Broccoli Recipes
1. Broccoli Puree Casserole
2 bunches broccoli (don't toss the stems!)
salt to taste
3 T butter
1/2 t grated nutmeg
3 T grated Swiss cheese
3 T Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350
Place broccoli stems in large pan and add cold water to cover.
Add salt, bring to boil, and simmer 5 min
Add broccoli flowers.
Drain and put through food mill, or use a food process if you can avoid turning this to
mush.
Heat butter in pan and add broccoli.
Season with nutmeg.
Pour into baking dish and sprinkle with cheeses.
Bake about 20 min.
2. Broccoli Garlic Salad
Note: An alternative to freshly steamed broccoli with butter.
9 cps (about 1 1/4 lbs) flowerets
2 T soy sauce
1 t sesame oil
1 batch roasted garlic
1. Add broccoli flowerets to 3 qts boiling water and cook til tender (about 5 minutes).
2. Drain, immerse in cold water til cool, and drain again. Pat dry.
3. Mix soy sauce and oil in a shallow bowl.
4. Add broccoli and garlic; mix lightly.
3. Broccoli Ricotta Souffle
2 T unsalted butter
1/2 c finely chpd onions
1 cp chpd cooked broccoli
1 lb part skim milk ricotta
3 lrg eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cp freshly grated parmesan
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 egg whites
1/4 cp bread crumbs
Heat butter in skillet, add onion and saute over moderate heat, stirring til soft.
Add broccoli and stir for 2 minutes.
Transfer mixture to large bowl.
Add ricotta, whole eggs, paremsan and salt and pepper to taste.
Mix.
Beat egg whites til they hold soft peaks. Fold in 1/2 of whites into the ricotta mixture,
then fold
gently. Add remaining whites gently but thoroughly. (Note: I skipped this step out of
sheer
laziness, used a 2 qt casserole dish, and it was still good.)
Grease a 1 1/2 qt souffle dish and sprinkle with crumbs, shaking out excess. Transfer
mixture to
souffle dish, running your thumb around the edge to make a groove.
Bake 375 for 35-40 min or til puffed and golden brown.
Serve immediately.
This recipe adapted from "Vegetables: The New Main CourseCookbook", Joe Famularo and Louise Imperale, published in Washington Post.
4. Broccoli [Rabe] Bruschetta
Note: We have been unable to successfully grow broccoli in the spring, probably because our garden is like a beach in the summer. When we tried again this year, our small heads flowered. Normally I use them in stir fries, but this year I tried something different. This recipe is adapted from Deborah Madison's Local Flavors. I substituted the broccoli flowers and stems for broccoli rabe, also a member of the Brassica family.
1. Bring pot of water to boil with salt.
2. Coarsely chop stems and flowers. If freshly harvested from garden, they should not need peeling.
3. Add to boiling water, cook till tender, about 5 minutes. Reserve water for pan cooking.
4. In pan with olive oil, add vegetables, minced garlic, pepper flakes. Season with vinegar and reserved water if necessary, to prevent vegetables from burning or wilting. Turn with spatula a couple minutes, then remove from heat.
5. Lightly toast bread in toaster oven or preheated broiler. Rub with halved garlic clove, add cheese,then broil till cheese is slightly melted. Remove and cover with broccoli.