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4 Ways to Cook Vegetables That Are Past Their Prime

UPFRONT/EAT

What to Do With a Limp Carrot

Illustration of a hand holding a limp carrot

PAST ITS PRIME doesn’t mean put in the trash. Here are tricks for getting good use out of vegetables with a little droop 

Illustration of a woman standing on a ladder while adding ingredients to a very large pot of vegetable soup

Add to soup. Your vegetables soften in soup anyway. Chop up a variety of them, and place in a pot of simmering broth. If you have leftover frozen vegetables, add those too. Enjoy the chunky mix as is, blend it to make a smooth version, or strain and freeze the vegetable stock for later use.

Illustration of a man adding a splash of soy sauce to a large pan of fried rice

Fried rice. Sauté chopped leftover vegetables with avocado oil, ginger and garlic, then add cooked rice and a splash of soy sauce. Stir in a beaten egg. If you have leftover chicken or beef in the fridge, chop it up and include it.

Illustration of a woman sprinkling some chopped wilted herbs on some scrambled eggs in a frying pan

Scramble. This is perfect for a quick, healthy meal. Chop your wilted vegetables into small pieces, sauté them with garlic and a bit of olive oil, then add beaten eggs. Got some wilted fresh herbs? Add those too.

Illustration of a woman blending some chopped wilted greens in a blender

Green sauce. Place your chopped wilted greens and other vegetables in a food processor. If you have herbs, add them, along with garlic, wilted scallions or bits of onion or shallot. Blend, adding lemon juice or vinegar and olive oil, until the mix is the consistency of a sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Keep it in the fridge to use on chicken or fish, blend it with yogurt as a dip, or stir it into pasta or potatoes. —Beth Lipton

MY FAVORITE INGREDIENT

SUNCHOKES

Photo of several sunchokes on a wooden table

FROM LATE FALL to early spring, I never pass up sunchokes—root vegetables in the sunflower family that taste like nutty potatoes and have the texture of water chestnuts—when I see them. Choose tubers that are heavy and hard. I wash them, cut them into pieces with the skin on, and boil them with chicken stock, butter, salt and pepper to make a blended soup. It has a lot of umami. —Okan Kizilbayir, chef de cuisine, Salt, Amelia Island, Florida

Illustrations by Vidhya Nagarajan. Sunchokes: Getty Images

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