Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Vegetable Skillet

I am sure I published something like this long ago, but tonight I had one of my very favourite dishes in the whole wide world, and I happened to comment, while eating it, that I could eat some variation of this every single day and be happy.  It's true.  The trick here is that there are infinite variations on this dish, so it would never have to be the same.  I would never ever get bored.  Really.

So, what is this wonderful dish?

I have no idea.  Seriously, no clue what to call this, because it is not really one thing, so much as just an idea, a way of cooking.  I  have decided to call it a "Vegetable Skillet," because it is made of vegetables, and cooked in a skillet.  To work this out perfectly, in my opinion, you will need a large cast iron skillet.  If you don't have one, another type of skillet (or maybe a wok) should work, but I highly recommend cast iron.  I like the way it heats up, and it brown the veggies nicely.

Here's what you do:

First, assemble your vegetables.
It's a good idea to chop everything into roughly the same size chunks, then group them according to how dense they are (or how quickly they will cook).

So, what do you put in this thing?  That's up to you.  I know, I know, it's not really a recipe!  But I will give you an example or two to get you started.

Tonight, I used: 1 large green pepper, 4 carrots (one orange, one yellow and two purple, believe it or not), 2 zucchini, about 1 1/2 cups of broccoli florets, 1/2 head cauliflower, 3 cloves of garlic and 1 can of chick peas.

One of my favourites has: onions, red peppers, garlic, potatoes, broccoli, corn and canned black beans.

Another great combo is: onions, garlic, peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes and white beans.

Or how about: cabbage, potatoes, carrots, peas & scallions?

Don't limit yourself.  Include lots of yummy veggies ~ halved brussels sprouts, asparagus, lima beans, artichoke hearts, sweet potatoes, squash, celery, green beans...the possibilities are endless.

Here's what you do with all this good stuff:

Heat your skillet over medium heat.
Add 1-2 TBS olive oil, coconut oil, or whatever other oil you prefer.

Now, start adding your veggies.  If I am using onions, peppers and/or mushrooms, I like to start them first (sprinkled with just a tiny bit of salt), so they get nice and brown, and the onions caramelize. After that (or, in lieu of that, as the case may be), I add the veggies that take the longest to cook first, cook and stir/toss for a few minutes, then add the ones that take a little less time, etc, until I get to the ones that take very little time to cook (like canned beans, that just need to heat, really).

As you add veggies, you'll want to add in some seasonings.  You can tailor the seasonings to suit your taste, whim, or the other ingredients you are using.  If you are using stuff like onions, garlic & peppers, you might just need a little salt and pepper.  Sometimes I add classic Italian seasonings, like basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, thyme and parsley.  Another great combo is cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder and cilantro.  Steak seasoning is a nice quick flavourful choice, as is curry powder, or, another favourite Old Bay Seasoning.  (Tonight, I used freshly ground mixed peppercorns, a touch of seasoning salt, Old Bay Seasoning, dill weed and a touch of mustard.)

So, you just keep cooking and stirring until the vegetables are all evenly seasoned, and then, if you want them to brown a bit, turn up the heat and let them cook without stirring for a few minutes.  then, gently stir (or toss, or use a cake turner, whatever works, and let the veggies brown a little bit more.  Just keep doing this until it is the way your like it.  If adding canned beans, I toss them in for just the last couple of minutes.  If adding nuts or seeds, I just toss them in after I turn off the skillet.

When it is cooked to your liking, turn off the skillet, remove from heat, and serve.

To make this simple meal complete, I usually include beans and/or nuts (or sometimes I toss in cooked vegetarian sausage, chicken strips, beef strips or something like that), and serve with rice, bread, quinoa or pasta.

So, that's my favourite food.  And, see, I could eat it every single day, and it would never have to be the same.  Sorry I don't have a picture this time; I was too busy eating.  In fact, I might be going back for seconds.

2 comments:

  1. Other great ideas: serve topped with an egg or two, prepared your favourite way, and/or diced avocado and salsa. I especially like it this way with the addition of soy chorizo ~ ohmygoodness!

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  2. Wrap it all up in a tortilla!

    Melt cheese on top, if you are a cheese-eater.

    I'm telling you, you can do anything with this.

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