Steamed Green Vegetables, Chilli and Soft Cheese

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Steamed Green Vegetables, Chilli and Soft Cheese

If you suffer through boring steamed greens, try this bright and vibrant pile of vegetables with creamy soft cheese, herbs and a kick of chilli heat. This makes a side dish that's almost guaranteed to outshine the main event.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Australian, Western

Keyword: green vegetables, steamed green vegetables, steamed vegetables

Servings:

Calories: 289kcal

Ingredients

1 bunch broccolini trimmed, large stalks halved lengthways
1 bunch asparagus trimmed
4 baby zucchini cut into thick coins
7 oz sugar snap peas or snow peas, trimmed
5 oz green beans trimmed
1 lemon
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp flaky salt you may need more depending how salty your cheese is
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley fresh, leaves picked, firmly packed
1/4 cup mint fresh, leaves picked, firmly packed
6 oz stracciatella cheese or other soft cheese, see notes fior di latte, burrata, fresh curd cheese
1 red chilli finely sliced

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to Steam, 212°F/100°C (100% humidity). Place the broccolini, asparagus and baby zucchini into a shallow, lightweight stainless steel pan. Make sure they're spread out in a single layer so they steam evenly. Put the peas and beans into another pan.
1 bunch broccolini, 1 bunch asparagus, 4 baby zucchini, 7 oz sugar snap peas, 5 oz green beans
Get a large bowl of iced water ready for the vegetables; you need this the instant they come out of the oven so I like to have it prepared now.
When the oven is preheated, place the broccolini pan in and steam for 2 minutes.
Add the peas and beans pan to the oven and set the timer for a further 3 minutes.
Remove all the vegetables from the oven and plunge them straight into the iced water. This will stop them cooking and maintain a lovely green color. Remove them to a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.
Mix the juice of the lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl for the dressing.
1 lemon, 3 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp flaky salt, 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
Dollop or smear the cheese over the base of a large serving plate. Arrange the vegetables and herbs over the top, then drizzle liberally with your dressing. Scatter with sliced chilli and serve immediately.
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, 1/4 cup mint, 6 oz stracciatella cheese, 1 red chilli

Notes

The mix of vegetables here leans towards Spring availability. You can absolutely substitute other veg, though! Try leafy greens like kale, Swiss chard and spinach, podded fava/broad beans, beets (those will need longer steaming, around 10-15 minutes) and beet greens, or just raid the freezer section at the supermarket for a peas and beans mix.
The cheese you use will depend a lot on what's available where you live. I use something called stracciatella, which I know is commonly a chocolate-flecked ice cream flavor but in this case refers to a kind of blended mozzarella curd with cultured cream. You can choose many other cheeses, though. Go for something creamy as a foil for the vegetables and lemon; I recommend burrata, fior di latte or a nice soft curd cheese. If you don't have access to artisan cheeses, a blend of supermarket ricotta, feta and full-fat cream cheese whizzed in a food processor works really well too.

Nutrition