Aromatics are vegetables used for seasoning many savory dishes. Common aromatics include onions, garlic, celery, carrots, peppers, and fennel. Many folks at my cooking classes say they give up on cooking because what they make lacks flavor. Learning to use a base of aromatics can be a simple way to win in the flavor department.

One of my favorite combinations is mini sweet peppers, onions and garlic.

Often, instead of dicing these vegetables, I make a puree because 1) it saves me the chopping time and 2) it can hide chunks of vegetables from picky eaters.

I use a mini express chop from Ninja (shown below, just $24.99 at Target) chops in seconds, and is super easy to clean.

Photo credit: target stores

Then I sautee the aromatics in olive oil, and they become the perfect meal starter.

The other night I used half of this puree as the seasoning base for my main course Shrimp and Chorizo in Adobo Sauce, and the other half as the base for a flavorful rice pilaf.  There are many other recipes that can gain flavor from an aromatic puree starter. Add 3 cups tomatoes, basil, oregano and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar to make tomato sauce. Use as a started for your favorite soup. Add 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water to aromatic puree for a healthy, flavorful side dish. Aromatics are a great exercise to add to your “Win at Dinner” game plan. With practice you will become an expert at adding flavor to everything that happens in your kitchen.

RICE PILAF

3 tablespoons aromatic puree
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup rice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Once the vegetables started to turn a nice golden brown, I removed half of them from the pan into a separate pan for the chorizo. I added a splash more olive oil and one cup of rice. I stirred the rice in the oil and vegetables over medium-high heat until the rice started to turn a golden brown. I then added one cup of vegetable broth, and one cup of water. I brought this combination to a boil and then reduced the heat to simmer, stirring occasionally until the liquid was mostly absorbed. I then stirred in the cheese and continued to cook until the pilaf achieved a nice thick consistency.

SHRIMP AND CHORIZO IN ADOBO SAUCE

3 tablespoons aromatic puree
1 pound shrimp
8 ounces chorizo
2 tablespoons adobo sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Brown aromatic puree in 1 tablespoon olive oil until golden brown. Add chorizo and cook until mostly browned. Add shrimp to pan, for 2 minutes until browned. Remove shrimp and set aside. Add remaining ingredients to chorizo, stir, and cook for several minutes more until sauce thickens. Add shrimp back just to heat, and serve over rice pilaf.