to stir occasionally, but not constantly, or your vegetables will not brown. If you are adding garlic, do so at the end or else your garlic can burn. Water sauté variation: To use less oil, you can sauté with some water and then add the oil toward the end for flavor, however, the vegetables will be less browned and more steamed.
Simmer: This means that the food is cooked at a gentle heat and not at a boil.
Steam: This is when food, primarily vegetables, is cooked over, not in, boiling water.
Generally a steaming basket is used. When steaming, a lid is always used to trap the heat and moisture. Be sure to use the steaming water in your next soup or you can simply drink it, once it cools a bit. There are some nutrients that drip into this “pot liquor.”
Suribachi: A suribachi is a mortar and pestle with ridges inside.