Steamed Vegetable Medley ♥

Steamed Vegetable Medley
Today's healthy recipe: Fresh vegetables steamed over an olive oil-onion-wine-broth mixture that is turned into a rich and flavorful sauce for drizzling or dipping. Not just vegan, "Vegan Done Real".

Hey, word dancers! I'm looking for a word, would you help? In a single word or short phrase, I want to instantly convey that this dish is "a whole pile of beautiful rainbow-colored fresh vegetables, lovely to look at, tasty to consume, all in the same dish". 'Medley' is a word that food writers use, 'cornucopia' too. But they don't quite express the healthy wholesomeness that I'd like to express. Is there such a word, in any language?

In the mean time, I'm sticking with "medley", that's the word that Myra Kornfeld used for this recipe for Vegetarian Times' January-February issue. I didn't expect to be knocked over by what is essentially a big plate of vegetables because steamed vegetables, well, aren't they just a little boring? Not here!

Vegetables are usually steamed over nothing more than water. This recipe calls for cooking a little butter (I used olive oil), onion and white wine with vegetable broth, using that to steam the vegetables, then turning the mixture into a sauce to drizzle the vegetables with. KNOCK ME OVER GOOD, this stuff.

It takes some prep work and knife work to trim and cut the vegetables, nothing hard, just a little time-consuming for a side dish. It could be done ahead of time. My grocery store sells pre-cut broccoli and cauliflower pieces, they would be a time saver. But to my taste, this one is totally worth the time for a Meatless Monday or a weeknight meal when the rest of the meal is easy or already taken care of. The trick to success is to cook some of the vegetables longer, the broccoli for just three minutes. That way, each vegetable is perfectly cooked, none raw, none overcooked. Brilliant. I found the fennel and leek especially tasty.

RECIPE for STEAMED VEGETABLE MEDLEY

Hands-on time: 35 minutes
Time to table: 50 minutes
Serves 4 as small main dish (paired with something else) or 8 as a side dish

STEAMING LIQUID & SAUCE
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine (I used marsala)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sprinkle of red pepper flakes
2 cups vegetable broth

VEGETABLES - BOTTOM LAYER
1 red potato (about 8 ounces), skin on, cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds
1 leek, white and light green parts only, cut into 1-inch thick rounds
1 fennel bulb, stems removed, quartered and cut into 1-inch pieces (save some fronds for garnish)

VEGETABLES - MIDDLE LAYER
1 cup butternut squash cubes (about 6 ounces, that was exactly the amount in the "neck" of a medium-size butternut squash), see How to Cut a Butternut Squash, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup cauliflower florets (about 4 ounces)
1 cup white mushrooms (about 3 ounces), halved lengthwise

VEGETABLES - TOP LAYER
1 cup broccoli florets (about 3 ounces)

FOR GARNISH
Chopped fennel fronds

STEAMING LIQUID & SAUCE In a large pot or Dutch oven large enough to hold a collapsible vegetable steamer, heat the olive oil until shimmery, stir in the onion and stir to coat with fat. Let cook for 2 - 3 minutes, just until soft. Stir in wine, garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for 2 - 3 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the broth, bring to a simmer, let simmer 5 minutes.

VEGETABLES While the steaming liquid cooks, prep the vegetables, have them all ready before adding the first layer. Warm a serving tray or plates to keep the vegetables warm once they're cooked.

BOTTOM LAYER Place the potatoes in a single layer on the bottom of the vegetable steamer. Arrange leek and fennel pieces evenly on top of the potatoes and gently drop into the pot. Cover and let steam for 3 minutes.

MIDDLE LAYER Arrange the squash evenly across the steamer, be sure to separate the pieces so they'll cook evenly. Arrange the cauliflower and mushrooms evenly across the top. Cover and let steam for 13 minutes.

TOP LAYER Prep the broccoli. Place the broccoli evenly across the steamer. Cover and let steam for 3 minutes.

TO FINISH Remove the steamer from the pan. If needed, cook sauce down to about a half cup. Arrange vegetables on a warm tray or warm plates, cover with foil to keep vegetables hot. Sprinkle vegetables with fennel fronds. Serve sauce in a side bowl or drizzle over top.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
ADAPTATIONS It was easy to adjust this recipe, the sign of a good one. : - ) I used olive oil instead of butter; onion instead of shallot; and went easy on the red pepper flakes. I also omitted a last tablespoon of butter/oil that the inspiring recipe suggests adding to finish the sauce. I found the sauce already plenty rich with flavor, it needed no more.
SUBSTITUTIONS For lower-carb vegetables, substitute turnip for the potato and sweet potatoes for the butternut squash or select from How Many Carbs Are in Vegetables?.
COOK SEPARATELY? Next time, I would make the sauce in a small saucepan while separately steaming the vegetables over water. I just didn't get any sense that the cooking liquid added flavor to the vegetables during steaming. It means an extra pot though. Decisions, decisions!
PLATING I served this as you see in the photo, vegetables arranged on a shallow platter for the table. Another idea is to place potato slices on plates, then arrange the other vegetables partly on top and alongside.



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MORE FAVORITE RECIPES for VEGETABLES COOKED with STEAM
~ Steamed Butternut Squash ~
~ Cabbage Roses ~
~ Never-the-Same Steamed Broccoli ~
~ Steamed Broccoli Raab ~
~ Steamed Leeks with Chopped Egg ~
~ Herbed Potatoes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Cauliflower Salad with Fresh Herbs ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

A Veggie Venture is home of 'veggie evangelist' Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2012


Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. Other words:

    - Melange
    - Rainbow
    - Jacob's Coat (I know that's 2 words)
    - Multi-flora
    - Bouquet

    ReplyDelete
  2. Canada is not a place where immigrants in the past became part of “The Melting Pot” but rather maintained their distinctiveness while still becoming Canadian. The Multi-Cultural Festival in Regina is called “Mosaic” for this reason. Maybe this word would work for you. Try Roget’s.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I read a Neil Gaiman book the used the phrase "shabby motley" for the clothing of one of the characters in the story.

    I love this phrase. Then I saw "the King's Speech" and picture the wall behind the Prince when he is in the speech therapists office... shabby motley.

    It doesn't work for food does it!? But it does imply depth.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Melange or collage?

    ReplyDelete
  5. We do this and call it a Melange.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I like the way the veg stay separate and distinct. I also like the fact that there is only one pan to wash - my sort of cooking! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh yes, this is what I am talking about!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This looks delicious! Perhaps call it a vege patchwork? OK it's two words, I know! Well maybe pastiche then?

    ReplyDelete
  9. lol·la·pa·loo·za [lol-uh-puh-loo-zuh](noun Slang)
    an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

    ReplyDelete

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna