A pan, butter, garlic, and red pepper flakes are all you need.
So, I just told you the secret recipe. (If I believed in secret recipes.)
When someone sees a vegetable that they are unfamiliar with, there is a typical first question: How do you cook it?
My answer is almost always: Sauté it with butter, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
Then I probably speak a little louder and say: Don’t forget the salt.
I’ve now made a career teaching people the answer to this question, spending years convincing people to cook more at home and cook more vegetables when they do. And during those years, I have prepared and eaten more vegetables than the average person and convinced many family members to try a new vegetable here and there too.
Vegetable Cookery
Yes, you can roast and grill and steam, and for some vegetables, a different technique will give you better results, but stovetop cooking is fast and straightforward.
If you have a pot with a lid and a burner and 10 minutes, you can do it.
These are my vegetable basics, and most nights of the week, this is all you need to cook any of the following vegetables:
Broccoli, kale, green beans, cabbage, peas, escarole, cauliflower, spinach, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, most any other green vegetables except lettuce. (Although you can cook that this way too.)
Yes, you can add spices and herbs and get a little crazy, but when you start with a fresh vegetable, you don’t always need to embellish it, just enhance the flavors that you begin with.
Here are the basics:
You need a sauté pan, or you might call it a skillet, with a lid. Any pot with a lid will work.
You can always use oil instead of butter, that’s your choice.
Chop the garlic as small as you can. However, don’t make it hard on yourself.
You will want some water or liquid on hand to help steam the vegetables. If you’re feeling impulsive, white wine will work too. If no one is looking, you can pour it out of your own glass, you’re going to cook off most of the germs. (Thinking about the current situation, maybe this isn’t very sanitary.)
The amount of water needed varies from a tablespoon to a quarter cup depending on how long the vegetables will simmer in the liquid. If you are unsure, start with less then you can add more later.
The cooking time on each vegetable is usually different. The bigger and thicker the vegetable the longer it will take.
I like my food spicy, but if you are hesitant about adding the heat from the red pepper flakes, you can leave them out. I think they do enhance the flavor, and if you are apprehensive, try a little at first.
One thing you might notice is that the vegetables are not cooked perfectly evenly, we don’t really care about this. The method works well enough, and we are prioritizing ease, not perfection.
To start:
In your pan, add about a tablespoon of butter, 1–2 cloves of chopped garlic, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Heat the pan over medium-high heat until the garlic is sizzling, about 1–3 minutes. Add your vegetables to cover the bottom of the pan, a little crowding is okay. Leafy greens will shrink down, so you can fill those up. Sprinkle a little salt over everything and stir well to coat the vegetables with the garlic love. Add a few tablespoons of water and put the lid on.
Steam for 1–2 minutes and then remove the lid and stir. Put the top back on and cook until the vegetables are tender.
Now all of your experience as an eater comes into the picture.
Take a bite and think.
Cook a little more if you like.
Add a little salt if you think it needs it.
Remove the lid and let any excess water evaporate, over medium-low heat, while stirring gently. Eat right away.
This method will work for frozen vegetables too. Cook them with less time, as the freezing process precooks everything.
This is my keep-it-simple plan in the kitchen. Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be. And don’t dirty any extra pots.