 Is it possible to steam vegetables in either of the ovens in my Aga or should they always be done on the hotplate?
All root vegetables and tubers such as potatoes (both old and new varieties) can be steamed to perfection in the Aga using the following standard method. Because the cut pieces are only in contact with water for a few minutes, there is virtually no loss of vitamins and nutrients, and the steaming in the simmering oven locks in all the flavour. The colour of vegetables such as carrots is also preserved better than when they are boiled.
Towards the end of the old potatoes season – when they annoyingly take forever to become tender and are prone to falling apart into a disagreeable mush – using this method guarantees wonderfully light, floury cooked potatoes for serving on their own or for turning into fluffy mashed and creamed potato. One tip, always heat the milk, butter and cream, before beating into the mashed potatoes, this makes for the lightest results.
Basic method
Cut the peeled vegetables or tubers into even-sized pieces so they cook at the same rate. Just cover with water, adding salt if liked, and place on the boiling plate and bring to the boil. Partially cover with the lid at a slight angle, and once they are boiling, continue to boil at a slower rate. To do this, adjust the pan so it’s partially offset on this hotplate, or transfer to the simmering plate if you prefer and cook for 3-5 minutes.
Now drain off all of the water, saving this if you wish to use it in gravies, sauces or for adding to soups, stews and casseroles. Cover the pan and transfer to the simmering oven for 20-40 minutes to finish cooking. The exact time required will depend on the size you have chosen for the pieces and the type of food being steamed. Note that swede takes the longest, sometimes up to an hour; give this a longer period of, say, 10 minutes on the top of the cooker first to speed things up if they are in a hurry.
Note that, once cooked, vegetables cooked in this way will keep hot for a good time – up to 1½ - 2 hours – without deterioration, although naturally there will be some loss of nutrient value over time.
This method should be used for all vegetables that grow below the ground. For vegetables that grow above ground, such as mainly green vegetables and things such as cauliflowers, these should always be cooked quickly in plenty of fast boiling salted water on the boiling plate or alternatively steamed here. To steam these, I recommend using a collapsible steamer, the type that fold up for easy and compact storage, but which lifts the vegetables up from the base of the pan by an inch or so.
Pour in ¾ inch (2 cm) of boiling water to come almost up to the base of the steaming platform, then add the vegetable and cover and bring to the boil. Once boiling, adjust the lid to allow surplus steam and sulphurous compounds to escape during cooking, and adjust the position of the pan on either of the hotplates by partial offsetting.
To finish off, as a rule of thumb, an easy aide-mémoire is as follows:
"If they grow above the ground, cook them above the rail on the Aga, i.e. in a pan on the hotplates. If they grow below the ground, cook them below the rail in the Aga, i.e. in a pan in the simmering oven".
Taken from The Complete Book of Aga Know-How, by Richard Maggs, published by Absolute Press priced £8.99
|
