Pureed Vegetables
Instructions:
- Pureed vegetables are luxurious, delicious, and simple.
The best vegetables for puréeing are root vegetables, like
carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, spinach, winter squash,
and starchy potatoes. I use extra virgin olive oil or butter
to bind and enrich basic purées, but cream or milk, or
even bread crumbs or other starch, also help to enrich
the purée, keep it from leaching water, and give it a velvety
texture. See the chart that follows for many more
ideas.
Warm vegetable purées make an elegant bed for simply
cooked fish, poultry, or meat. And at room temperature
or chilled, they are excellent impromptu dips and
spreads.
- About 11/2 pounds vegetables, one kind or a combination (see the chart, above)
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish (optional)
- Peel and trim the vegetables as necessary; cut them into roughly equal-sized pieces, 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Put the vegetables in a pot with water to cover and add a large pinch of salt; or rig a steamer (see page 20) and put the vegetables in it above water. Bring to a boil and cook until the vegetable is tender, usually 5 to 15 minutes. You want the vegetables fully tender but not mushy.
- Drain the vegetables well, reserving some of the cooking liquid. (At this point, you may refrigerate the vegetables, well wrapped or in a covered container, for up to 2 days before proceeding.) Put the vegetables through a food mill placed over the pot or cool slightly and put them in a blender or food processor with as much of the cooking liquid as you need to get the machine going. (You can also mash the vegetables with a large fork or potato masher, adding the cooking liquid as needed.)
- Add the olive oil or butter and stir, then taste and season with more salt if necessary and sprinkle with pepper. Serve, keep warm, or allow to cool for reheating later. Garnish with parsley before serving.