Broccoli is a sweet winter vegetable which can be used in a variety of ways; it can be fried, baked, steamed or boiled. We have been eating HEAPS of broccoli this season, and we never get bored of it. I cook it with varying flavours - it goes very well in Asian cuisine, especially stir fries. Here is a really easy broccoli recipe to prepare and cook. It gives broccoli a Greek flavour and warms you up in the cold weather (we've been having lots of that lately).
You need:
a medium-large head of broccoli (about 600g), cut into florets - you can also use sprouting broccoli
10-12 small potatoes, peeled (if they are of various sizes, cut them in half to make them even-sized)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
1 large fresh tomato, grated
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2 wineglass of olive oil
salt and pepper (and oregano, optional)
Heat the oil in a wide deep pot, and cook the onion and garlic till translucent without burning. Add the broccoli, carrots and potatoes, and stir well to coat all the vegetables in oil. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes on high heat, stirring just enough to stop them sticking to the bottom of the pot. Then add the tomatos and seasonings, with a cup of water (about 250ml). The water should not completely cover the vegetables. Turn the heat down, cover the pot with a lid, and let the vegetables cook till tender (about 30 minutes). Check the pot from time to time to ensure that there are enough liquids, and stir lightly so that the vegetables at the bottom of the pot rise to the top. Take care not to break the potatoes. Serve warm.
This meal tastes even better the next day. It can be re-heated without a fuss. Although it is a vegan dish, it is easily adapted to a vegetarian one. The leftovers can be placed in an ovenproof dish and grilled slightly to give a crispy edge to the vegetables, and/or some cheese can be placed on top. A crusty loaf of bread is vital to mop up the juices in the pot, which are too precious to discard.
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Sounds delicious, Maria! We have always eaten broccoli and of course I ate lots of it during pregnancies.
ReplyDeleteSomeone once asked my son when he was quite young how he got to be so handsome. He said "it was all
that broccoli that mom ate while I was in her tummy." Certainly he could not have remembered getting broccoli
sent to him?? :) Just kidding, but he did say that and I did and still do eat tons of it.
I assume you grow your own broccoli. How do you keep it through the winter or does is just stay in the garden until
you want some? We grow it, too, but have problems with cabbage butterflies who lay their eggs on it. Then before
cooking I have to very carefully scrutinize each little nook and cranny of it to pull off the worms. They blend in with the stems so
perfectly that I have missed some. I have sat down to dinner more than once and found a little cooked green worm sitting on my plate of brocc. Well, of course I can just pick it off and eat but sometimes my tummy objects and I can't choke it down. Silly.
we dont really have big problems with worms but this year we had a lot of aphids - my husband used some kind of organic wash to get rid of them - the cabbages had slugs, and i had to hand-pick those to get them out!
DeleteIm all about antioxidants these days , Broccoli being classes as an anti cancer (superfood) is one of my favorites , the part that i love the best and i eat that same day is the white center of the stems that i eat as is. , of course the rest of the stems with the tops i steam until just right then dress with whisked oil, lemon , salt and pepper ,
ReplyDelete