Easy Veggies in a Blond Roux

I was making macadamia-breaded tilapia for dinner last night, and scrounged around the fridge for some veggies  to make this easy dish. The lemon juice added a nice tang to the flavor, and made the dish a perfect pair for the fish. You can use other vegetables -- whatever you have available in your fridge. I know that blanching the veggies adds to the cooking steps, but this not only makes green vegetables greener, it also pre-cooks them so you can toss them quickly in the sauce at the end of cooking so they are not overcooked. (Come to think of it, I should have added some edamame beans or green peas to it!) By the way, a roux is a mixture of equal parts butter and flour, used to thicken sauces (you can cook it longer until it's brown to thicken gravy or brown stews).

Ingredients:

1 cup broccoli florets (tough stems removed)

1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal

1 cup zucchini, unpeeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 to 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Juice from 1 small lemon (or more or less to your taste)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Blanch the broccoli in salted boiling water for 2 minutes, then scoop out with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking (this will turn the broccoli’s color into a vibrant green). Do the same to the zucchini for 3 minutes, and then the carrots for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

Heat the butter in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-low heat; add the flour to make the roux, and stir well until the flour dissolves, about 4 to 5 minutes (don’t let it brown). Add half of the broth and keep stirring, then keep adding more broth until you have a smooth consistency and no lumps remain.

Stir in the vegetables, lemon juice, and salt and pepper – keep tasting and adjusting the amount of seasoning. Serve immediately. Serves 4.