Last night I did something I haven’t done for a long time. I puréed vegetables in order for my son to eat them. He has plenty of teeth mind you (he is 3 years old!) and capacity to chew so that was not the reason. For the last week or so, we’ve relapsed into the negotiations over vegetables and I was simply tired of it. I sautéed onions, carrots, chard stems and added a bunch of collards and some veggie broth. Then I pureed the whole thing, added it to a small batch of cream sauce and baked it with pasta and a bit of cheese for a very-veggie-heavy “mac-n-cheese”. He devoured two bowls full with a grin on his face and asked me to be sure and save some for him for after school today and not send ALL of it to work with Daddy!
Why did I feel so compelled to do this? I love vegetables and I don’t like days without them. I probably love vegetables in part because I grew up eating them and watching my mother grow them. And they’re so beautiful. I also did this because I want my son to be healthy and strong and well-nourished and I’m convinced deep down in my soul that having good vegetables everyday is a part of that. And I know that he likes vegetables but somehow those green and orange pieces would otherwise have been meticulously eaten around and left in the bowl – unless we’d launched said negotiations which tend to end with the promise of dessert!
But I digress, my point is that vegetables matter–flavor, nutrients, variety, color, cultural markers, history, beauty, and more flavor! I’m grateful for the variety and quality of vegetables surrounding me in my garden, my CSA share, the farmers markets and in some of our grocery stores. And that makes me grateful to our many local farmers, who have not had an easy go of it this spring. When my broccoli is devastated by cabbage worms and my basil and peppers succumb to slugs, I’m frustrated but I still get my CSA every week and the markets are still abundant. But in order for that to be the case, so much creative energy, knowledge, skill and hard work is applied to those fields every day and for that, I am the most grateful.
And while last night’s pasta dish was perfectly fine, I don’t think any of you need the “recipe” so instead I’m going to direct you to this week’s blog post from Sauvie Island Organics in which I’m the featured “chef” and there you will find six new recipes to put all these wonderful veggies to use.
Happy Cooking and Eating!
P.S. Summer Cooking Class Schedule at Cook With What You Have!
Laura says:
Thanks again, Katherine. I just went on a rant last night about how my kids don’t eat enough vegetables. I will try your suggestion.
Jill says:
I have to puree fruit for my weirdos…. but the little one eats peas like candy. Go figure.
Joy Plummer says:
My daughter (26 months) is a very good eater, and loves vegetables. Some days she’s an easier eater than others, though, so if I want her to eat something in particular, I just throw it in a soup, and boom! she’ll eat anything in there! She loves soup. I think that’s essentially what you did. So your son might have been a little more finicky than you felt like dealing with? I think pureeing is just an option in your arsenal, and I applaud you for being creative!
cookwithwhatyouhave says:
Thanks Joy. I love that your daughter eats anything in soup. Ellis is like that some weeks and others, well, that’s what I wrote about. It was fun to see him gobble it up, collards, carrots, and all!
Amanda de Beaufort says:
Katherine, I love this post.
I live in fear of having a picky eater, and already henry (9months) has shown that he favors fruit to veggies, even sweet potatoes are a struggle these days. Before having a child, I always thought parents who put hidden veggies in food weren’t feeding there kids yummy/fresh food. *sigh* I now know that this isn’t the case. I am sure Ellis will grow out of this–since his mom is a super chef.
Cindy says:
I hide vegetables in food so no one is the wiser. It ads flavor and texture to the dish. Grate zucchini in pasta sauce- you will be surprised how good it is!