Category Archives: Side Dishes

It occurred to me, when meeting a lovely lady from Santa Barbara on our recent trip to France, that I haven’t added to the blog a simple table with suggested cooking times and temperatures for vegetables.

Vegetables are so much better cooked in the steam oven as they retain their nutrients.  When I was selling appliances, people trying to chose their new kitchen just couldn’t understand why the cooking methods they had used in the past needed changing.  It’s not so much about trying to change the way you cook but looking forward, as technology improves, to buy and utilise a better cooking medium.  You know that green water that sits in the bottom of your saucepan when you steam your vegetables on the cooktop?  That contains all the nutrients from your vegetables and most people will throw that out with the washing up!  Microwaves? Well they are good to help you cook or to reheat a muffin but not great for vegetables, especially if you overcook them.

Not only are vegetables better for you from the steam oven, but they taste better too and don’t need salt!

(I do understand from all your feedback and comments that there are a whole lot of people still out there who are only using their steam ovens for cooking vegetables.  While this is a great place to start, it’s time to move on 🙂 )

To get the most out of your steam oven, try to multi-cook, ie cook your quinoa or rice, vegetables, eggs and fish at the same time.  It is okay if they all have different cooking times, you will soon get the hang of opening up and changing your trays around.   Start with the longest cooked item eg: brown rice and say pumpkin or eggs on another level.  When the pumpkin is cooked, remove and add your beans or broccoli.  Let them cook for another few minutes according to the list below.  Although it takes a few minutes for the steam oven to get back to temperature, it won’t affect something that cooks for a  long time, like rice.  It is especially easy to prepare some of the fantastic salad recipes like this – have a look at my Superfoods salad as an example of how you can easily cook healthy, delicious salads.

Zucchini slices                                 100°C                                   2-3 minutes
Asparagus                                        100°C                                   1-2 minutes
Pumpkin – cut small                       100°C                                   5-8 minutes
Potatoes – cut small                       100°C                                   10-15 minutes
Beetroot – small cut in half          100°C                                    20 minutes
Carrots, sliced                                 100°C                                   4-6 minutes
Cauliflower, florets                         100°C                                   4-6 minutes
Corn on the cob                              100°C                                   3-5 minutes
Beans                                               100°C                                   2-3 minutes
Bok choy                                          100°C                                   1 minute
Snow peas                                       100°C                                   1 minute

Another good thing to remember is that apart from some Asian vegetables, such as Bok choy, it is difficult to overcook vegetables in a steam oven.  Sure beats those overcooked, olive green vegetables that I was given as a child!

This is the first time I have cooked pearl couscous in the steam oven.  Easier and quicker than a huge pot of boiling water and as with quinoa you also have the ability to add flavouring into the couscous by cooking it in stock.

This is my version of Frank Camorra’s recipe that he served with the Spiced Chicken.  It is cooked twice, once in the steam oven and again with the oil and spices in a large frypan or wok so it doesn’t need the added flavour of stock in the first cooking process.  I also added some steamed pumpkin and baby spinach to some left-overs the following day and it was delicious!

Ingredients:  Serves 6

1½ cups pearl couscous
pinch salt
1¾ cups water

1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup dried figs, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes, drained and chopped
zest from 1/2 preserved lemon, finely chopped
1 cup coriander leaves, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Optional:  steamed pumpkin, cubed and cooked in the steam oven for 5 minutes
Handful of baby spinach leaves

Method:

1. Add the couscous and water to the solid steamer tray
2. Cook @ 100°C 10 minutes.
3. Remove from steam oven and set aside to cool.  Add a dash of oil and stir occasionally until cold.  You do need to break it up.
4. Heat the oil in a large wok or frypan and add the onion.  Cook until it browns 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and spices and cook 5 minutes on a low heat until fragrant.
6. Add couscous and half a cup of water and stir well.  This will start to form a sauce.
7. When still warm add figs, preserved lemon and coriander.
8. Taste for seasoning and serve.

Perfect in the LeCreuset shallow casserole as it was cooked and served in the same dish.  A side dish that is bound to become a favourite as the texture and spices really make this special.