You can absolutely make fun of me if you want, but every time I watch a clip of Julia Child cooking I get emotional. Her enthusiasm and passion is so palpable, even all these years later. If I am feeling stressed about meal prep, I try to channel my inner Julia and find some joy.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read her memoir, My Life in France. Her voice jumps off the pages, and the anecdotes she tells about discovering a love of food while living abroad are scintillating. “Our first lunch together in France had been absolute perfection,” she writes about the meal she had in Rouen with her husband, Paul. “It was the most exciting meal of my life.”
I think about that part of the book a lot, because it’s so indicative of her approach to cooking. I like to believe that she’s channeling the “absolute perfection” of that meal whenever she shows us how to prepare food. And leave it to Julia to make something like canned vegetables taste, well, exciting.
Julia Child’s Canned Vegetable Upgrade
One word: butter. It’s coming from The French Chef herself… of course it’s butter! But it’s all about the preparation method. In an episode of her show, Julia talks about how to bring out better flavor from vegetables before adding them to stews. But she also mentions that it’s a great way to elevate them to serve as a garnish or side dish.
The trick, she says, is to cook butter in a frying pan for about four minutes, until it’s stopped foaming; it should be almost browning. Then, you can toss in any canned vegetable you have. After giving the pan a shake to coat the veggies, you let them sauté for a few minutes until they get a little brown. Now, you can add them to your soups, stews, or pastas, or simply serve them as a side dish.
Why This Method Works
Browning vegetables is always a great way to add some extra flavor. This is actually called the Maillard reaction—a process that changes the acids and sugars in vegetables as they cook, which gives them a signature nutty, toasty flavor.
Canned vegetables are an incredibly budget-friendly way to incorporate veggies into your meals, but just eating them straight out of the can feels a little underwhelming. It’s all about perspective, though, because according to Julia: “If you think of these canned things as base ingredients that you are really going to flavor up as nicely as you can, you’ll find that you can do some lovely things with them.”
I had truly never thought about canned ingredients like this before. Considering how nutrient-dense and shelf-stable canned vegetables are, I am really grateful for this hack. And of course, I’m grateful every day for Julia Child. Bon appétit!
Read the original article on Simply Recipes
Dining and Cooking