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Blanching

Method sets color and texture

 
Blanching gets individual ingredients ready for the last-minute cooking of a stirfry of kohlrabi and sugar snap peas.
Blanching gets individual ingredients ready for the last-minute cooking of a stirfry of kohlrabi and sugar snap peas.
BOB FILA / MCT

Main dish

QUICK SALAD NICOISE

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed

Salt to taste

10 cups favorite leafy greens

1 medium red onion, peeled, thinly sliced

6 small, cooked, red-skin potatoes, quartered

12 ounces albacore tuna packed in water, drained, or leftover cooked chicken

1 can (3 ounces drained weight) sliced black olives

Favorite vinaigrette (see note)

6 hard-cooked eggs, quartered

4 roma tomatoes, washed, sliced

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Lightly salt the water and then add the green beans. Blanch the beans 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain the beans and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process.

In a large serving bowl, combine the green beans, leafy greens, red onion, potatoes, tuna and olives. Gently toss to mix. Add vinaigrette a little at a time and gently toss to coat the ingredients. Garnish salad with hard-cooked eggs and tomatoes.

Cook’s note: To make vinaigrette, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid combine 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons tarragon or white wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves, 1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic, 1 teaspoon finely minced shallot and about 2/3 cup olive oil. Shake to combine. Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 315 calories (37 percent from fat), 13 grams fat (3 grams sat. fat ), 28 grams carbohydrates, 18 grams protein, 819 mg sodium, 181 mg cholesterol, 4 grams fiber.


By Susan M. Selasky

Detroit Free Press

Q. What does it mean to blanch vegetables?

Blanching means cooking something (usually vegetables) briefly in boiling water. After blanching, the vegetables are plunged into a bowl of cold or ice water to stop the cooking. Blanching sets the color and texture of many foods and kills enzymes that make food decay.

Exact blanching times vary with what vegetable you use and what you’re using it for.

Blanch vegetables in a large pot so they are not crowded. Fill the pot with water and bring it to a full boil. Some sources recommend adding salt or sugar — about 1 tablespoon — to the water. This will season the vegetables slightly and set the color, they say. Blanched vegetables such as green beans or zucchini are great in salads.

Blanching is also used to prepare foods for further cooking. For example, recipes may require blanching vegetables before canning to help set the color.

You can blanch vegetables before freezing them, though not all vegetables require doing so. Onions, bell peppers, corn and tomatoes do not. You can simply chop, slice or cut them and put them directly in the freezer.

Blanching also is used to easily remove peels from foods such as tomatoes, nectarines and peaches. To remove skins from tomatoes or peaches, score an X on the bottom. Blanch for 20 to 30 seconds (times can vary). Remove using a slotted spoon and plunge in ice water. Once cool enough to handle, the skins should easily slip off. Or you can use a paring knife to remove the peel.

Blanching is also a good way to get those pesky skins off small pearl onions. Cut off the tip and blanch the pearl onions for about 40 seconds. Use a slotted spoon or mesh strainer to remove the onions and place them in ice water. Squeeze the onion at the root end so the onion pops out of the skin.

Here’s a recipe for a Quick Salad Nicoise that uses blanched green beans.

©2012 Detroit Free Press

Visit the Detroit Free Press at www.freep.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

KeyWords:: BC-BLANCHING:DE BC BLANCHING DE AMX-2012-08-20T08:05:00-04:00

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