Things to do with vegetables Part 3.
More cooking ideas for what to do with vegetables to make them last and how to use them.
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Sauteed mushrooms
Raw or cooked mushrooms don’t freeze well. I sauté up an 8 ounce container, put them in a container in the fridge and add them to eggs, pasta, tacos etc. all week. Last week I added some shallots, dried oregano, dried basil and jarred pasta sauce. You can use this recipe. How to cook mushrooms on the stovetop. I used button mushrooms which I slice. I don’t cut into quarters. I think they brown better flat. I also use equal parts of olive oil and unsalted butter. I didn’t have any sherry or parsley. I’ve never used vinegar so I left it out. I add salt and pepper about halfway through cooking.

Sautee for a few minutes.

Stir and add shallots, salt and pepper.

Add dried herbs.

Add sauce. Stir and cook to heat through.
In honor of the snow the other day I decided to fire up the oven and bake and roast some things
Baked potatoes
You can use this recipe How To Bake a Potato in the Oven. If you don’t plan on eating the skins you don’t have to use oil, salt and pepper. You can just scrub, stab and bake. I always use tinfoil for easy clean up.

If you don’t eat the skins skip the olive oil, salt and pepper. Just scrub, stab and bake.

Cool and store in a covered container. I use a glass loaf pan.
Omelet with already baked potato aka Country French Omelet
I ate one of the russets for dinner. The second russet I diced up and turned into a omelet/frittata for breakfast with some already sauteed mushrooms, onion and cheddar cheese in an ovenproof 8″ skillet. Here’s Ina’s recipe. That’s what this is based on. I’ve made a smaller version for years with whatever is around. It’s faster using already baked potatoes. I use equal parts oil and unsalted butter. You sauté up the onion a little, add the diced potato, salt and pepper and cook a little while until browned then I stirred in the cooked mushrooms. I beat 2 eggs with a splash of milk and Tabasco then stir in the cheese. Pour into pan. I push the eggs around a little and let it firm up on the stove for a couple minutes then put the pan in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. It’s a very thin frittata. Make sure to use a decent amount of butter and oil so the omelet/frittata slides out.

Dice up baked potato and brown with onion.

Add in other veges, pour in beaten eggs and let set on stove for a couple minutes. Then bake in 350 degree oven until done. I like mine a little brown on the bottom.
Roast garlic
After the potatoes came out of the oven I turn it down to 400 degrees and roasted garlic. I learned how to make it from an Emeril Lagasse show a million years ago. You can use this recipe. How to roast garlic in the oven. I don’t remove the extra skins. It makes it easier to squeeze out and not have to pick out thin pieces of skin. I also use salt and pepper. I also leave the top on. There’s garlic in there and I think it steams with the top on. After it’s cooled when you squeeze it out you’ll get garlicky but you can just wash it off. It’s not nearly as strong as raw garlic. I squeeze it out and then freeze the cloves on a piece of parchment paper then transfer to a zip bag. It thaws really quickly and you can use a clove in salad dressing or mash and stir into soups and sauces.

Cut top off add olive oil, salt and pepper. Place top back on and pull up sides of foil and seal at the top. Place in 400 degree oven.

This is after 40 minutes.

This is after about 75 minutes. Done.

Let cool and squeeze out cloves.

Arrange on parchment paper and freeze. This is an 8′ x 8″ pan.

Toss the skins.

Transfer frozen cloves to zip top bag.
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