Taming raw ingredients, Part I: Four tips for quick, flavorful prep

Those are some quick shallots! Photo by the author.

Cucumbers by the quart. Fifteen-pound watermelons. Hunks of farmstead cheese. Entire organic chickens. Smiling at you from a farmer’s table, they look delicious. Plunked down on the kitchen counter, they get a little more complicated. Turning them into good-for-you meals is the next step, and that task sounds mighty intimidating.

It’s a familiar feeling, though. Life is full of major chunks you have to deal with, and trying to take shortcuts isn’t the best solution. Taking the time to break down a major challenge like moving to a new city or asking for a promotion can be invigorating and ultimately lead to better circumstances. So it is with food.

“If you live a really fast-paced life, which most of us do, you’re usually grabbing and going,” says Monica Corrado of Simply Being Well, a Takoma Park-based holistic nutrition counselor who teaches holistic cooking classes in the D.C. metro area. “With a little preparation, you can grab and go with nutrient-dense meals.”

With that advice on the table, the question remains: When even using pre-shredded cheddar and boil-in-a-bag spinach seems like a major culinary undertaking, how can you make whole ingredients work? Hint: Much like making that move to new digs, organizing your inventory ahead of time really helps.

This series will focus on the question of how to prep your produce, using tips from experienced sources. With these ideas in your arsenal, making the transition from a basket full of raw ingredients to instant meals might actually become possible.

Part 1: Sourcing, slicing, and dicing

Start with produce straight from the farm—or the farmers market. “Real food is fresh food that’s as close to the source as you can get it,” Corrado said. "Close to the source means if you don’t grow it yourself, get it from a farmer at a local farmers market or at least use fresh produce from a store as opposed to canned or frozen.” No matter how you slice, dice, or cook it, the way it’s produced and sold will determine how good it is.

Knowing that your produce was grown with care and is good for you will motivate you to prepare it, and use it instead of letting it languish in the refrigerator. Perhaps the biggest motivator to eat it all, though, is the flavor. “If you’ve ever eaten a fresh-picked tomato, there’s nothing like it,” Corrado said.

Anyone reading this article is probably already a farmers market shopper or intends to become one, which means they have this tip in the bag. Congratulations! On to a few tips from your humble farmers market writer.

Slice your bread all at once. Artisan bakers at farmers markets often leave the slicing to you. Instead of digging up the bread knife every time you want to make a sandwich, why not get it all done at once? The technique is pretty simple: Make medium-thin slices using a good serrated bread knife. If the bottom crust is tough, turn the loaf so the bottom is vertical and cut that way. To keep the slices from drying out, store the bread it in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator.

Make your own taco topping. Shredded cheese for nachos, tacos, and other dishes flies off supermarket shelves for a reason: It’s easy to use. Doing it yourself only takes a few minutes, and again is more efficient if done all at once. Process the cheese with a hand grater or food processor and store in an airtight container or tightly-sealed plastic bag.

Set up your cooking essentials ahead of time.  Many of the dishes that end up on my table started with garlic or onions. At this time of year, I also use a lot of cucumbers. Then there’s the fresh fruit that I eat sliced or need cut into small pieces for recipes (think watermelon and peaches). Again, prepping these ahead of time really helps.

When you get home from a shopping trip, chop a few of your onions and dice your garlic right away. (If onion-chopping sounds intimidating, check out this video for a good technique):

Store the onions in an airtight container and the garlic in olive oil.

For cucumbers, slice off the ends and peel any with a thick or bitter skin. Then cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and cube the rest. Use in this recipe, add to green salads, or just toss with your favorite salad dressing.

To prep fruit, wash gently, cut into bite-sized pieces, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Here are some easy techniques for breaking a watermelon down into manageable morsels:

If you need a recipe idea for your peaches, try them with a tasty rum sauce.

That’s it for Part I! Stay tuned to this page for more. To make sure you don’t miss another thrilling installment, subscribe at the top of this page.

Got a food prep tip you want to share, or a question about using farmers market produce? Leave a comment!