Christmas is over and a new year has begun at last. We are slipping back into the normal routine, recharged after the break and full of good intentions. The days between Christmas and Epiphany (6th January) are well known to be a time of year when we feast with our friends and families, forgetting about any kind of diet and indulging in food.
But when the festivities are over, we may well feel we have over-eaten and realise that we need to turn to healthier eating choices if we want to keep fit. However, there is no need to sacrifice taste to stay trim - we just need to choose healthy food and use healthy cooking methods, which bring out all the food’s natural flavour without using too many fats. A steam oven is perfect for this purpose and is ideal to prepare fish, meat and vegetable dishes. Let us look through 3 healthy, tasty recipes we can prepare using a steam oven.
- Roast beef
- Sea bass with dried tomatoes and capers
- Ratatouille
Roast beef recipe
Roast beef is an Anglo-Saxon meat dish that is perfect served with seasonal vegetables or puréed potatoes. It is ideal to roast in the Candy Smart Steam oven, which combines the results of a traditional oven with the advantages of steam cooking in the best possible way.
Ingredients for 6 people:
- 2 onions;
- 50 ml sunflower seed oil;
- 2 garlic cloves;
- 1.2 kg of beef (sirloin), already tied;
- salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation:
- pre-heat the oven to 210°C for about 10/15 minutes;
- place the beef on baking paper in a roasting dish;
- peel and cut the onions, and add them to the meat, with the unpeeled garlic cloves;
- cook in a fan oven for about 20 minutes, with the shelf on the 3rd level;
- if you have a Candy Smart Steam oven, add 100 ml of water at the bottom and press the steam button;
- after 20 minutes, turn the heat down to 185°C and cook for another 10/12 minutes.
For greater flavour, occasionally baste the meat with the cooking juices. When fully cooked, cover the roast beef with aluminium foil and leave it to cool for a few minutes. It will then be ready to be sliced and enjoyed with your favourite side dishes.
Recipe for oven-roasted sea bass with sun-dried tomatoes and capers
Sea Bass is a tender and very digestible fish, rich in proteins and with beneficial properties. Its flavour is best combined with the typical notes of Mediterranean cuisine. Let’s see how we can serve it with the extra flavour of dried tomatoes and capers.
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 2 whole sea bass (800 g/1 kg);
- chopped sage;
- rosemary;
- thyme;
- 100 g of salted capers;
- 80 g of sun-dried tomatoes in oil;
- salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation
- Remove the scales and fins from the gutted fish;
- remove the salt from the capers by washing them thoroughly in water;
- drain the sun-dried tomatoes;
- mix the chopped herbs with the salt and pepper and dust the inside of the fishes. Add the capers and sun-dried tomatoes to the stuffing;
- place the fishes in an oven pan lined with baking paper;
- dust the surface of the bass with the remaining chopped herbs;
- cook for about 15 minutes at 180°C, with the rack on the 2nd level. If you have a Candy Smart Steam oven, press the steam button.
To cook for the right amount of time, just check the fish’s eye - when it turns white, it is time to take the fish out of the oven.
Oven-baked ratatouille
Ratatouille is a traditional vegetable side dish from Provence. In the original recipe, the diced vegetables are stewed, but ratatouille can also be oven-cooked. This dish is perfect served with delicate meats, but it is also excellent on fresh bread or with plain rice.
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil;
- 2 cloves;
- 2 garlic cloves;
- 150 g of onion;
- 300 g of yellow peppers;
- 400 g of courgettes;
- 400 g of aubergines;
- 500 g of tomatoes;
- 400 g of washed cauliflower florets;
- Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation:
- Peel the garlic and onion and chop them finely;
- wash the vegetables and dice the peppers, courgettes and aubergines. Peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds, then dice them;
- lightly fry the garlic and onion and, when ready, add the peppers, leaving them to wilt for about 2 minutes;
- lay the peppers and the other vegetables in a terracotta bowl lined with grease proof paper and add salt and pepper;
- bake with the tray on the 3rd level for about 60 minutes, placing 250 ml of water on the bottom of the oven and activating the steam function of the Candy Smart Steam oven;
- should the top of the vegetables should start to darken excessively, cover them with aluminium foil;
- when the vegetables are almost ready, sprinkle the herbes de provence over them and finish cooking. Your ratatouille is ready to be served.
