Veganomicon_ The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook - Isa Chandra Moskowitz [28]
Oven temperature: 425°F
Prep: Remove the stem. Cut widthwise into ½-inch pieces, try to slice at a diagonal for a nice presentation. Drizzle and coat with olive oil, salt, and fresh black pepper. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. If you like, add minced garlic 5 minutes before the zucchini is done.
Roast: 25 to 30 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking.
Complements: Dill, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, or parsley. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon once done cooking.
SIMPLE STEAMING
Steaming should be thought of as boiling for the new century. No longer will we tolerate flaccid, drab-green vegetables when they should be crisp, flavorful, and their truer shades of brilliant greens. Steaming is also really easy; you can easily steam any vegetable without fancy equipment. A large soup pot with a lid is the all the bare-bones gear you need. If you do have a steamer basket, though, then great! (There are recipes in this book where it will come in handy.) There is definitely no need to clutter up the kitchen counter with special plug-in electric steamers or other food-steaming contraptions.
We’re not too crazy about dried herbs on steamed veggies, but adding fresh herbs about 3 minutes before the veggies are done steaming is never a bad idea. Try parsley, dill, thyme, oregano, or tarragon on any of these veggies. You can also drizzle them with any of our sauces in the sauce chapter (pages 203-216).
Shocking!
IT might not be apparent, but even after you’ve turned off the heat, vegetables will continue to cook. The steam that’s working its way out of the vegetables will still continue the cooking process, and if you’re not careful it might turn those perfectly steamed asparagus spears to mush. If you’re not planning on serving vegetables immediately, or plan on serving them cold or at room temperature, quickly run them under cold water for about a minute. This is called “shocking” the vegetable, which sounds pretty cool. Transfer to a colander and allow to drain.
Directions for preparing a steamer pot for any kind of veggies
Fill a large soup pot with 2 to 3 inches of cold water, fit your steamer basket into the pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, place the veggies in the steamer and cover. If you don’t have a steamer basket, no worries, just fill the pot with 2 to 3 inches of water, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, place the veggies directly into the boiling water and cover. We call this boil/steaming, or stoiling—but no one else does, so never say the word aloud.
Asparagus
What’s better than crisp-tender asparagus in the height of spring? Okay, maybe there are a few other things but shhhh . . . we’re totally grooving on steamed asparagus right now.
Prep: Remove rough stems.
Steam: 8 to 14 minutes, depending on thickness. Asparagus should be bright green and still crisp. To serve: Drizzle with Dill-Tahini (page 215) or Cheezy Sauce (page 214).
Broccoli and Cauliflower
Since this is what everyone thinks vegans live on, why not prove them right?
Prep: Cut into medium-size florets.
Steam: 10 to 12 minutes, tossing with tongs a few times.
To serve: We love these with Dill-Tahini Sauce (page 215).
Dark, Leafy Greens
A little bit of boiling water is really the best, lazy way to cook up quickly a bunch of collards or kale. It makes you feel really healthy, too, and levels you up in the vegan echelon.
Prep: Wash and chop the greens into bite-size pieces.
Steam: 10 to 14 minutes. Toss the greens with tongs as they start to wilt. In the South, it’s popular to keep on boiling these greens to form the famous delicacy of “pot liquor”; but being north of the Mason-Dixon Line, we just like ’em bright green and with a little bit of crunch left in them.
To serve: A simple and old-school hippie restaurant way to enjoy steamed greens