Cease Throwing Away the Greatest A part of Your Broccoli—Right here Are 3 Higher Methods to Use It

Simply think about, for a minute, what it should really feel wish to be a broccoli stem. You spend your whole existence struggling to crown your self in flowers, solely to have the crown turn into the only real object of appreciation, taking all of the glory for itself. Your stunning florets are stolen from you, destined to turn into a part of some exalted culinary creation, and also you, unhappy stalk, are tossed within the trash. It hurts. Actual unhealthy. Deep, deep down.

However it does not must be that manner, nor ought to it. Broccoli stems deserve some consideration of their very own, which signifies that for those who’re a kind of individuals within the behavior of throwing them away, you may wish to rethink that.

There’s lots you are able to do with broccoli stalks. It helps to consider them like kohlrabi, which is nothing if not a big, bulbous stem of broccoli. Kohlrabi is nice each uncooked and cooked, with a gentle taste and a crisp, juicy middle—and the identical goes for broccoli stems.

Sauté Them

You will wish to begin by figuring out simply how powerful their exteriors are, peeling them off in the event that they’ve grown too wood with time. After that, you may determine what to do with them. If in case you have sufficient, you may minimize them into batons or slices and sauté them in a sizzling pan with smoking oil, driving sufficient warmth into their surfaces to get some browned spots.

Pickle Them

You would additionally pickle them in a brine, just like the one I take advantage of on this quick-pickled asparagus recipe. It’s going to work simply as properly with broccoli stems. (And, in fact, you may play with the flavorings, utilizing completely different herbs or omitting them, et cetera.)

Take pleasure in Them Uncooked

In all honesty, although, I hardly ever make such a fuss. More often than not, I want to eat the broccoli stems uncooked, both tossed right into a salad or organized on a plate and drizzled with some olive oil and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt. They do not want a lot else. It makes for a enjoyable little predinner snack for the prepare dinner—only a deal with, nothing that may spoil your urge for food.

And, for those who occur to be making a platter of crudités, I implore you to incorporate broccoli stems among the many vegetable choice. Frankly, they’re far superior to these terrible uncooked florets, which get an excessive amount of of the glory as it’s—let’s not heap on much more that they do not deserve.

April 2017