Help with Vegetables

[bushey]

It's getting down to the wire for planning our Rosh Hashannah dinner, and as we were going over the menu last night, my husband and I were bemoaning the perennial problem of how to keep cooked vegetables hot at the dinner table.

The meal will be traditional : chicken soup, salad, turkey, stuffing, roasted beets, my sister-in-law's carrot kugel and......???? I like to serve a green vegetable like fresh asparagus or green beans, but they always end up COLD practically as soon as I put them on the table.

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions? That is, aside from serving them as a room temperature dish to begin with. I prefer veggies in their cloase to natural state rather than gussied up in a casserole.

[Rachel Perlow]

So, are they to be simply steamed then? If so, cook them while you are serving the first course, we usually microwave them, that way you don't have to worry about watching the pot. Warm the serving dish (food in bowls will stay warmer longer than food on flat plates) by filling it with hot water. Then when you are ready to serve them, dump out the water and put in the veg.

If by close to the natural state, you still want to saute them with butter or oil and garlic, then blanch the beans well ahead, chill then saute them at the last minute - serving in a warmed bowl as described above.

Or, completely prepare them, but undercook them. When you are serving the first course, place them in the microwave. While you are putting out the other main course dishes, nuke them for a couple minutes to reheat - they should be done before you have placed the kugel on the table. Again, warmed bowl.

[Ron Johnson]

Blanch your vegetables then shock in ice bath. Place them in a saute pan with dash of EVOO and lemon zest, salt and pepper. Set aside away from heat. Right before you need them place on stove and blast the burner to full heat. As soon as vegetables are heated through and lemon zest is fragrant take to the table and serve immediately.

This prep allows you to intorduce heat to the vegetables immediately before they are to be served, thereby minimizing the opportunity for them to cool.

I use this for asparagus and various types of green beans. Of course the seasonings can be adjusted to your taste.

[bushey]

Thanks for the great suggestions. It's usually so crazy in the kitchen by the time we are ready to serve the emal and there are a million people coming in and saying "What can I do to help? What can I bring to the table?"

Actually, that's the part I like best, when we're all in the kitchen and my nephews keep coming in to ask for more soup.

I like the idea of blanching the vegetables ahead, then sauteeing at the last minute and serving in a warmed bowl. Maybe I'll be able to find some great green and yellow beans at the farmstand on Friday.

[Suzanne F]

I know this is cop-out, but what about getting a warming tray? Salton used to make them, then Maxim (although the Salton hold up much better). If you've got a sideboard, you can keep it there, plugged in, and keep serving dishes hot during the meal. I use mine all the time, not just for company. It keeps the table less cluttered, too. Just a thought.

[Jinmyo]

Thanks for the great suggestions. It's usually so crazy in the kitchen by the time we are ready to serve the emal and there are a million people coming in and saying "What can I do to help? What can I bring to the table?"

Actually, that's the part I like best, when we're all in the kitchen and my nephews keep coming in to ask for more soup. 

Egad, bushey. That would just horrify me.

[bushey]

SuzanneF -- Long time ago I used to have a warming cart. It was Salton, and had a nice large surfact on top and a place to store extra plates, etc. underneath. It wasn't even that ugly; it looked like pseudo-teak. We inherited it from my ex sister-in-law. Don't remember when I got rid of it, but it was probably around the same time as my ex......... Would have come in handy all these years. (The cart, I mean ). But at the time I hadn't yet inherited the family holiday dinners.

Jin -- I suspect there is very little that would actually horrify you .