Steamed and Sautéed Vegetables

Here are the vegetable side dishes I made for the supper. They aren't really anything special - I kept the vegetables simple to go with the main courses. I made steamed asparagus, sautéed porcini mushrooms, and sautéed julienne of carrots and red onion. Steaming is my favorite way to prepare asparagus - a tender, delicate vegetable whose flavor should be allowed to shine and not mask. I also think the beautiful stalks should be served whole. Grilling or griddling asparagus also works quite well, but cooking methods such as sautéeing and boiling are tricky with whole asparagus and do not allow the flavor to shine through as well. 

I chose a different type of mushroom than what we usually get - the standard button mushrooms. There isn't a huge flavor difference, and like button mushrooms, I like to sauté the mushrooms for a fairly long time, beginning with high heat to sear them and then turning the heat to low to caramelize them. I often add in onions with the mushrooms and garlic is a good addition as well.

The julienne of carrots and red onions were leftover from my garnish for the salmon en papillote. I just very quickly sautéed them up to add color to the vegetable plate and served them on the side. They did not take long to cook at all because they are a small, thin cut.

I served these vegetables with the roasted carrot coconut sauce, but other than that they only need a dash of salt and pepper, and maybe a dab of butter to flavor them.