Free Fast, Fresh & Green by Susie Middleton

can fold in the corners of the towel and easily transfer the kernels to a bowl. Any way you do it, be aware that corn kernels do have a tendency to go flying when you cut them.
    To prep the green beans, trim the ends and slice them crosswise into pieces about the size of large peas.
Creole Vegetable Ragout with Corn, Okra, and Cherry Tomatoes
    This colorful dish tastes like it was cooked for a long time, but it has the texture of a nice sauté. In other words, it’s a classy take on a vegetable stew. It looks lovely in a white bowl, and a few seared shrimp on top would absolutely make dinner. The sliced serranos give it a pretty nice kick of heat; you can use fewer slices if you like.
    Anytime you sauté corn, its starch immediately starts to brown on the bottom of the pan. Don’t be alarmed by this; just be sure to scrape all that tasty stuff up when you add the liquids. And if you’ve never cooked with okra, this is a great way to try it. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can prep it (just slice across), and how pretty it looks. In this dish, the texture stays firm, and the slightly sticky substance that the okra contains simply blends in with the other ingredients. By the way, okra’s flavor will remind you of green beans. Look for okra pods that are firm and bright green. Choose smaller ones if you can.
    1 TSP FRESH LEMON JUICE
    ¼ TSP WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
    1 TBSP CANOLA OIL
    1 TBSP UNSALTED BUTTER
    1 CUP/85 G THINLY SLICED TRIMMED OKRA
    ¾ CUP/100 G FRESH CORN KERNELS (
from about 2 medium ears; for cutting tip, see page 67 )
    ¼ CUP/35 G SMALL-DICED RED BELL PEPPER
    1 CUP/100 G LARGE-DICED YELLOW ONION
    ½ TSP KOSHER SALT
    1 TSP FINELY CHOPPED FRESH GARLIC
    6 VERY THIN SLICES SERRANO PEPPER (
with seeds)
    ¾ CUP/115 G QUARTERED SMALL CHERRY TOMATOES
    1 / 3 CUP/80 ML LOW-SODIUM CHICKEN BROTH
    1 TBSP CHOPPED FRESH BASIL
    1
Combine the lemon juice
and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
    2
In a 10-in/25-cm straight-sided sauté pan
with a lid, heat the canola oil and butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the okra, corn, bell pepper, onion, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the bottom of the pan is browned and the onion is partially translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and the serrano and cook, stirring, just until well combined. Add the cherry tomatoes and the broth, stir, turn the heat to low, and cover. Simmer until the onion is translucent and the liquid is a rich brownish orange, about 5 minutes.
    3
Uncover
, and if there is a lot of liquid in the pan, turn the heat to high, and simmer to reduce the liquid to 1 or 2 Tbsp, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice mixture and the basil and stir well. Transfer to a shallow serving dish or individual shallow bowls.
    Serves 4
Crisp-Tender Broccoflower with Lemon-Dijon Pan Sauce and Toasted Parmigiano Bread Crumbs

    A broccoflower floret is a beautiful thing—plump and bright green—so it’s painful to slice one. But please do. Each of your florets should be about 2 in/5 cm long and around 1 in/2.5 cm wide, so make one or two cuts through the middle of the larger florets to create consistently sized pieces with at least one flat side on each for more contact with the bottom of the pan.
    This brown-and-braise method yields perfectly cooked, crisp-tender broccoflower with a lemony, buttery pan sauce, which everyone will like. The Toasted Parmigiano Bread Crumbs aren’t absolutely necessary, but they don’t take long to make and add a wonderful texture. This recipe also works with cauliflower; use about 12 oz/340 g.
    For a vegetarian main dish, serve this over angel hair pasta tossed in a little brown butter and seasoned with lots of fresh pepper. For a slightly heartier pasta dish, add crisp pancetta before the broccoflower.
    Toasted Parmigiano Bread Crumbs (optional)
    ½ TBSP UNSALTED BUTTER
    ¼ CUP/15 G FRESH BREAD CRUMBS (
see tip
)
    KOSHER SALT
    1 TBSP FINELY GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO (
see tip
)
    1 TSP CHOPPED