Wintery Mix
No, I’m not talking about last week’s weather, but one of the easiest preparations of winter vegetables that can serve as countless meal foundations or as an entire meal in itself. Although I was classically trained to julienne, dice, shred, mince, batonette, and chop vegetables storing them neatly in individual containers with a piece of painters tape affixed with the date and contents written in black Sharpie, over the years I’ve completely backslid to the point where everything gets cut up, tossed into a single container, doused with olive oil and stashed in the fridge.
This simplicity may first appear boring, but no, I do not eat the same meal over and over. This has been my go-to method for getting a healthy dose of vegetables in all seasons, but it works out much better with the wide variety of winter vegetables available this time of year.
Root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, sunchokes, onions, garlic, and leeks are the foundation for my weekly mix. Next in line are the brussels sprouts and kalettes. And if there’s been slim pickings late in the day at market, I’ll beef up my collection with winter squash. The quantities, assortment and size of the pieces is completely random.
Air is what causes vegetable to deteriorate. Being made mostly of water, evaporation causes raw vegetables exposed to air to shrivel. Uncovered or poorly packaged also lets in microscopic fungi and bacteria which lead to mold and rot. The first line of defense is a light coating of oil. I like to use olive oil because that’s what I like. I’ve used flavorful nut oils, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, sesame oil—anything to keep reduce moisture leaving the cells.
The next line of defense is an airtight container. Tupperware, Ziploc, Rubbermaid works, but in trying to reduce my usage of single-use plastics I’ve found glass canning jars work the best. When a positive Corona virus test sidelined me from market for two weeks combined with the closed Thanksgiving market I was utterly amazed that my raw mix jarred in the fridge lasted three weeks without degradation.
But when I know I’m going to be extremely busy around the farm I’ll roast all the vegetables at once. True, they won’t last as long in this state, but the advantage is the mix is quick and easy to use. Here are some of the ideas.
Roasted—Spread vegetables on a sheet pan and roast in a 400-degree F oven until caramelized and brown. To enhance the flavors try adding in ingredients like balsamic or flavored vinegars, honey, mustard, tamari, soy, gochujang, zaatar—whatever your tastebuds want. The addition of walnuts or seeds will add crunch. Use as a side dish or full meal.
Sauteed—Mis en place goes out the door with this method of vegetable preparation. I used to get berated in the restaurant for mixing onion, celery, and carrot for mirepoix arguing that I could get the ratio exact that way and create less clutter on the line, but the chef would have none of that reasoning. The idea came from a Creole father-in-law who kept a container of the Louisiana Holy Trinity in the fridge at all times.
Boiled—Usually recipes call for sauteed vegetables prior to adding to soup, but I tend to be lazy when it comes to a quick meal. A handful or two of wintery mix and a few cups of bone broth brought to a boil delivers the perfect pick-me-up when coming in from the cold. At other times I’ll toss in the veggies with my cooking pasta or rice. One less pan for me to clean!
Steamed—A slab of fish on a bed of wintery mix vegetables will help you to keep your New Year resolution to eat healthier. Steaming is also the way to go for making warm smoothies with a dollop of yoghurt and a pinch of ras el hanout.
Broiled—My goal is to again have a salamander in my kitchen. This will always be my all-time favorite professional kitchen gadget. With the high heat the outer layer of the veggies, especially the kalettes, become crispy paper thin whisps and cubed potatoes that rival gumdrops in both texture and taste.
You can see eating fresh and local from the farmers market year round while having an incredible variety to your meals is entirely possible.