COLOR- GREEN

 Hello and Welcome back to Food & Color blog series!

The color for this week is Green and the number one thing that strikes my mind is green leafy vegetables.

Since Childhood, I have made a lot of tantrums to not have any leafy vegetables.Fast forward to now with me ending in a profession which makes me study and cook various types of vegetables each and every day. Quite irony though!

The pigment for this color is popularly known to the food Industry- Chloropyll.

Chlorophyll has an amazing fact with it, which is- it not only gives the color to the plant but also helps the plant in photosynthesis.

Adding to that, it has a plus point of protection of human body from chronic diseases.

The two names behind the discovery of this pigment are,

French chemists Joseph Bienaimé Caventou and Pierre-Joseph Pelletier.

Chlorophyll based experiments have proved that, it helps speed up the healing of wounds, acne treatment, weight loss, boosting energy and many more.

It is an excellent source of antioxidants to human body. 

Another similar concept to chlorophyll is chlorophyllin, which are often used interchangeably by people.

But, these two words have a complete different meaning.

Chlorophyll is a natural pigment found in plants ,whereas chlorophyllin is a semi-synthetic, water soluble and non fat soluble additive to medicines or food coloring.

Food that are particularly rich in Chlorophyll are:

1.Spinach 

2.Parsley

3.Broccoli

4.Green Cabbage

5. Asparagus and many more

This is a whole bunch of greens and a diet full of nutrients and vitamins.

Let's see some ways to incoperate these ingredients in our daily diet.

CREAM OF BROCCOLI

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 medium-sized onions

6 garlic cloves

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 pounds broccoli with stalks [large size 3 / medium size 4]

6 Cups of water

1 or 2 tablespoon lemon juice

 METHOD:

1. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large  Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-low heat.
2. Stir to combine, then cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are just starting to turn golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, slice off and discard the rough bottom ends of broccoli stalks. Use a vegetable peeler to peel off the tough outer skin on the stalks, then discard those bits. Slice the stalks off and cut them into pieces about 1 to 2-inches big. Set aside. 
4. Working with the broccoli tops now, cut as closely to the base of the florets as you can. Slice any remaining stalks into chunks to match to the rest. Reserve the broccoli florets.
5. Add the chunks of broccoli stalk to the pot and stir. Pour in 6 cups water and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then promptly reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot.
6. Simmer until the broccoli stalks are tender throughout and easily split apart when pierced with a fork, about 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the reserved florets into small pieces
7. Once the stalks are tender, add all of the florets to pot, stir, cover, and cook until they’re bright green and easily pierced through by a fork, about 4 to 7 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and add the remaining tablespoon of butter. 
8. Working in a couple of batches , carefully transfer several cups of the mixture—both the liquid and solids—to your stand blender. Blend until completely smooth, then transfer the mixture to a heat-proof vessel temporarily as you blend the rest. Alternatively, use an immersion blender . Return the purée to the pot.
9. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Carefully taste  and adjust to taste—add more salt for more overall flavor , another teaspoon lemon juice for more brightness, and/or more black pepper for kick.
10. Divide the soup into bowls and garnish with a light drizzle of cream and/or sprinkle of chives, if desired. Serve! 

                 

 SPINACH SOUP

INGRIDENTS 

2 Cups Spinach [ 120 grams]

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tablespoon corn starch [ corn flour]

1/2 teaspoon oil

1/2 teaspoon butter

1 medium-size Onion

1/4 inch piece of Ginger, Finely chopped

2 small cloves of Garlic, Finely Chopped

1 Cup water

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon Black pepper powder

Salt, to taste

METHOD

1. Clean the spinach leaves and wash them to remove any dirt or debris. If spinach leaves are big, chop them roughly.

2.Dissolve 1/2 tablespoon corn starch in 1/2 cup milk. Make sure that there are no lumps of flour.

3.Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon butter together in a deep saucepan or a kadai over medium flame. Add chopped ginger and garlic; sauté for few seconds. Add chopped onion.

4.Sauté until onion turns light pink.Add spinach.

5.Cook until spinach wilts.

6.Add a cup of water, sugar and salt. Stir well and bring the mixture to boil. Let it boil for 3 minutes. Sugar is an optional ingredient in this recipe. It is added to retain rich green color of spinach and prevent it from turning dark.

7.Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool for 5-10 minutes. Make smooth puree of the cooked mixture by either using a stick blender (hand blender) or a mixer grinder (or blender). Transfer the mixture to the same pan after making the puree.

8.Add dissolved cornstarch and stir continuously for 1 to 2 minutes over medium flame.Add black pepper powder.

9.Let the mixture cook for 4-5 minutes. Taste for the seasonings and adjust it per your taste.

10.Turn off the flame and transfer spinach soup to serving bowls. Serve it hot with bread croutons or garlic bread sticks.

                                 

THANKYOU!