Read Julia's Kitchen Wisdom for Free Online Page B

peas. Bring to boil, cover, and cook at the rapid boil 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender.
    • Finishing: Uncover and boil off liquid if necessary. Correct seasoning. Toss with more butter if you wish.
    • Vegetable: Small White Onions (12 to 16 onions, about 1 inch diameter, to serve 4)
    • Preparation: To peel, drop onions into boiling water for exactly 1 minute. Drain and refresh in cold water. Shave off ends; slip off skins. Pierce a cross ¼ inch deep in root ends, to prevent bursting.
    • Cooking: For “white-braised” onions: Arrange in 1 layer in a saucepan with chicken stock or water to come halfway up. Add 1 Tbs butter, season lightly, cover, and simmer slowly 25 minutes, or until tender. For “brown-braised” onions: Before steaming, sauté peeled onions in 1 layer in butter and oil until colored. Then add liquid, salt, and 1 tsp sugar; cover and cook as above.
    • Finishing:
1- Uncover, boil off excess liquid, and fold in another Tbs of butter if you wish.
2- For creamed onions: Add heavy cream to white-braised onions when they are just tender. Simmer several minutes until thickened, basting. Fold in chopped parsley if you wish.
    • Vegetable: Carrots, Parsnips, Rutabagas, Turnips (1½ lbs, to serve 5 or 6)
    • Preparation: Peel the vegetables and cut into ¾- inch chunks.
    • Cooking: Place in saucepan; add water to come halfway up the vegetables. Season with ½ tsp salt and, if you wish, 1 or 2 Tbs butter. Cover and boil hard over high heat 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Uncover and rapidly boil down liquid until evaporated.
    • Finishing:
1- Toss chunks with butter and chopped parsley and/or scallions, or with grated fresh ginger.
2- Purée steamed chunks in food mill or processor. Stir over moderate heat in a heavy pan to evaporate moisture. Stir in butter or heavy cream; season to taste.
3- Golden purée: Blend puréed carrots (or squash) with mashed potatoes .
    • Vegetable: Winter Squash (1½ lbs squash, to serve 5 or 6)
    • Preparation: Cut in half and scrape out seeds and strings. Peel halves and cut into ¾-inch chunks
    • Cooking: Cook as described above.
    • Finishing: Purée as described above.
    ROASTED OR BAKED VEGETABLES
    Although they are synonymous, “roasted” sounds more exciting to the modern ear than “baked,” which has a rather dowdy and old-fashioned ring. I shall use whichever sounds best to me.
    Tomatoes Provençal
    Halved and baked with herbs, garlic, and crumbs. For 4 firm, ripe tomatoes, to serve 4. Halve, seed, and juice the tomatoes . Toss together ½ cup fresh white bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons minced shallots or scallions, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 to 2 Tbs olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Salt lightly, and fill tomatoes with the crumb mixture.Drizzle on olive oil and bake in the upper level of a preheated 400°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until crumbs are lightly browned and tomatoes are softened but still hold their shape.
    TOMATOES: PEELED, SEEDED, AND JUICED—FRESH TOMATO PULP. To peel tomatoes, drop them into a large pan of rapidly boiling water and time the boil for exactly 10 seconds. Cut out the core, then peel the skin down from it. To seed and juice them, halve crosswise and gently squeeze to dislodge jelly and juice, poking out remaining seeds with your fingers. They are then usually chopped or diced ( concassées ) into “fresh tomato pulp.”
    Baked Winter Squash
    For 1½ pounds squash, to serve 4 to 6. To bake any winter squash, halve it and scrape out seeds and strings. Rub the inside with butter and seasonings, then bake in the lower-third level of a preheated 400°F oven until the flesh is soft and edible, usually an hour or more. Cut into serving portions and serve as is, or fill with any stuffing suitable for turkey and bake another ½ hour, basting several times with roasting juices or melted butter.
    Baked Eggplant Slices and Eggplant “Pizza”
    For 2 medium eggplants, about 3 pounds, to serve 5 or 6. Choose firm, shiny