Sauté Secrets

1. Cut vegetables into pieces that are roughly the same size so that they cook evenly. For a broccoli-mushroom-spinach medley, this means that all the broccoli pieces should be equally sized and the mushrooms – either small and cooked whole or large and cooked sliced – should be, too. The fresh spinach should be cut into pieces that complement the broccoli and mushrooms – neither large enough to to overwhelm them nor so small that the presence of the spinach is diminished in the final dish.

2. Heat the sauté pan over medium heat for several minutes before adding the vegetables. Sautéing will not only take longer if the pan is cool, but the vegetables may release liquid as though they were steaming instead of sautéing.

3. Sauté vegetable varieties in order of weight, with the heaviest hitting the pan first. In this case, the broccoli should be cooked first, followed by the mushrooms and then the leafy spinach. However, even a firm vegetable like broccoli should emerge from a sauté pan a bit crispy, not mushy.

4. Refrain from overcrowding vegetables in a sauté pan. They should form a single layer in the pan, with room to overturn them while they cook. However, unlike stir-frying – during which food is cooked at a very high heat and is in constant motion – sautéing requires a somewhat lower temperature and frequent stirring.

5. Cook sautéed vegetables quickly. The longer vegetables cook, the more vitamins they stand to lose. In practical terms, this means to feel free to turn up the heat a bit if you fear the vegetables are taking too long to cook. The vegetables will emerge the better for it: crispier, tastier and more nutritious.

The Sauté Process

1. Wash and cut the broccoli, the first vegetable to go into the sauté pan. Cut lengthwise through the stem to allow the florets to separate but the buds to remain intact.

2. Rub off dirt from the mushrooms while holding them under cool water. Rinse them thoroughly and then pull out the stems. Use the mushrooms whole or cut them in half, but try to make them roughly the same size.

3. Soak the spinach leaves in a water bath for about 15 minutes before swirling them around to remove any impurities or rinse the leaves thoroughly under running water. Drain the spinach in a colander and then let it dry on paper towels. Cut the leaves, if you wish, but err on the side of using larger pieces than smaller ones for your medley.

4. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. When you see a few bubbles – a sign that the pan is hot – add the broccoli and sprinkle the pieces with salt.

5. Expect the broccoli to take about 10 minutes to cook and the mushrooms to take about a total of five minutes. So, turn the broccoli pieces over after five minutes and then add the mushrooms.

6. Add a little minced garlic to the sauté pan, if you wish. Adding it at this point will help ensure that it doesn’t burn. Stir the broccoli and mushrooms and then add the fresh spinach. The spinach will cook very quickly, so stir it once or twice and it should be ready.

7. Sprinkle your broccoli, mushroom and spinach medley with a seasoning, such as thyme, or with some grated Parmesan cheese before serving.