Thomas - Melissas Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce : a Guide to Easy-to-Make Dishes with Fresh Organic Fruits and Vegetables

Melissa's Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce

Cathy Thomas

Photography by Nick Koon

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Copyright 2010 by Melissas Produce. All rights reserved

Photography copyright Nick Koon

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Thomas, Cathy.

Melissas everyday cooking with organic produce / Cathy Thomas ;
photography by Nick Koon.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-0-470-37105-3 (cloth)

1. Cookery (Natural foods) 2. Cookery (Fruit) 3. Cookery (Vegetables)
I. Melissas World Variety Produce (Firm) II. Title.

TX741.T52 2010

641.5636dc22ISBN: 978-0-470-37105-3

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Glossary and Prep Help

Acidulated water: Cold water augmented with either lemon juice, lime juice, or distilled white vinegar is used to prevent discoloration of some cut fruit and vegetables (such as apples and artichokes). Generally the cut produce is soaked in the acidulated water, but it can also be used as a cooking medium.

Agave syrup: Organic agave syrup is a sweetener that is extracted from the agave plant. Sometimes labeled agave nectar, it has a relatively low glycemic index due to its proportion of fructose to glucose.

Blanch: This is a cooking technique in which food is submerged in boiling water. After the food has reached the desired degree of doneness, it is often drained and submerged in ice water to stop the cooking and brighten the color. Rather than an ice-water bath, a quicker technique is to drain the food in a colander in the sink and quickly run cold water over the contents. This method is best used for firm, nonporous vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli stalks, green beans, or sugar snap peas.

Brix levels: Brix levels (measured with a device called a refractometer) are used to measure the specific amount of sugar in fruits, vegetables and wines. The following examples show Brix levels for some fruits:

Brown-bag ripening: To ripen some firm fruit, place in paper bag (check Buying and Storing information for specific fruit to see if it's appropriate). Loosely close top of bag and store at room temperature out of direct sunlight. The paper bag traps ethylene while allowing for exchange of air into and out of the bag. Check fruit daily; once it gives to gentle pressure, refrigerate.

Cutting citrus into supremes (peeled segments): Cut top and bottom off citrus, making those 2 cuts parallel to each other and cutting just below white pith. Place cut-side down on work surface. Cut off peel and pith in strips about 1 inch wide, starting at the top of the fruit and cutting down (following contour of fruit). Working over bowl to collect juice, use a sharp small knife to cut parallel to one section's membrane, cut to center; turn knife and cut along the membrane on the other side of that section to remove it. Repeat until all sections are removed and cut from their membranes.

Organic versus conventional: Organic farming maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers (persistent, meaning that they do not break down chemically, or break down very slowly, and remain in the environment after a growing season). Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation. Prevention is one of the organic farmer's primary strategies for disease, weed, and insect control. By building healthy soil, organic farms find that healthy plants are better able to resist disease and insects. When pest populations get out of balance, growers will try various options like insect predators, mating disruption, traps, and barriers. If these techniques fail, permission may be granted by the certifier to apply botanical or other nonpersistent pest conrols under restricted conditions. Botanicals are derived from plants and are broken down quickly by oxygen and sunlight.