Boiled or Steamed Vegetables, As You Like ’Em

Preparing vegetables shouldn’t be a big deal, and in the Food Matters kitchen, all stages of doneness have their place. This all-purpose recipe allows you to control their texture, no matter what type of vegetable you cook or how tender you want it.

Barely cooked vegetables are perfect for fresh-tasting salads, or if you want to reheat them in stir-fries or on the grill, where they’ll soften up a bit more. Crisp-tender vegetables can be brought directly to the table or plunged into a bowl of ice water to capture their perfect texture; they can be reheated, too. Soft-cooked vegetables can provide instant pleasure, especially when pureed or mashed (I love them on a thick piece of whole wheat toast).

Two Technical Notes: To rig a steamer, fit a steaming basket in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid and add water so that the basket sits above it. If you don’t have a basket, use two ovenproof plates: put the first one facedown in the pot and the second faceup. Fill the pot with enough water to submerge the plate on the bottom; use the top plate to hold the food.

If you’re cooking thick-stemmed greens like bok choy, kale, collards, or even broccoli, consider separating the stems from the leaves (or florets in the case of broccoli), and toss the stems into the pot a couple of minutes before the greens so everything reaches about the same degree of doneness.

Salt

About 2 pounds of virtually any vegetable (including greens), peeled, stemmed, seeded, and/or chopped as needed

Freshly squeezed lemon juice or olive oil, as you like

Freshly ground black pepper

Chopped fresh herbs or ground seasonings (optional)

1 Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it, or rig a steamer as described in the note. If you want to “shock” the vegetables to capture doneness at a precise moment, fill a large bowl (or a clean sink) with ice water. Try bending or breaking whatever it is you’re planning to cook: the more pliable the pieces are, the more quickly they will become tender.

2 When the water boils, add the vegetables to the pot or steamer. Check tender greens in less than a minute; root vegetables (which are usually best completely tender) will take 10 minutes or more. Everything else is somewhere in between. Every so often while the vegetables are cooking, use tongs to grab a piece out and test it. (With experience, you’ll do this less frequently.) Remember that unless you shock them in ice water, the vegetables will continue to cook, and become more tender even when they’re off the heat.

3 When the vegetables are cooked as you like them, drain and serve, drizzled with lemon juice, oil, butter, more salt and pepper, or whatever. Or plunge the drained vegetables immediately into the ice, drain again, and set aside to use later.

Sautéed Vegetables: You can boil or steam the vegetables first, then sauté them; or cook them, starting raw, directly in the oil. Put a film of olive oil in the bottom of a large skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. When it’s hot, add the vegetables, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally and checking for doneness as described in Step 1. (The only difference is that you’ll be fishing test pieces out of a skillet, not out of a pot of boiling water.) Precooked vegetables are ready as soon as they’re rewarmed; tender greens will take 5 to 10 minutes; and cubed root vegetables up to half an hour. When they’re ready, taste and adjust seasoning (add fresh herbs or spices and lemon juice if you want), stir, and serve hot or at room temperature.

Roasted Vegetables: Heat the oven to 425°F. Put the vegetables, alone or in combination (even greens work here), in a large roasting pan or on a rimmed baking sheet and toss them with at least 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and start roasting. Check tender vegetables in 10 minutes, sturdier ones in 15. Whenever you check, turn or stir as necessary to promote even cooking. Total time will be between 15 and 45 minutes, depending on the size and type of vegetable. When the vegetables are ready, taste and adjust seasoning (add fresh herbs or spices and lemon juice if you want), toss, and serve hot or at room temperature.

Grilled or Broiled Vegetables: Even sturdy greens like radicchio and romaine work here; just quarter or halve them, leaving the root ends intact. Heat a broiler or grill and move the rack about 4 inches from the heat source. Put the vegetables in a large bowl, toss them with at least 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. When the fire is hot, put them on the grill or in a pan under the broiler. Start checking tender vegetables in a minute or two; sturdier vegetables in 10. Turn and move them around as necessary to promote even cooking. Total time will be between 5 and 20 minutes, depending on the size and type of vegetable. When the vegetables are ready, sprinkle with more salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon, herbs, or spices.