steaming spuds and broccoli

[aquilegia]

How long will it take to steam spuds and broccoli, roughly?

(the spuds are shop-bought new potatoes. I know I should have waited for my own, but i just fancied some!)

So guess what we've got for dinner tonight...

[aquilegia]

[Doris_Pinks]

Aqui, Spuds I would do 15-20 mins, do the stick it with a knife test! Broccoli I would steam for about 5-8 mins, but we do like ours to have a bite to it!

[wardy]

I agree.  I love broc and am eating loads of it since I've hurt my back, on the basis it will help build me back up.  Don't think it's working as I'm not very good today.  Didn't stop me going to plot to take dog for a walk, and to check on my salad leaf seedlings.  They are going great guns and hopefully I'll get to eat them before the slugs (covered with fleece)

[aquilegia]

Thanks Dottie. It was yummy. And I'm not a huge broccoli fan usually. I think I've been subjected to too much boiled-to-mush broc. I'm a definite steaming convert - it retained it's bite and colour so well. yum. And the spuds were delicious too! (can't wait til they are my own!)

[tim]

Too late but, as Doris says - the knife test for the pots, & the bite test for broccoli. And the few spoonfuls of concentrated liquour are great as a stock base. Nothing wasted down the drain!

And, of course - lots of good butter on the broc - like asparagus?

[aquilegia]

Oh yes - must start freezing the stock from it. (it was a lovely liquid gold colour yesterday!)

Spuds with butter, but dipped the broccoli in french mustard. yum!

[NattyEm]

I freeze loads of my veggie juices :)

[Hyacinth]

Too late but, as Doris says - the knife test for the pots, & the bite test for broccoli. And the few spoonfuls of concentrated liquour are great as a stock base. Nothing wasted down the drain!

And, of course - lots of good butter on the broc - like asparagus?

An addition to the recipe for serving broccoli, and a question for you all..

the addition, then...once the steamed broccoli is "al dente" and if it's accompanying something quite plain, try heating some good olive oil with garlic and shredded chillies (both home-grown, of course?), sauteeing the broc. in that, then serving it with a wedge of lemon (+ double bonus points if it's home-produced ;D).   If it's to go with a more flavoursome dish, of course, butter & black pepper (or posibly nutmeg - just a hint?) is brill.

The question...Tim says the 'knife' test for spuds & the 'taste' test for the broccoli. I test ALL my veggies with a skewer - one of those sold for cake testing. Can't cook without one. Take it on hol with me when I know I'm going to be spending a significant time in the kitchen (s'OK, Chef's Perks an' all that...cooking's thirsty work ;)). Can cope with other people's knives, but would be lost without my skewer.

How do the rest of you test your cooking veggies?

[tim]

Alright, a skewer then. But it's d**ned difficult to get a skewer into a piece of sprouting that's only 5 mm thick!!

Correction - of course, if it's calabrese broccoli, then OK - skewer!!

[wardy]

Thinking back to Christmas if I put my sprouts on as usual in November I don't bother testing them with the knife or anything as I'm pretty sure they'll be cooked  ;D

Sorry, end of a sharp knife.  If it's pasta I eat or squeeze a bit

[kitty]

hahahah!you pinched my line wardy-we had the veg boys(radio 4)come to the fasrmers market i organised in lincoln a couple of years ago(i was co-opted as chair of the local guil foer me sins-always pay attention when they ask for volunteers and be busy looking away!)-and we had a q&a sesh-my question was whether there was a different way of cooking sprouts as i put mine on in november to make sure they were good and sulpherous-lol!

btw-did you know-that green veg should always be thrown into boiling water to start cooking-it stops them over cooking ad causes less nasty smell..both in the cooking and.....well...youknow :-[(pardon me)

[Doris_Pinks]

NOVEMBER!!!  cor that's leaving them a bit late innit??? We start ours off in October, and when the festivity season comes around, my sister ALWAYS asks at the beginning of November, "so, have you started cooking the sprouts?"  ;D  ;D  ;D