Tonight, broccoli’s on the menu!
If these words cause alarm at home, don't worry. The aversion to broccoli is very common and it’s partly due to the fact that it’s often served as a healthy alternative to the most delicious, carb or starch-filled sides. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to turn boring old broccoli into an appetizing dish. A real delicacy that’s difficult to resist. The recipe is similar to baked potatoes… you can roast them, fry them or sauté them. No matter the method, broccoli served this way is always welcomed by all with appetite and enthusiasm! But first, we need to consider the main characteristic of our healthy green friend: namely its sweet taste, delicate texture and quick cooking time.
Unlike potatoes, broccoli can’t be cooked at high temperatures or subjected to too much time in the oven. The best feature, though, is how fast they cook! Recipes with broccoli are always easy and quick. Just blanch the broccoli in salted water for about three minutes. That’s it!
With béchamel and rosemary
Place a generous layer of béchamel sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish followed by the broccoli tops (already blanched and drained). Add another layer of béchamel sauce and a last layer of broccoli. Season with rosemary sprigs as desired and bake at 350°F for 10 - 15 minutes until a crust forms.
Savory pie style
To make this recipe, use a spoon to blend about half of the boiled broccoli with a cream sauce in a pastry dough that you’ll bake in the oven. You can prepare the dough however you want: salted short pastry, ready-made pastry or brisée pastry for example. After mixing the broccoli and cream in the pastry dough, we suggest a plentiful portion of different kinds of soft cheese (grated coarsely) for an even tastier version! Top off your savory pie with the remaining boiled broccoli tops. Bake according to instructions for your pastry dough recipe.
On foccaccine
This recipe is perfect for bringing the true veggie-haters one step closer to maybe (just maybe!) liking broccoli. We usually prepare the foccaccine as an appetizer that’s known and loved by all (they’re basically just mini focaccia loaves). Just add broccoli and cheese! Honestly, this recipe is a game-changer…and a totally awesome way to eat broccoli! To prepare, boil broccoli stems in salted water for about ten minutes. Turn broccoli over and boil the tops for three minutes more. Blend the stem in a food processor or blender and once cooled. Add broccoli purée to some greek yogurt for a thick and creamy sauce. Take some pizza dough and with greased hands, start to form small scones. Fill scones with broccoli tops (all seasoned with oil, salt, pepper and small pieces of smoked scamorza cheese). Bake at 425°F for 18 - 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top off the dish with yogurt-broccoli cream sauce and a few of the remaining broccoli florets.
With baked pasta
First, boil broccoli tops in salted water for three minutes. After draining the broccoli, boil pasta in the same water used previously. For the pasta, we suggest ditaloni or maccheroncini. Boil pasta for half the time indicated on the package. In a pan drizzled with olive oil, heat and melt some anchovy fillets into the pasta and broccoli. Add pine nuts or raisins or both! Turn the stove off and transfer to a baking dish. Complete the dish with lots of Parmigiano Reggiano and pecorino cheese. Bake on broil for 6 - 8 minutes and serve with remaining boiled broccoli.