About Broccoli
Storage
To store, lightly mist or sprinkle the heads with water and wrap very loosely in a damp paper or cloth towel. Broccoli is a vegetable that needs to be kept cold, to help retain nutrients. Refrigerate in an open or perforated plastic bag, as it needs circulation. Will keep for about 4-5 days.
Tips
Waste Not, Want Not:
Broccoli stalks/stems and leaves are loaded with nutrition (stalks are especially high in fiber), are tender and have a mild, delicious flavor.
Add the leaves to salads, soups, and sautés.
Chop the stalks and add to stir-frys, soups, eggs, and other cooked dishes. They also are delicious raw –shred into a slaw or salad, or cut them into sticks (like carrots) and serve with dip.
If part or all of the stalk seems a little tough, peel it. Insert a knife blade under the skin at the base and pull up; the skin pulls off easily, breaking off near the buds. Or you can use a vegetable peeler.
Easiest of all is to rough chop the stalks, and put into a scrap bag in the freezer for a future minestrone or broccoli soup.
Broccoli is excellent when roasted. Just toss with a couple of tsp. olive oil (you don’t need much!), salt and pepper and bake on a rimmed sheet at 400 for 15-20 minutes, or until starting to brown. Variation: sprinkle with a little shredded parmesan in the last 5 minutes of roasting time.
Freezing:
Place dry, blanched* broccoli single layer on a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet and freeze for an hour or so, then transfer into a freezer bag, taking care to push out as much air from the bag as you can. Freezing them on a baking sheet before putting them into a bag will keep them from clumping together. Frozen broccoli will keep for 12-18 months.
*To blanch broccoli: Have a large bowl with ice water ready. Cut broccoli into the floret and stalk sizes you’ll likely want to use. Put into a steamer basket or colander that will fit inside a large soup pot, and submerge into simmering (low boiling) water for 1½-2 minutes, +/- depending on your piece sizes. Working in batches is best, overcrowding your basket will lead to uneven blanching.
Remove and immediately dunk into the ice water; leave there about 2 minutes then drain thoroughly. The ice water bath halts the cooking process and helps preserve flavor, nutrients, and color. Lay broccoli out on paper or cloth towels on your counter to dry.
Nutrition
Broccoli is one of the superheroes of the vegetable kingdom. It is very high in Vitamin A, C, iron, and folic acid -just to name a few. As with all vegetables, the longer you keep it, the more nutrition is lost.
Liz Talley, Urban Graze
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