When most folks think of braising, they think of meat. It turns out though that you can also braise vegetables–and when you do, they turn out dang tasty! What I love most about braising vegetables is the versatility. All sorts of hearty vegetables lend themselves to being braised and while the most traditional method uses broth as a cooking liquid, you can totally get creative here. I’ve used wine, beer, Asian-inspired cooking liquids, you name it. See how easy braising is yourself in this month’s Como Water basic cooking class video! And after watching the video, check out more information on braising below, including three Como Water braised vegetables recipes. Enjoy! 😀
Braising 101
- Combination of browning and steaming
- Add a wee bit of olive oil or Earth Balance (or butter, etc.) to medium sized pan. Heat over medium high.
- Add veggies. Brown (for a couple of minutes, do not disturb!). Add cooking liquid of choice (beer, wine, broth, etc.), along with a pinch of salt, pepper, and sugar (or sweetener of choice).
- Reduce heat to medium low. Cover. Cook, stirring occasionally until veggies are tender. Voila. There are variations of this method, but these are the basics. Check out three other Como Water braised veggies recipes below:
- Braised Cabbage
- Beer-Braised Sugar Snap Peas
- Braised Fava Beans
Tiffany M. Griffin is the woman behind Como Water, Washington DC’s premiere veg-centric cuisine consulting company. Through cooking classes, demonstrations, catering, and consultations, Como Water gives people the opportunity to learn how to prepare veg-centric cuisine that boasts maximum flavor, with minimal effort.
Tiffany is quickly becoming a go-to expert on the future of veg-centric cuisine, and is a regular contributor to Como Water, the blog, as well as to vegetarian and vegan sites across the Internet. For over a decade, this self-taught, entrepreneurial expert has developed a set of tried and true techniques for making simple, delicious, and sometimes decadent veg-centric dishes.
Featured on the Steve Harvey Show and other leading media outlets, Tiffany was born and raised in Springfield, MA. She then earned Bachelors degrees in Psychology and Communications from Boston College and a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan. She now resides in Washington DC, where she has worked in the US Senate and at a federal agency on issues around health, food, nutrition, and international food aid/development, and of course, as the owner of Como Water. Tiffany gets culinary inspiration from the food she grew up eating, and from her travels throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. She is dedicated to sharing her wealth of knowledge on veg-centric cuisine with others and to help others live by her mantra—love life, live long, and eat veg-centric cuisine!
