Steamed garden vegetables

This recipe for steamed garden vegetables is a really delicate side dish, perfect with almost any main course, be it meat or fish. Alternatively, it can also be a good when you want to cleanse and eat only vegetables, and is clearly perfect for vegetarians! Prepare it with any vegetables you wish, or with those that you have on hand, and dress simply with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. If you wish to give a bit more character to your vegetables, you could add a little apple vinegar to the steaming water, thus adding a touch of sharpness. Don’t forget, finally, to finish the dish off with plenty of fresh, fragrant basil – it’s always welcome! This steamed garden veg is great either hot, at room temperature or cold, depending on the season. In summer you can serve it with sliced fresh mozzarella or cold cuts of meat; in winter, however, it is fabulous served with some roast meat or fish – or you could steam that too.

Clean and wash the carrots and turnips and cut into cubes. Remove the outer leaves and slice the white part of the leeks. Clean and wash the green beans. Put the beans in a steaming basket, after five minutes add the carrots, turnips, leeks and green beans, lastly add the cauliflower florets. Wash, dry and chop the basil. In a bowl, dissolve the salt in the vinegar, add the oil and the chopped herbs and emulsify thoroughly. When the vegetables are cooked, let them cool and then mix with the basil dressing.