Steamed and stacked vegetables with leek and saffron sauce
Although I’m not a salad person, crunchy vegetables are my weakness. Whether I’m having pasta or a chunky soup, I’m always fishing for crunchy bits of carrots, artichokes, water chestnuts, French beans, broccoli or whatever it is, that has a noisy bite.
I respect recipes that manage to bring out the perfect balance of smoothness and crunchiness in one simple dish. Considering I spend hours looking for that flawlessly, crisp piece of bell pepper or aubergine, carefully puncturing all sides to ensure firmness, I better get to eat just that.
Today, I combined a few crunchy vegetables with a creamy sauce to make that balanced-out dish.
Ingredients
1 small aubergine
1 small carrot
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
½ cup spinach (finely chopped)
¼ cup mushrooms (roughly chopped)
6 small cloves of garlic
1 small tomato (deseeded)
4 basil leaves (finely chopped)
½ cup leek
4-5 strands of saffron
4 tablespoon vegetable stock
Salt and pepper as per taste
1 ½ tablespoon cream
3 tablespoon olive oil
Method: Heat one tablespoon of olive oil and sauté three chopped garlic cloves in it until brown. Add the chopped spinach and cook it for three to four minutes. Slice the aubergine, carrot (half of it), bell peppers and tomato into thin-round slices and keep aside.
Line a round bowl with cling film and stack all the vegetables one by one. Start off with the sautéed spinach and chopped mushrooms, followed by the rest. Drizzle this stack with two tablespoons of olive oil and close the cling film tightly from top. Steam this bowl for 15 minutes in a pressure cooker and tumble it on your plate.
In a pan heat the leftover olive oil and sauté the leeks. Add basil, two spoons of mushroom, two spoons of finely chopped carrots, leftover garlic, vegetable stock and let this mixture simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. You can add more stock, if required. Once the vegetables look done, give it a quick whisk in the blender and move it to the pan again. Finish the sauce with cream and seasoning. Serve it with the stacked vegetables.
I’m submitting this recipe for the Healthy Cooking Challenge hosted by Edible Entertainment and My Tasty Curry.
Usually not a leek fan, i cant fathom the idea of potato leek soup. But this take actually makes me reconsider my previous opinion
Leek says thank you for giving him another chance 😀
I must try this soon 😀
Let me know how it turns out 😀
I think it would be a great item to submit! I’ll have to try it without the spinach. Hubby swears he is allergic to spinach.
You can try grated zucchini or carrots instead of the spinach. Just cook it right and tell me how it turned out.
I’ll have to try it with the carrots because he won’t eat zucchini either. The one that kills me the most is he doesn’t eat asparagus either so I usually have to cook it for myself. Thanks for the substitute!
You are welcome. I always find my way around food 😀
This looks wonderful! I love your logo, so cute. What is aubergine?
Hey. Thank you for dropping by. Aubergine is another name for eggplant or brinjal, as we call it here in India.
Visually appealing and healthy ! Hubby does not eat bell peppers, tomato and aubergine but going to make it for myself and Priyal!
Thank you.
Wow, the dish is mighty healthy!
Yes and thank you for dropping by.
U havent made me taste this 😦 😦 yyyyyyy????
looks so yummy and with the ingredients mentioned… U know I am salad person 🙂
Okay Salad Person, I shall make you try this the next time 😀
It actually looked like green colored macaroons to me! 😀
I’m not a very salad-y person. But I could gobble up these macaroon looking things! 😛
So, should I link it or you will?
I *think* I have linked it. Don’t know how accurately though 😛
This looks so good:)
It tastes as good 😀 Thank you
You’ve got beautiful photos! 🙂 This definitely looks like something that came out of a bistro/restaurant. Love it!
You are being to generous with your compliments! Thank you 😀 Come back for more!
Yum! Yum! do invite me over when you’re making these fab things. saffron sauce. VAVOOM!
i also happen to like what youre snacking on, right now. 😛
I LOVE what I’m snacking on right now, Pancake Princess 😀
and crisp bite-able vegetables. seasoned well. a dream come true. 🙂
I’m telling you, we are soul sisters 😛
Hey.. Than Kuzhi Pan will work for almost any batter~~~ First of all, you can make so many varieties of Bondas with different fillings each time. You can event mix some Dosa-Batter with onions, chili, pepper etc & pour in them. They are Dosas in a different form. & they taste awesome!!!! 😀 Any batter you have & you wanna cook, you can pour it in the kuzhi paniyaram pan! 😀
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Kavi | Edible Entertainment
Ongoing event: Healthy Lunch Challenge
Wow! I need to get myself one now 😀
looks wonderful 🙂 can’t wait to make this now!!
Thank you, Gayatri! Thanks for dropping by!
I’m not a salad person either, definitely gotta try this out! 🙂
You will love it then 😀
This looks great, I added it to my ‘to try’ list 🙂
Hey thank you. I hope it works out well for you!
Okay, I am making this for the vegetarians in my family, pronto! What a lovely combination of flavours and textures, Sonal!
If RBS says i’s lovely, I know it is lovely 😀 Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
This is such a simple and versatile side dish, and so pleasing to the eyes. I will definitely try it (or some versions of it with whatever vegetables I can get) soon.
Hey. I hope it works for you. Thank you for you comment.
Nice picture. How did you come with the name of your blog? When Harry Met Sally is one of my fave movies.
I’m somewhat like Sally, very particular about my food. So the title suits me I guess 😀
Hi Sonal! Thanks so much for linking your entry to my HCC event & making it a huge success! Find your entry in the Roundup Part I , Part II or Part III (to be uploaded tomorrow)
I would love to have your entries in my ongoing events:
Jingle All The Way &
Microwave Easy Cooking
Have a great day!
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Kavi | Edible Entertainment
I will do that 😀
I’m so glad!
Wow, this is so beautiful! I am a veggie lover and this is a fab option! (Thanks for your visit; so glad to meet you!)
I’m so glad to have found your blog. You have so many vegetarian recipes!
NICE … love spinach and love leek … this I can see accompanied by a red-pepper sorbet …. yummy ….
Red pepper sorbet sounds delish! I want to try that now 😀
This sounds so fabulous! Yum! Elegant, crunchy, nutritious… I love it!
It tastes fab too!