Who has the best broccoli recipe?

[Nanohedron]

So increase your iodine intake.

Real cole slaw was just a way to preserve cabbage over the winter. All it should contain is shredded cabbage and pickling salt. Bury this in the ground for a few weeks in the fall/early winter (getting near freezing every night) in an air-tight container and you have cole slaw. Anything else is just bizarre.

djm

My grandmother used to do this back in the day. We called it sauerkraut.

[Lambchop]

My grandmother used to do this back in the day. We called it sauerkraut.

A Russian tutor I had once--she had just emigrated about 6 months previously--complained that the cabbage in the United States was all water. She said the heads were huge, and looked lovely, but when you got it all packed in the crock, it turned out to be mostly water. She went nuts trying to keep the water poured off. It just kept welling up.

The price of cabbage was attractive, she said, but after you weighed what you ended up with, it was the most expensive vegetable around.

[carrie]

Broccoli
Olive oil
Garlic (lots, then more)
Romano cheese (fresh grated, if you can get it)
Pepper, red pepper, salt

Saute the broccoli and garlic lightly in olive oil. Toss some more oil in with the cooked pasta, then top with the garlic and broccoli. Cheese and seasonings to taste.

Oh yes, wine. Then more.

Just made it. Yum! Perfect for a warm almost-summer day. Thanks!

Carol

[oleorezinator]

the difference between broccoli and boogers? one usually can't get kids to eat broccoli.

[Lambchop]

OK, I was avoiding posting this because it is extremely complicated and takes a lot of prep time, but you've convinced me.

Buy a bag of pre-trimmed broccoli florets. Rinse in water. Dump some into a microwaveable container and pop on the lid. Nuke until the color changes to a brighter, more intense green, but no longer. Dip in Hellman's mayonnaise prior to enjoying.

(djm . . . you can just steam them a bit.)

[Flyingcursor]

OK, I was avoiding posting this because it is extremely complicated and takes a lot of prep time, but you've convinced me.

Buy a bag of pre-trimmed broccoli florets. Rinse in water. Dump some into a microwaveable container and pop on the lid. Nuke until the color changes to a brighter, more intense green, but no longer. Dip in Hellman's mayonnaise prior to enjoying.

(djm . . . you can just steam them a bit.)

Mayonnaise

[Lambchop]

Mayonnaise

What's the problem with mayo? Don't tell me you're one of those people who don't believe in it!!!

Well, if that's the case, just make a nice dressing of olive oil and egg yolks whisked until stiff. Flavor it with a smidge of lemon juice.

[Ro3b]

I found this in Deborah Madison's The Savory Way, one of my go-to veggie cookbooks. I've changed the amounts and method slightly.

Roast a red bell pepper: just turn a burner on your gas range on and put the pepper on it. (Or use your broiler with the rack up in the highest position.) Turn the pepper with tongs till it's black all over, then stick it in a paper bag for ten minutes or so for the steam to loosen the skin. Scrape the blackened skin off with a table knife. Remove seeds and cut into strips, retaining as much of the accumulated juice as possible. Set aside.

Cut your bunch of broccoli into flowerets and steam it a couple of minutes (omit this step if you like the broccoli more crunchy). Slice 1 or 2 cloves of garlic and saute them in good olive oil till golden. Add the steamed broccoli, the roasted pepper and its juice, 10 kalamata olives (pitted and chopped), 2 tsp. chopped fresh marjoram (or 1/2 tsp dried), and a couple of stalks' worth of fresh parsley (chopped). Saute till everything is warmed. Scatter a handful or more of crumbled feta cheese over the mixture, salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

[Doug_Tipple]

Thanks Bloomie and I.B. Your ideas sound pretty good.

The board was really slow while I was cooking, I was unable to retrieve your suggestions... Next time though I'll be ready.

This time I simply steamed and added salt and butter, it was not bad.
The trick in steaming broccoli is to get it just the right amount of "doneness", too mushy is bad, really bad, too raw is not good either.

MMMM, here's a photo of chicken puffed pastry with broccoli. I think it it looks pretty good!

Folks, I don't want to be too picky, but I must confess that the broccoli in the photo looks over-cooked to me. I cook broccoli in a covered pan and boil for 4-5 minutes, using a digital kitchen timer to remind me of the time. When the timer goes off, I remove the lid and strain the hot water (It's now broccoli tea or soup, so don't throw it away!) into a separate container. I immediately get the cooked broccoli out of the hot pot and into a separate bowl. At this point the broccoli should be a bright green color, and not the color of the broccoli in the photo.

I once was invited to Christmas dinner at a friend's house, and one of the vegetables that she prepared was broccoli. I was in the kitchen during part of the meal preparation, and I could see that she was using a pressure cooker to cook the broccoli. The broccoli turned out in the consistency of mashed potatoes. It was awful. If I can give a word of advice, friends, please don't use a pressure cooker to cook broccoli. Also, I have learned that it isn't such a good idea to give a woman a little cooking advice in her kitchen. It tends to spoil the meal, I have learned.

[Sliabh Luachra]

Amen to everything Doug said regarding pressure cookers. . . and giving adivice in the kitchen.

Mark

[djm]

Dip in Hellman's mayonnaise prior to enjoying.
(djm . . . you can just steam them a bit.)

Sorry, love, but I don't care for mayo, or for most salad dips and creams. I could steam it, but that means I would have to pruchase steaming implements, and then spend time in the kitchen preparing food. This is just too much. A better method is as follows:

Take head of broccoli, rinse thoroughly under faucet, shove into face and rip great chunks out with your teeth. Consume. Do this over the sink to minimize clean-up time.

djm

[Lambchop]

Dip in Hellman's mayonnaise prior to enjoying.
(djm . . . you can just steam them a bit.)

Sorry, love, but I don't care for mayo, or for most salad dips and creams. I could steam it, but that means I'd would have to pruchase steaming implements, and then spend time in the kitchen preparing food. This is just too much. A better method is as follows:

Take head of broccoli, rinse thoroughly under faucet, shove into face and rip great chunks out with your teeth. Consume. Do this over the sink to minimize clean-up time.

djm

Ooooo! What a barbarian you are! I like it! Mmmmm!

By "steaming implements," do you mean something like a . . . saucepan?

[djm]

By "steaming implements," do you mean something like a . . . saucepan?

Cookware and bakeware are types of food preparation containers commonly found in the kitchen. Cookware comprises cooking vessels, such as saucepans and fry pans, intended for use on a stove or range cooktop. Bakeware comprises cooking vessels intended for use inside an oven. The terms cookware and bakeware are not exclusive, and it is possible for a single utensil to be used as both cookware and bakeware.

Saucepan redirects here. In Australia "the Saucepan" is sometimes used as an unofficial name for part of the constellation of Pavo, when finding the south by the stars.

Hmm, sorry, I just don't see how you could steam something with just one of those saucepan thingies. Wouldn't you need to somehow suspend a woven basket-type thingy above the water in the saucepan, so that the steam would rise up from the heated water in the saucepan, but not inundate the broccoli?

This is all getting too domestic. I feel a headache coming on ....

djm

[scottielvr]

... anent steaming: If you lack the patience or the gear for proper steaming, as do I, here's another suggestion: Put broccoli florets in a shallow microwave-safe dish with a teensy bit of water, 2 tablespoons or so, with a dash of lemon juice; cover tightly and zap on high power for just a few minutes, 3, perhaps, or to your taste. The florets will be crisp-tender, and keep their pleasing bright green color--no olive-green mush. (Tossing them with a drizzle of garlic butter is a further improvement, natch).

[djm]

zap on high power for just a few minutes

Thanks, but I won't have a nuker in my house.

(I like scotties and other dogs, though.)

djm