Fresh English Peas

We found fresh shelled English peas at Sam's Club, two 12-ounce packages bundled together.  We are going to steam them in a small microwave steamer, called a "Mini Steamer", in a 700 watt microwave oven.

To the mini steamer, add 1 cup of water below the basket.

Pour one 12-ounce bagful of fresh peas into the steamer basket. They fit nicely.  Cover the steamer.

Fresh English peas in a mini steamer

Directions on the package of peas call for 3 minutes, but, assuming that means a full-size oven, and because the peas are compactly held in this small steamer, I gave them 6 minutes.  That turned out to be about right.

(If you are cooking frozen peas, they are already partially cooked, but then you are starting the cooking process while they are still frozen.  The best thing to do is start with 3 minutes and then check.)

Empty cooked peas into a bowl and serve with butter or other seasoning, or chill for use in salad.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

Italian Sausage Cooked in a Hot Pot

Italian sausages weighing 1/4 lb each cooked in a Hot Pot, using a steamer basket to hold the sausages away from the bottom of the pot.

Insert steamer into Hot Pot
Add 2 cups water
Arrange raw Italian sausages in a criss-cross pattern in the steamer
Plug in the pot and set heat control to about halfway (may adjust later as needed)

Cook for at least 20 minutes. Heat will come and go; if it stays off too long, wake it up with a bit more cold water, and/or elevate the heat control.

Sausages will be well cooked but rather grey. That's the down side of hot pot cookery: no way to brown anything.

Remove sausages with tongs. Drain the pot, take out the strainer, add a jar of spaghetti sauce and reduce heat control to low. Return sausages to the pot and allow sauce and sausages to warm together for 15 or more minutes. Serve over pasta.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.    (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

Spinach Steamed in a Hot Pot

A Hot Pot equipped with a steamer basket can do much more than the pot can do by itself.  Fresh spinach comes out tender and green, cleanup is minimal.

Spinach steamed in a Hot Pot inside a steamer basket

Insert a folding steamer basket into the Hot Pot. Add scant 2 cups water.
Stuff in as many spinach leaves as the pot will hold... just pile them up, because they will wilt as soon as they get hot.

Push the lid down and latch it. Turn on the heat to maximum. The pot will boil quickly.

After two minutes steaming, open to rearrange the contents, closed quickly.

Steam 2 more minutes, unplug the pot and allow to rest for 2 minutes.

Total steaming time 4 minutes plus 2 minutes more in the still-warm pot.

Pour off the water, then open and dump it upside down, steamer and all, onto a plate. (Don't try to lift out the steamer, which opens and becomes tippy without the sides of the pot holding it together.) Lift off the steamer and arrange spinach on the plate.  It will be green and beautiful!

Add salt and other seasonings to taste.  Butter is familiar.  Spinach is tasty with a drizzle of olive oil, too.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).