What's your favorite way to enjoy broccoli?
Health-wise, broccoli is a magic bullet. Taste-wise & versatility-wise, broccoli is must eat vegetable for me. I add to omelets, make a creamy soup or toss with fresh hot pasta. What do you do with these miniature trees?
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33 Comments:
steamed with lemon pepper OR
tossed with garlic, oil and pasta
choc_puddin at 5:42AM on 10/17/07
what choc said, plus just raw. Yum!
thebrokedown at 6:08AM on 10/17/07
Broccoli tempura is fun. Sometimes I make a veggie bake with broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, turnips and whatever else looks good at the market. Lots of great cheese and topped with buttery breadcrumbs. Not very healthy after that, but it's nice for a change.
We also stir fry broccoli with shrimp, mushrooms, snow peas, herbs, seasoning, tamari and brown rice.
hereandthe at 8:26AM on 10/17/07
I love broccoli raw. but roasted is fantastic too especially with cauliflower, and a little olive oil and sea salt throw in some mushrooms and there's dinner.
huney_bumper at 8:31AM on 10/17/07
Oh, I love broccoli so much. I think stir-fried with spicy red pepper and garlic is my absolute favorite way to serve it, though steamed is nice too, and it is great added to most pasta dishes...but unfortunately, my boyfriend is broccoli-averse to the point of being nauseated by its cooking smell, so I only ever make it while he's out of town. (BTW, he is out of town 'til Friday - thanks for reminding me to seize my broccoli opportunity!!)
producestories at 9:00AM on 10/17/07
Steamed 4 minutes, shock, drain, then saute in garlic, extra virgin olive oil, S&P and oregano.
Also love broccoli rabe. For that I usually heat the olive oil and garlic, throw the washed rabe in, pour in about 1/2 cup water, cover and cook about 7-8 minutes, sprinkle on some crushed red pepper. For me it's all about the pot liquor - crusty bread - you can't go wrong.
chiff0nade at 9:41AM on 10/17/07
I confess... there is no way for me to enjoy broccoli. I've tried it many different ways and I still just can't eat it. I have the same problem with cauliflower (albino broccoli). Fortunately, my daughter doesn't have the same aversion that I have. She seems to love the stuff, though usually she enjoys it steamed and plain.
feep at 10:22AM on 10/17/07
As a centerpiece.
TIGirl at 10:56AM on 10/17/07
chop it into tiny, tiny pieces, then throw it into some hot olive oil in which you've browned some roughly chopped garlic. add the juice of half a lemon and a tablespoon of water. cover and steam until tender, then add a big handful of finely grated parmesan and stir til it's melted. { this is a parmesan delivery system.} when i'm feeling ambitious i toss a handful of toasted pine nuts over it.
cybercita at 11:11AM on 10/17/07
cream of broccoli soup
grampart at 11:53AM on 10/17/07
last week i took some steamed broccoli and put it in my mini food processor. i added some lemon juice, parmesan and garlic, i think some bread crumbs as well. i stuffed it in fish w/diced tomatoes.. it was a nice change to my norm of spinach. i think i ate most of it like a broccoli mash. it was yummy.
jaf at 12:15PM on 10/17/07
Broccoli salad made fresh with sunflower seeds, raisins, grated sharp cheddar cheese. Dress in a mix of mayo, lemon juice and seasoning to taste (I like a dash of tabasco or chipotle) and top with crumbled bacon. A nice dish for potlucks. Also love broccoli and rice casserole made with sauteed onions, cream of mushroom soup and a jar of jalapeno-flavored cheezwhiz (I know it's bad for you, but still!). My kids used to love this made with regular cheezwhiz -- one way to get them to eat broccoli.
hatlady at 12:40PM on 10/17/07
lightly steamed or stir fried with Braggs and Tofu.
StudentStomach at 1:40PM on 10/17/07
My mom used to steam it and serve it with a dollop of mayo. I also like it with pasta.
But my favorite is as a stir fry with whatever other veggies I have, cooked and drained Ramen noodles (or rice), salt, pepper, celery salt and soy sauce. And pork or shrimp. That was my go-to food when I lived by myself.
misseditor at 1:55PM on 10/17/07
Quick saute' with garlic, oil, and red pepper flakes
Sandro at 1:59PM on 10/17/07
I love broccoli Steamed, chopped and tossed w/ a little, olive oil. garlic and feta cheese is awesome. Or sliced in half, lengthwise and browned then steamed with lemon juice and garlic. Yum. But my all time fave, and only understood by people who grew up in Hawaii (I think), is lightly steamed broccoli, chilled, and served with a dip made of mayo/shoyu. The best, best, best thing in the world.
rockykay at 2:17PM on 10/17/07
I gave up broccoli one year because I like not having the gas issue. Broccoli and me are not compatible. Still eat broccoli rabes though. Every now and then I will eat some steamed and then toss down a gas pill.
JerzeeTomato at 3:00PM on 10/17/07
Sandro - Right on!
Also, I make a ricotta-walnut pasta that benefits greatly from some blanched (right in the pasta water!) broccoli.
blog in my soup at 3:57PM on 10/17/07
The broccoli and shrimp combo works for me. Stir fried with rice, sauteed w/ garlic over pasta, topped with a simple creamy sauce w/ parmesean. Mmmm...
Kerosena at 4:51PM on 10/17/07
Thanks for all the comments & creative recipes! I even like the centerpiece idea:)
rockykay---what is shoyu?
JEP at 5:31PM on 10/17/07
Broccoli is definitely a staple. I think the whole broccoli cheddar combo is killer, which means I love me some broccoli cheddar soup, broccoli and cheese on potatoes, and broccoli and cheese in pasta! Delicioso!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 6:58PM on 10/17/07
My favorite ways to enjoy broccoli:
Raw, with ranch dressing or salsa
In pasta alfredo (though I don't eat that very often)
and Asian flavor:
steamed, with soy sauce, red chili flakes, rice vinegar, garlic, and sugar.
Chau at 8:33PM on 10/17/07
baked with parmesean cheese and bread crumbs, not so much cheese that it is a gooey mess, just enough to give it that little something extra....
avryan at 9:55PM on 10/17/07
First blanch then shock the lovely green buggers. Then with a hot pan and a touch of olive oil sauté with minced garlic. 10 seconds in add a dash of chili flakes and splash of soy sauce. Reduce the soy to nearly dry and add a squeeze of lime as you serve. Yeah!
Bunnyman at 12:11AM on 10/18/07
JEP, Shoyu is a Japanese soy sauce that's milder and a little less salty than standard Chinese soy sauce.
rockykay at 8:26AM on 10/18/07
Broccoli salad is my favorite way to eat it.
Second would be broccoli rice casserole.
Then I'd say steamed or raw but when it's raw I cannot eat the stalks.
Tara Tot at 11:49AM on 10/18/07
Soup, soup, soup.
This is pretty much the only reason I ever buy frozen broccoli, since the texture is irrelevant...
Sautee finely chopped carrots and onions or shallots, until tender but not browned. Simmer with broccoli in chicken or veg stock to cover until broccoli is tender but still bright green. Puree. Try to use as little stock as necessary to cook the broccoli and ensure ti won't clog the blender, but still keeping it very thick and hearty.
Return to pan with milk, cream, half/half, evap milk -- whatever -- to desired consistently. Gently reheat. S&P to taste.
MMMMMmmmmmmmm...
Sometimes I add a good melting cheese, like gruyere, because it makes my teenagers so, so happy. But it's truly excellent without it. And it's SO quick, easy and surprisingly filling.
LoCo at 12:18PM on 10/18/07
In a recipe adapted from Anna Rosensweig: cooked down forEVAH in olive oil with sliced onion until the broc and the onion pretty much melt, and then drained and folded into an omelet with some grated cheese and a handful of tiny crisp croutons. Pretty much the best eggs I've ever had.
maggiesara at 2:49PM on 10/19/07
I love the way broccoli carries flavor, so I buy ther stalk-on brocs (not the crown only) and trim off the cut end. Then I slice the stem very thinly all the way up until I am cutting florets. Slice as much stem as I can, keeping tiny florets whole. Throw the pieces of stem into hot oil with aromatics of your choice. Stir-fry until wilted. Add 2 cups white rice, preferably not fresh-made. Add soy sauce to taste. Serve hot, with unsalted roasted peanutsand broccoli florets sprinkled on top. Cheap, nutritious, warming and filling.
annien at 3:34PM on 10/19/07
If I want to keep it pure - my preferred way - I cut most of the giant stalk off the bottom so it will "stand" in a large pot of boiling water and let it steam until the color pops. Cut that baby in half and it only needs a little salt and pepper, although I have been known to make a little garlic/olive oil sauce and drizzle that on them. (hi 5 Sandro! - everything is good with some red pepper flakes!)
I've also come across this recipe for those who aren't so fond of the green tree: cut the little florets off and toss in a cream sauce, fold filo dough around them and fry - WOW! what a treat!
plasticspoontraveller at 4:22PM on 10/19/07
Mr. Meatloaf would say, "Oh someone else's plate". .
lemons at 10:38AM on 10/20/07
Maybe you guys can help...Years ago there was a health food restaurant in lower Manhattan (near Syms) called Scallions (I think). They served the absolute BEST broccoli pesto I have ever tasted. Garlic fumes followed me around for hours after lunch. Any idea how I can score a comparable recipe? Anyone ever eat at the place?
chiff0nade at 12:08PM on 10/20/07
Tossed in olive oil and roasted under high heat until the edges are crispy and brown. Sprinkle with parm cheese and salt and pepper, and eat! I can eat an entire head of broccoli this way. Also roasting eliminates the stinky-broccoli-cooking smell.
Greyhoundgrrl at 11:51AM on 10/24/07