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A New Way With Broccoli
by Alice Osborne
FACT: A 5-ounce serving of broccoli stalks has more vitamin C than 2 lbs of oranges!
Don't we all hate to throw away good food, even broccoli stalks? We especially hate to throw away food that tastes good, and broccoli stalks are sweeter than the florets and have a nice creamy texture, so they're worth fiddling with. But cooking an entire bunch in one pot is tricky-mushy florets and crunchy stalks are the rule. How then, can we avoid this problem?
First, we must peel the fibrous outer layer from the stalks. Don't bother trying this with a vegetable peeler-it won't be strong enough. A knife is needed to slice away the tough exterior. However, even when trimmed, the stalks still cook slower than the delicate florets. Therefore the stalks should be cut into much smaller pieces than the florets to erase some of this cooking time difference.
Now, to save you trial and error time, here's what we did that DID NOT work:
- Steaming florets and small stalk chunks together in a basket set in a covered pot of simmering water. The small stalks still took a long time to cook-by then the florets were mushy. Grrrr.
- Microwaving taught us that the difference between crunchy and overcooked was, quite literally, a matter of split-second timing, which seemed to vary from one microwave to the next. Another grrrr.
So we returned to the stovetop and tried cooking the stalks right in the simmering water, with the florets still in the steamer basket. Success! Boiling cooks food faster than steaming, so the stalks and florets were now "done" at the same time. No grrrr now.
We could have stopped here, except for a question from a fellow broccoli-lover: "Why bother with the steamer contraption?" Hmmm, good point. While florets do become water logged when boiled, if they're sitting atop the stalk chunks (without the water touching them), they receive all the steam they need to cook to perfect texture-without any extra "contraptions." We just set the timer for 4 minutes and the broccoli-both stalks and florets-were perfectly cooked every time-and in much simpler fashion to boot! Once it's tender, give it a thorough draining and then toss with your favorite flavorful ingredients.
A DELICIOUS Broccoli Recipe:
Broccoli With Parmesan Bread Crumbs
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 C plain bread crumbs
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1˝ lbs broccoli, steamed to perfect texture
1˝ C shredded Parmesan cheese
- Heat butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When foaming, add bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until dark golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, cook stalk chunks and steam florets to perfect texture.
- Toss hot broccoli with Parmesan cheese in large bowl until cheese melts. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serves 4.
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