WHAT’S the similarity between actress Julianne Moore and julienne? Get ready to clobber me: They’re both striking strip of beauties.
Julianne is an award-winning American actress (Oscars, “Still Alice”) and author of children’s books (Freckleface Strawberry).
Julienne is not her twin. It is a manner of preparing vegetables for cooking or making salad.
“Uncle, I know you will sound like a teacher in your next line,” my irreverent niece Ellen told me.
I nodded. “OK, class, the dictionary meaning of julienne or the French cut,” I said sotto voce, “is ‘to cut food into thin strips.’ Culinary wannabes like me just call it ‘slicing food into matchsticks or strips.’ The common items to be julienned are carrots, potatoes and sayote (chayote).”
“We know that, Uncle,” said Krystalle, my other niece.
“I know you know but I gotta write this column early in Julienne, I mean July.”
“What tricks have you got up your sleeves, Obs?” my aunt Tita Blitte asked.
“Watch and learn,” I told them.
The first thing about slicing food into julienne is to make sure you have a very sharp knife. A chef’s knife is what culinary schools recommend. But since I’m a graduate of the Hardknocks Que-linary School, I have often used an ordinary kitchen knife.
After peeling the carrot or chayote, cut them into slabs around two inches thick. Next, slice them into thin strips. If you’re in a hurry, stack the veggies and slice away.
Any veggie can be julienned, whether it’s cabbage, cucumber, jicama or green beans. Vegetables sliced this way can be turned into sauteed veggie mix.
Saute garlic and onions in olive oil, then add the veggies. Season with salt and oyster sauce to taste.
Vegetable sliced into strips made very good salads. One family favorite is very simple: tuna mayo, lemonsito juice to taste and salt and pepper to taste mixed into veggies of your choice.
Julienned veggies can be presented in an award-winning way. Prepare sweet and sour dressing consisting of apple cider vinegar, sugar to taste, salt and pepper. Just before serving time, add the vegetable strips like carrot, cabbage, cucumber, radish and jicama. This salad pairs well with grilled fish or pork.