There are dishes from more traditional cuisine that seem like something for children, such as potato omelette, fried eggs or the one we bring today, vegetable stew. But like everything, there are some tricks to really make it perfect. The chef and Masterchef judge Jordi Cruz, shared on his TikTok profile that he uses to disseminate gastronomic content, three tricks to achieve a perfectly cooked vegetable stew with a beautiful green color.
To cook the vegetables perfectly, the chef indicates that it is necessary to do it with a lot of water and adding not only salt but also baking soda and we want perfect cooking. Cruz assures that “for each liter of water, about 12 grams of salt and we will add three grains per liter of bicarbonate, which will make the water more alkaline. It will affect the pectins, it will break down fibers and it will stabilize the chlorophyll.” In this way we will ensure that the vegetables have more saturated colors and are more appetizing to eat.
The second trick after baking soda is to cook the vegetables by hardness or cooking time. “When we have the water prepared, we will cook the vegetables to a regular size and according to their hardness, that is, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, green beans first.” What the chef proposes is to do staggered cooking. “First, those that take five or six minutes, the carrots, cauliflower and beans, if we want them al dente and with texture and bite. If we want them to be completely cooked, 10 minutes,” he explains.
“When there are about two minutes left for the total five or six minutes, we add the broccoli. When there is one minute left, the asparagus. When there are 30 seconds left, the spinach leaves, which takes less time to cook,” he continues. This way, all the vegetables are perfectly cooked and “in 10 or 15 minutes, you have the best stew in the world.”
@jordiccruzof I leave you an approach to blanch (blanch) your vegetables, to set color and texture, cut the cooking with ice water, and then give them a final sauté. I give you a guide with indicative blanching times for a classic stew, adjusted so that they are al dente and with a good appearance: 🥦 List of vegetables and blanching times • Green beans: 3–4 minutes • Carrots in sticks: 3 minutes • Fresh peas: 1–2 minutes • Green asparagus: 2–3 minutes (the stems a little longer than the tips) • Cauliflower in florets small: 2–3 minutes • Broccoli in florets: 2 minutes • Artichokes (hearts in quarters): 4–5 minutes • Zucchini in half moons: 1 minute • Sliced mushrooms: 1 minute • Leek in sticks: 2 minutes #cooking #gastronomy #vegetables #tips #health
♬ original sound – Jordi Cruz
The third trick has to do with preserving the chlorophyll of green vegetables. Instead of cooking them and serving them, “if you want them with a lot of green color: water with ice, I remove the ice and pass the vegetables through this super cold water. We are going to block the chlorophyll so as not to lose the color and preserve this beautiful shade,” he explained. Once we have completely stopped the cooking with cold water and we have fixed the chlorophyll, we just have to drain it and we can, for example, sauté that vegetable stew with a little oil, garlic and paprika.
This recipe by Jordi Cruz serves as a side dish, but it can also be a light dish for dinner if we serve it with a poached or grilled egg, a French omelette or simply with some steamed fish. If we don't sauté it, we can use it to make a fresh summer salad with some cooked chickpeas and an oil and vinegar dressing, for example.
A versatile recipe, low in calories and high in fiber, to repeat every day.
