Steamed vegetables with flavoured butters

Name: Steamed vegetables with flavoured butters
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: For the turnips; 1 garlic clove, chopped; ½ a red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped; 2 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and finely chopped; 60g unsalted butter, softened; 500g baby turnips, quartered if large; For the carrots; a pinch of sugar; finely grated zest of ¼ an orange; a pinch of cumin seeds; 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves picked; 60g unsalted butter, softened; 450g carrots, cut into thick strips; For the broccoli; ½ tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary; 3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped; 60g unsalted butter, softened; 350g broccoli, cut into florets; For the mangetout; finely grated zest of ½ a lemon, plus 1 tablespoon juice; 60g unsalted butter, softened; 350g trimmed mangetout

A little bit of oomph for your veg

Gluten-free

20 mins

Super easy

serves 6

nutrition per serving

Calories

Fat

12%

Saturates

27%

Sugars

Protein

Carbs

of an adult’s reference intake

Ingredients

For the turnips

1 garlic clove, chopped

½ a red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

2 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and finely chopped

60g unsalted butter, softened

500g baby turnips, quartered if large

For the carrots

a pinch of sugar

finely grated zest of ¼ an orange

a pinch of cumin seeds

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves picked

60g unsalted butter, softened

450g carrots, cut into thick strips

For the broccoli

½ tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

60g unsalted butter, softened

350g broccoli, cut into florets

For the mangetout

finely grated zest of ½ a lemon, plus 1 tablespoon juice

60g unsalted butter, softened

350g trimmed mangetout

Method

Keep these easy flavoured butter recipes handy to perk up your favourite greens and veggies

Steaming is a great way to cook veg. It keeps in so many of the vitamins lost by boiling, and can be done in stacked steamer baskets. Best of all, though, it only takes up one ring of your cooker!
The butters are easy to make and can be done way ahead. Keep any leftovers in your freezer and use a slice when you cook a steak. Don’t cook all the vegetables or you’ll have far too many – just pick your two favourites.
Make the flavoured butters. If you are making the turnips, pound the garlic, chilli and sun-dried tomatoes to a paste in a pestle and mortar. Add seasoning and the butter and pound well. Dollop onto a sheet of greaseproof paper and roll into a cylinder, twisting the ends like Christmas crackers. Place in the freezer to firm up.
For the carrots, pound the sugar, zest, cumin seeds and thyme; for the broccoli, the rosemary and anchovies; for the mangetout, mix the lemon juice and zest. Then add the seasoning and butter, pound and roll into Christmas cracker shapes, as before.
Put the veg in a 2-layer steamer. Carrots should be nearest to the heat, then baby turnips, then broccoli florets, then mangetout. Steam for 10 minutes and serve each vegetable with circles of flavoured butter melted over the top.