Martha Stewart Teaches You How To Cook Vegetables | Martha's Cooking School S1E3 "Vegetables"

Vegetable Recipes and Techniques

Martha’s main advice is to buy vegetables fresh, locally, and in season whenever possible. The vegetables shown were bought at a New York City farmers’ market.

Spring Peas with Mint

Ingredients

• Shelled fresh peas
• Sugar snap peas
• Spring onions (young bulb onions, not scallions or chives)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1–2 tbsp torn fresh mint
• Kosher salt and pepper

Method

1. Clean the spring onions, remove any tough outer skin, and thinly slice the white parts.
2. Slowly sauté the onions in the olive oil and butter until soft and translucent.
3. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rapid boil. Cook the shelled peas for about 3 minutes, until bright green and tender. Give larger peas a little longer if needed.
4. Scoop the peas into a strainer set over ice water to chill and preserve their color. Cook the sugar snaps briefly in the same boiling water, until bright green, then drain.
5. Add the peas and sugar snaps to the pan with the onions and butter. Stir in the mint, salt, and pepper.

Tip: Choose sugar snap pods that are plump, smooth, crisp, and bright green.

Brown Sugar-Glazed Carrots

Ingredients

• 1–1½ lb carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Brown sugar (the quantity is unclear in the subtitles)
• 1 tbsp molasses
• A little water, up to about 1 cup as needed
• 1–2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• About 1½ tbsp butter
• Carrot leaves or tops, for garnish
• Grapeseed oil, for frying the garnish

Method

1. Cut the carrots to roughly similar sizes so they cook evenly. Reserve some carrot leaves for garnish.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the carrots, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Cook until they begin to lose moisture and their color brightens.
3. Add the brown sugar and molasses. Add a little water to keep the carrots from scorching. Continue cooking, adding more water as needed, until tender.
4. Add the rosemary while the sauce thickens. The carrots are ready when a knife point begins to pass through them easily.
5. In a separate pan, heat the grapeseed oil and quickly fry the carrot leaves until slightly crisp. They contain moisture and may splatter, so stand back.
6. Stir the butter into the carrots, transfer them to a platter, and garnish with the fried leaves.

Tip: Keep an eye on the carrots after adding the sugar. Without added moisture, they can burn.

Corn on the Cob

Ingredients

• Fresh corn, husked and cleaned of silk
• Salt, for the boiling water
• Butter and additional salt, to serve

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Martha uses salt only; she says milk or sugar in the water is optional but unnecessary for good, fresh sweet corn.
2. Add the corn. Cook for about 5 minutes for small-kernel corn; larger kernels may need a few more minutes. The example shown cooked for 6 minutes.
3. Drain and keep the corn warm under a cotton towel until serving.
4. Serve with butter and salt.

Choosing corn: Look for bright green, snug-fitting husks and golden-brown silk. Kernels should reach the top of the cob. Martha notes that yellow corn tends to have larger, fuller-flavored kernels, while white corn is generally smaller and sweeter. Cook fresh-picked corn promptly, since it begins losing sweetness after picking.

Mexican-Style Corn Variation

Ingredients

• Hot cooked corn
• Sour cream or about 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• Cayenne pepper
• Queso fresco
• Fresh lime wedges

Spread the sour cream or mayonnaise over the hot corn, sprinkle with cayenne, and roll it in queso fresco. Serve with lime wedges. Add the toppings while the corn is hot so the fats melt between the kernels.

Broccoli Rabe (Rapini) with Pine Nuts and Lemon

Ingredients

• 1½ lb broccoli rabe, trimmed and washed
• 3 tbsp pine nuts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Lemon zest
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Bring salted water to a boil. Trim the ends and cut away the thickest stem sections.
2. Blanch the tougher stems first for about 40–60 seconds. Add the thinner stems, then the leaves, which cook more quickly.
3. Transfer the broccoli rabe to ice water to set its color, then drain.
4. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet, watching and smelling for their toasted aroma before they brown.
5. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and toss the blanched broccoli rabe just to warm it. Add the lemon zest and continue tossing.
6. Plate and finish with the pine nuts, salt, and pepper.

Tip: Blanch the stems before the leaves because the stems are tougher and need more cooking.

Roasted Acorn Squash

Ingredients

• Acorn squash
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp coriander
• ¼ tsp cumin
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 425°F.
2. With a very sharp knife, halve the squash and scoop out the seeds; an ice-cream scoop works well.
3. Cut the squash into wedges about 1 inch thick at the widest point. Toss with olive oil, coriander, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
4. Arrange in one layer and roast for about 30 minutes, turning once, until a knife pierces the flesh easily.
5. Arrange on a platter and season with a little more salt, if desired.

Tip: Roast directly on the pan rather than on parchment to encourage browning. The squash skin is served along with the flesh. Martha says the same method works for butternut squash.

Lemony Kale Salad

Ingredients

• About ½ lb kale
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper
• ⅓ cup toasted, blanched hazelnuts
• Parmesan, shaved into strips

Method

1. Remove the thick central ribs, tear or coarsely chop the leaves, and place them in a salad bowl.
2. Zest the lemon, then juice it. Whisk the zest and juice with the olive oil, salt, and pepper until the dressing nearly emulsifies.
3. Toss with the kale. The salad may be prepared earlier in the day; Martha says it improves as it sits.
4. Finish with the hazelnuts and Parmesan shavings.

Kale options: Green curly, dinosaur, or Russian red kale. Choose leaves that are crisp and fresh-looking, not wilted or brown.

Presenter and references: Presented by Martha Stewart on Martha’s Cooking School. The Mexican-style corn is inspired by Martha’s visit to Mexico City. She also encourages shopping at local farmers’ markets.