Homemade Fruit & Vegetable Wash
I’ve made the mistake of buying premade produce wash and have spent way too much money to find out that many of them don’t really work that well. It’s easy to make your own and you’ll save plenty of money as well. You’ll just need to invest in a decent spray bottle.
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Water
1/4 Cup White Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
Pour into spray bottle and use by spraying produce, wipe thoroughly, and rinse. It’s that easy!
Makes About 1 1/4 Cups
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2016 All Rights Reserved
Ways To Make The Most Of Seasonal Citrus
Zest It
Add zip to baked goods, stir-fries or stews. Make citrus salt!
Juice It
Lemons juice helps keep sliced fruits and root vegetables from turning brown. Finish savory dishes with a squeeze of lemon juice to enhance the flavors.
Freeze It
Freeze citrus juice or zest until you’re ready to use it.
Dry It
Bake peels on the lowest possible heat until dry, but still pliable. Use to flavor black tea, roasted chicken or braised meats.
Candy It
Garnish desserts and cocktails with candied peels or enjoy them as a sweet snack.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2016 All Rights Reserved
Cooking With Lemons
Lemons are a chef’s secret ingredient. Most chefs will tell you that acidity elevates any dish. There is no need to get all fancy by using twenty year old balsamic vinegar. Just finish most of your dishes with a humble squeeze of lemon juice. Most line cooks have quart containers of wedges at their stations for juicing in the moment. Why lemon? Aside from the fact that you can always find one, you’ll taste what it does to the food, not the lemon itself. Along with salt and pepper, it’s all you need to season everything from simple pastas to grilled fish, roasted meats, and sautéed vegetables, as well as pan sauces, grain salads, and even run of the mill lentil soup. In your own kitchen cut lemon wedges ahead of time, then squeeze as you cook for the brightest flavor.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2016 All Rights Reserved
Fresh Lemonade
How To Make Nose-To-Tale Lemonade!
Tossing entire lemons, peels and all, into a blender instead of just juicing them results in a frothy, thirst-quenching concoction that may ruin you for the regular stuff. The oil from the skin provides a serious flavor boost. Here’s how to do it: Wash 1 lemon and then quarter it. Remove the seeds and some of the thick pith at the ends and sides of the slices. Place in a blender with two tablespoons of sugar and some ice cubes. Cover with about 1 1/2 cups ice-cold water, and blend on high for a minute or so until smooth.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2015 All Rights Reserved
Spring Ravioli
Capture springtime on the plate with fresh ravioli enveloping a purée of sweet English peas that is bolstered with a touch of cheese and herbs. Simmer these ravioli for just a few minutes, drain (but not too thoroughly) and add a couple of tablespoons of butter to the pan. Once the butter melts, return the ravioli to the pan, add a bright toss of lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Some grated Parmesan and slivers of fresh mint or a handful of pea shoots are worthy embellishments.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen All Rights Reserved
Roast Beef Tenderloin 3 Ways
Here are three different ways to cook Beef Tenderloin. Remember to let your roast rest for a bit after removing from the oven because it will continue to cook.
Classic
1 Two to Six Pound Beef Tenderloin
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
3 Tablespoons Rosemary
2 Tablespoons Thyme
2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons Freshly Ground Pepper
Preheat your oven to 350° F. With 2 tablespoons olive oil lightly oil a roasting pan. Position the oven rack on center rack. In a small-size bowl combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, kosher salt, and pepper. Rub the spice mixture over the entire surface of tenderloin. Place into roasting pan and place into oven. Cook for about 35 to 55 minutes depending on target temperature. Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before serving. Serves 2 to 6 depending on size of tenderloin.
Smoked Paprika
1 Two to Six Pound Beef Tenderloin
5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Smoked Paprika
1 Teaspoon Oregano
Zest of 1 Lemon
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Preheat your oven to 350° F. With 2 tablespoons olive oil lightly oil a roasting pan. Position the oven rack on center rack. In a small-size bowl combine 3 tablespoons of olive oil, smoked paprika, oregano, zest & juice of lemon, kosher salt, and pepper. Rub the spice mixture over the entire surface of tenderloin. Place into roasting pan and place into oven. Cook for about 35 to 55 minutes depending on target temperature. Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before serving. Serves 2 to 6 depending on size of tenderloin.
Cajun Style
1 Two to Six Pound Beef Tenderloin
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Cajun Seasoning
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Preheat your oven to 350° F. With 2 tablespoons olive oil lightly oil a roasting pan. Position the oven rack on center rack. In a small-size bowl combine Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and pepper. Rub the spice mixture over the entire surface of tenderloin. Place into roasting pan and place into oven. Cook for about 35 to 55 minutes depending on target temperature. Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before serving. Serves 2 to 6 depending on size of tenderloin.
Have you ever come home from the market after purchasing fruit to find that you spent money for nothing? I have plenty of times and it ticks me off every time. Here are some Fruit Essentials that may help you have more fruit shopping success.
Did you know that many plants that are botanically fruits are not sweet? We think of them as vegetables or non-fruits. Avocados, beans, coconuts, corn, cucumbers, eggplants, green peppers, okra, peas, pumpkins, sugar peas, string beans and tomatoes all fall in the fruit category. Some cookbooks make a distinction between fruit, vegetables and fruit vegetables. Fruit vegetables are foods that are botanically fruits, but are most often prepared and served like vegetables. These fruits are considered fruit vegetables: Aubergine, autumn squash, avocado, bitter melon, cantaloupe, chayote, chile, courgette, cucumber, eggplant, gherkin, green bean, green sweet pepper, hot pepper, marrow, muskmelon, okra, olive, pumpkin, red sweet pepper, seedless cucumber, squash, sweet pepper, tomatillo, tomato, watermelon, wax gourd, yellow sweet pepper and zucchini.
Pectin is a substance contained in some fruit which is used for making jams and jellies thicker. High pectin fruits are apples, cranberries, currants, lemons, oranges, plums and quinces. Low pectin fruits are bananas, cherries, grapes, mangos, peaches, pineapples and strawberries.
Low pectin fruits seem to discolor quicker than high pectin fruits ( bananas and eggplants). Lemon juice or vinegar slows the discoloring process. Other fruits and vegetables that discolor quickly are avocados, cauliflower, celery, cherries, figs, Jerusalem artichokes, mushrooms, nectarines, parsnips, peaches, pears, potatoes, rutabaga and yams.
Bruising: When a fruit is bruised the cell walls break down and discoloration begins. The process can be slowed down by refrigeration.
Cleaning: It is important to clean our fruit and vegetables. Rinse fruit in cold running water and scrub as needed before cooking or eating. Soaking fruit in water for more than a few minutes can leach out water soluble vitamins.
Peeling: The fruit skin usually contains a lot of important nutrients, but if you need to peel a thick-skinned fruit cut a small amount of the peel from the top and bottom. Then on a cutting board cut off the peel in strips from top to bottom. A good way to peel thin skinned fruit is to place the fruit in a bowl with boiling water and let stand for about 1 minute. Remove and cool in an ice water bath. You could also spear the fruit with a fork and hold over a gas flame until the skin cracks OR quarter the fruit and peel with a sharp paring knife or potato peeler.
Wax: Oh those beautiful waxed apples that wink at us at the market. They are beautiful because they are waxed. I don’t know about you, but I would rather not eat wax. Wax can be removed from the surface of fruits by washing them with a mild dishwashing soap and then thoroughly rinsing them. This will remove most of the wax, but probably not all of it.
Purchasing Ripe: Purchase these fruits fully ripe: Berries, cherries, citrus, grapes and watermelon. All of the fruits in this list, except berries, can be refrigerated without losing flavor.
Purchasing Not-So-Ripe: Apricots, figs, melons, nectarines, peaches and plums develop more complex flavors after picking. Store these fruits at room temperature until they are as ripe as you would like them.
Refrigeration: You can refrigerate apples,ripe mangos and ripe pears as soon as you get them. Do not refrigerat bananas.
Seasonal Fruit: Winter is the season for citrus. Fall is the season for apples and pears. Late spring is the season for strawberries and pineapples. Summer is perfect for blueberries, melons, peaches and plums.
Washing: Dry fruit with paper towels or kitchen towels and then use a blow dryer on the cool setting to completely dry fruit.
Squeezing: A microwave can be used to get more juice from citrus fruits. Microwave citrus fruits for about 20 seconds before squeezing the fruit for juice.