Cooking vegetables in pots saves time and effort of the hostess, and the result can be very impressive - many people will like healthy and beautiful dishes.
Which vegetables are easy to cook in pots
The range of options is huge - you can bake potatoes and carrots, beets and various types of cabbage (white and red cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts), zucchini and squash, turnips and pumpkin, tomatoes and eggplants, peppers and many other vegetables. By trying different combinations and boldly experimenting in the kitchen, over time, you can find the perfect recipe in which vegetable tastes will be balanced in full accordance with personal preferences.
In pots, you can cook delicious cereals with the addition of various vegetables, for example, from millet, buckwheat or rice with pumpkin, dishes with the addition of meat (beef, veal, lamb, pork) or poultry (chicken, turkey), smoked meats and even offal (liver). In the preparation of meat dishes, both minced meat and slices, as well as fillets, can be used - this method allows you to effortlessly prepare excellent roasts, stews, sautés and mouth-watering thick soups.
When baked in pots, potatoes and cabbage can be combined with mushrooms, carrots with cottage cheese and other fermented milk products. In addition, you can choose a variety of mixtures for pouring with vegetables - broths, milk and cream with a beaten egg, specially prepared sauces.
Preparing new pots for use
Clay pots are portioned (their capacity ranges from 0.15 to 0.75 liters) and larger, designed for several people. Large pots can hold from one to thirty liters. In small ones, however, dishes can be served.
It should be noted that when using portioned pots, you can prepare one dish, taking into account different wishes. For example, add or not add spices that some people like but others hate, and make a dietary option by cutting fat or cooking time if you need to stick to a special diet.
The main criteria for the quality of baking dishes is the level of mechanical and thermal strength, due to the peculiarities of firing. It is quite easy to check them by sound - a well-made pot will have it clean and sonorous. When buying baking pots, it is important to evaluate the thickness of the walls and bottom - it should not be different, otherwise cracks may appear during the heating process. There should not be any bulges, scratches or chips on the inside or outside of the pots.
Before cooking in pots for the first time, they must be prepared. First, they are thoroughly washed with a soft sponge with laundry soap or soda; a special dishwashing detergent is also suitable for this. The new pots are then left in cold water for an hour, after which they are placed in a large saucepan. The container is completely filled with water, it is brought to a boil, and then cooled. After such manipulations, the pots are completely ready for use.
There is another way to prepare. New clay pots are heated in an oven with water before they are first used for cooking. You need to put them cold, and only then gradually raise the temperature, otherwise they may crack and even burst.
In addition to the initial treatment, it is recommended that the pots are soaked before each cooking. As a result, the pores of the clay will absorb moisture and, when heated, "return" it to the products. As a result, the dish will turn out to be much more juicy, and the taste will be richer. To do this, it is enough to leave the pots in cold water for a quarter of an hour.
In the future, when washing the pots, do not take too hard, especially metal, sponges, which can damage the surface. Do not expose the pots to contrasting temperatures, for example, taking them out of the oven, put them on a cold stand - it is advisable to warm it up to prevent cracking. If necessary, add liquid during cooking, as well as take hot water or broth.
Easy vegetable stew in a pot (for six servings)
Ingredients:
- cauliflower - 400 g;
- eggplant (medium size) - 2 pcs.;
- carrots - 2 pcs.;
- sweet pepper - 1 pc.;
- tomato - 1 pc.;
- small onion - 1 pc.;
- dill;
- sunflower oil - 3-4 tablespoons;
- water or vegetable broth - 50 ml;
- salt and spices to taste.
Having disassembled cauliflower into small inflorescences, you must carefully check it for bugs. This can be easily done by dipping it in cold salt water for ten minutes. Then all the insects that may be in the cabbage will be in the water. After thoroughly washing the inflorescences, they need to be blanched or even boiled for three to five minutes, and only then put in a pot. Otherwise, the cauliflower in the finished stew may turn out to be somewhat dry and even tasteless.
Peeled and diced eggplants should be sprinkled with salt and left for ten to fifteen minutes to remove the bitterness. During this time, it is quite possible to prepare the remaining components of the vegetable mixture for baking in a pot. A tomato (skinless) scalded with boiling water is cut into cubes, and the pepper, from which the seeds have been removed, into strips of the appropriate size. Carrots can be coarsely grated or diced.
Before adding chopped vegetables to the pot, carrots, peppers, tomatoes and a finely chopped onion must first be sautéed, alternately putting in oil heated in a pan. The eggplant washed from salt is added to the mixture last.
Cauliflower inflorescences are sent to the pots first, they should fill about half of the volume. A mixture from a frying pan is spread on them - sauteed carrots, peppers, tomatoes, onions and eggplant. Then the vegetables are carefully poured with a little hot water or vegetable broth with the addition of dill. salt and spices (optional). In this case, the liquid should not reach the edge of the dishes.
Pots closed with a lid or a specially made plate of dough should be placed in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. In twenty minutes, a fragrant, beautiful and healthy meal will be ready. Serve with finely chopped fresh herbs, sour cream, homemade mayonnaise, or other sauces.
Vegetable soups in pots
A wide variety of soups can be prepared in pots, including vegetarian ones. In this case, the beneficial substances that leave the vegetables during heat treatment will partially pass into the sauce. Greens can be added both before placing food in pots and when serving. When choosing utensils for making soups, it is better to choose products with a fairly narrow neck. Thanks to them, the volume of steam generation will decrease, while retaining moisture in the products.
Onion soup, along with wine and frog legs, is considered one of the national treasures of French cuisine. However, the exquisite taste of this food, especially appropriate in cold weather, has already been rightfully appreciated in other countries. Onion soup will help diversify the diet in case of illness, because it warms up perfectly, and also includes chicken broth, known for its strengthening properties. In addition to clay pots, this dish is prepared in cauldrons with thick walls or in cast iron pots. However, the onion soup served in portion pots is especially effective.
Ingredients (for two large servings):
- onions (medium size) - 10 pcs. or 5 large;
- garlic - 1 large clove;
- butter - 70-80 g;
- wheat flour - 3 tablespoons;
- dry white wine - 150-170 g;
- white bread or stale loaf - 4-5 slices;
- chicken broth - 1.5 liters;
- cheese (preferable to hard varieties, in the original French recipes - Gruyere or Emmental);
- dill - for serving;
- salt and spices to taste.
First, the onion, peeled and cut into half rings, is fried in butter. With active and constant stirring, it is brought to a beautiful golden brown hue. The degree of browning of the onions determines the color of the finished soup, so personal preference can be followed at this stage. Then chopped garlic is sent to the pan (it is better to use deep dishes). With continuous stirring, flour is introduced into the mixture, and then wine.
The soup stock should remain in the pan until it is completely smooth. After that, the broth is gently poured into it. After mixing, the mixture must be kept on low heat for another half an hour, towards the end of this time, salt and spices must be added.
Slightly dried bread slices are first placed in the pot, which are immediately sprinkled with chopped cheese. Then pour in the soup, which begins to thicken, on which you can place another layer of cheese. Then the pot is placed in an oven already preheated to 200 degrees. In five to ten minutes, the French onion soup is completely ready. It is served hot, with fresh herbs and a piece of butter.
Porridge with vegetables in pots
Such recipes can be easily attributed to dishes "without much hassle" and quite simple to prepare. At the same time, products made from cereals, aromatic and crumbly, become even more useful with the addition of vegetables.
For a children's menu, for example, light millet porridge with pumpkin in a pot is perfect. There is no need to pre-cook the ingredients for her, so many mums will get the opportunity to save time. At the same time, the porridge turns out to be extraordinary in taste, but there are options with additional elements. Few can refuse a dish with dried fruits, candied fruits and nuts. And porridge served in a pot will interest babies who are especially difficult to feed.
Ingredients (for six servings):
- millet - 300 g;
- pumpkin (fresh or frozen) - 250 g;
- milk - 1 l;
- butter - 2-3 tablespoons;
- salt, sugar - to taste.
The first step is to thoroughly rinse the millet. To do this, it is thoroughly stirred, first in hot and then in cold water. You can pour the cereal with warm water for ten minutes, and after rinsing, repeat this - only then you can be completely sure that there are no impurities and impurities that can badly affect the taste. The cereals prepared in this way must be thrown into a colander and rinsed with boiling water several times in order to get rid of the bitterness inherent in millet.
It is enough to cut the pumpkin pulp into pieces - in the process of cooking it will turn into a delicate puree, almost indistinguishable in porridge. You can remove the pumpkin for cooking millet porridge with a spoon.
Pumpkin cubes are usually placed first in the pots, which should fill the container up to half. Then add salt and sugar to taste. After the washed cereal is poured, it is quite possible to add a few more pieces of pumpkin on top of the millet layer. Then everything is poured with milk, closed with a lid and sent to a preheated oven for forty-five minutes.
Fifteen minutes before readiness, it is worth removing the lids from the pots, then the porridge with pumpkin will turn out to be not too liquid and viscous. In addition, this will allow an appetizing golden brown crust to form on the surface of a fragrant and very healthy porridge.
In a similar way, you can cook other delicious cereals - rice, buckwheat, etc. In addition to carrots (sweet versions of dishes), other vegetables are perfect as an addition, for example, zucchini, eggplants, peppers and of course onions.
Dough lids
The pots may be sold complete with lids. However, some chefs prefer to cook without them, because the ruddy dough lid looks very appetizing, complementing the dish in a pot. It is important that such coatings allow vegetables to lose less moisture during cooking, retaining liquid and nutrients. A mug of unleavened or puff pastry also enriches the taste of the food itself - the lid can be eaten instead of bread, especially if herbs, butter or cheese are added to it.
For the manufacture of such a lid, unleavened dough is best suited, for kneading which there is enough flour and water. Some people use chicken eggs, but they can be completely dispensed with. The proportions must be determined based on the number of pots and the size of their necks. Circles from the rolled layer are cut using a plate of a suitable diameter or a saucer.
An unusual and very effective double lid is obtained, which can be made from two circles. To do this, roll out the lower layer of dough thicker and close the neck of the pot, pressing the edges a little. To the resulting surface is added a mixture of finely chopped or chopped fresh herbs, optionally a little crushed garlic. To taste, butter and cheese are also quite acceptable, but it is very important not to overdo it here: the excess volume will push or "melt" the dough. Then the contents of the lid will simply fall into the pot while cooking. From above, the greens are closed with a thinner circle of dough, the edges are similarly pressed. Several punctures with a toothpick will insure the lid against bursting in the oven.
A few minutes before the dough caps are ready, you can grease with a beaten egg (or just protein), and also sprinkle with lightly toasted sesame seeds.
You can also use puff pastry for the lids, but in this case it must be borne in mind that it bakes very quickly. Therefore, this type is best used for dishes that need a quarter of an hour in the oven, otherwise the lid may simply burn out.
