Here’s proof that there’s nothing boring about broccoli
I always buy coffee when I’m at the grocery store because I hate to run out. I also always buy broccoli for the same reason. I eat it all the time, and not just steamed and with a squeeze of lemon, although that’ll do in a pinch.
Its health benefits (and those to your pocketbook — it’s almost always about a dollar for a head) aside, broccoli is a great staple to always have on hand because there are endless things to do with it. Whether roasted, steamed, chopped, stir-fried, or pureed and turned into a soup, it works in all sorts of recipes, cold or warm.
Even though broccoli doesn’t take long to cook — 10 minutes in the steamer or 20 if you’re roasting it in the oven — I like to make a batch and keep it in the fridge so it’s there when I need some green, whether it’s added to a salad, an omelette, or chopped up and sprinkled on top of a homemade pizza.
Steamed broccoli has a softer flavor than roasted, and the stalks are good to eat, too — just peel the outer layer to make them easier to digest, then chop them up and add to whatever it is you’re making. I like to pair broccoli with ingredients that’ll stand up to broccoli’s personality; the bolder the flavor, the better.
Salty, briny Kalamata olives in the recipe for tartine with tapanade. Tuna and peppery arugula in the big salad, great for a weeknight dinner. Equally forthright spinach in the do-aheadable tart, which freezes and heats up as nicely as it cooks up the first time you make it. My favorite, a wintery take on summer’s Italian classic salad with crisp homemade croutons, roasted broccoli, sweet oven-roasted tomatoes and as much balsamic splashed on top of it all as you can stand.
See what I mean? There is nothing boring about broccoli.
Ellise Pierce is the author of “Cowgirl Chef: Texas Cooking With a French Accent” (Running Press, $25); www.cowgirlchef.com, @cowgirlchef.
Broccoli bread salad with oven-roasted tomatoes and radicchio
Makes 4 to 6 servings
2 pounds Roma tomatoes
10 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
Sea salt and cracked pepper
1/2 loaf ciabatta bread or a baguette
1 head broccoli, cut into florets with some stalk
1 head radicchio
1 cup grated pecorino
Balsamic vinegar
1. The night before you make the salad, roast the tomatoes. Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Halve the tomatoes, removing the insides and seeds, and lay them on a large baking sheet inside-up. Drizzle with 5 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Cook for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
2. Make the croutons. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Tear the bread into 1-inch pieces and put on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, and bake until brown and crispy, about 15 minutes.
3. Roast the broccoli. Heat oven to 425 degrees and put the broccoli on a large baking sheet. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Assemble the salad. Cut the radicchio head in half and tear the leaves into 1-inch pieces. Put these into a large bowl, along with: 1 cup oven-roasted tomatoes, 6 cups croutons, 2 cups broccoli and pecorino. Drizzle a little balsamic on top with some olive oil and toss. Taste for seasonings. Serve.
Save time: The first two steps can be done a day or two in advance.
Nutritional analysis per serving, based on 4: 646 calories, 47 grams fat, 42 grams carbohydrates, 17 grams protein, 29 milligrams cholesterol, 710 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber, 64 percent of calories from fat.
Broccoli salad with arugula, tuna and lemony vinaigrette
Makes 4 servings
1 head broccoli, florets removed
4 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and cracked pepper
2 pounds fingerling potatoes, halved
2 handfuls arugula
1 avocado, chopped
7 ounces tuna in olive oil, drained
Lemony vinaigrette, recipe follows
1. Roast the broccoli. Heat oven to 425 degrees and put the broccoli on a large baking sheet. Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides.
2. Roast the potatoes. Toss the halved potatoes in a bowl with the other 2 tablespoons olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Lay them insides-down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, turn the potatoes over and roast for 10 minutes more or until cooked through.
3. Put the broccoli, potatoes, arugula, avocado, and tuna in a large bowl and toss with some of the lemony vinaigrette. Taste for seasonings. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Lemony vinaigrette:
Makes 3/4 cup
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
Put all of the ingredients in a jam jar and give it a good shake. Taste for seasonings.
Nutritional analysis per serving, including dressing: 502 calories, 26 grams fat, 49 grams carbohydrates, 23 grams protein, 9 milligrams cholesterol, 217 milligrams sodium, 7 grams dietary fiber, 45 percent of calories from fat.
Broccoli spinach tart with dill
Makes 1 (10-inch) tart; serves 6
1 head broccoli, florets removed
8 ounces frozen spinach, thawed
1 precooked tart shell, such as Whole Wheat Oatmeal, recipe follows
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella, Cheddar, or a mix
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup whole milk
Pinch nutmeg
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees and line a 10-inch tart pan with parchment.
2. Steam the broccoli florets by putting them in a steamer basket over simmering water for 10 minutes.
3. Lay the broccoli florets and spinach in the precooked tart shell and sprinkle with cheese.
4. Whisk together the eggs, milk, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Pour this into the tart shell with the vegetables and bake for 45 minutes or until set. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Whole wheat-oatmeal tart crust:
(From “Cowgirl Chef: Texas Cooking With a French Accent”)
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup oatmeal (quick)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup ice water
1. Line the bottom of a 10-inch tart pan with parchment paper and heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oatmeal, and sea salt. Mix in the oil and honey. Add the water, little by little (you may not need all of it), and mix just until the dough comes together in a ball.
3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, lay it into the tart pan, and trim the edges by rolling the pin over the top. Prick the bottom with a fork and refrigerate for an hour or pop in the freezer for 30 minutes (my favorite method, because it’s faster), until the dough is nice and firm.
4. Blind bake the crust. Line the frozen crust with parchment and fill it up with pie weights or dry beans, making sure to push them tightly into the edges, where shrinkage can occur. Put the tart pan on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment, and bake for 10 more minutes, so the bottom cooks through. Let it cool off a bit before you fill it.
Nutritional analysis per serving, including crust: 414 calories, 21 grams fat, 41 grams carbohydrates, 19 grams protein, 137 milligrams cholesterol, 529 milligrams sodium, 8 grams dietary fiber, 44 percent of calories from fat.
Tartine with broccoli, tapenade, and blood orange
Makes 4
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
5 large fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 small garlic clove
1 teaspoon capers
1/4 cup olive oil
4 slices bread
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
3 blood oranges
4 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled
1. Make the tapenade. Put the first 6 ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until it’s chunky. Refrigerate until ready to make the tartines.
2. Toast the bread.
3. Steam the broccoli by putting the florets in a steamer basket over simmering water. It’ll take about 10 minutes, tops.
4. Supreme the oranges by cutting off the skin, making sure to remove all of the pith, then slicing out the sections.
5. Assemble the tartines. Put 1 to 2 tablespoons tapenade on the toast, top with broccoli florets and orange slices. Sprinkle goat cheese on top.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 351 calories, 21 grams fat, 34 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams protein, 8 milligrams cholesterol, 495 milligrams sodium, 9 grams dietary fiber, 52 percent of calories from fat.
This story was originally published February 17, 2017 at 11:54 AM with the headline "Here’s proof that there’s nothing boring about broccoli."