These Aren't Your Mother's Broccoli Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook broccoli if you don't like it? ›

Garlic and butter help make broccoli taste irresistible. Simply sautee the broccoli in a pan with just a little butter, some onions and grated garlic and voila! Add a drizzle of lemon if desired.

Broccoli contains varying amounts of bitter compounds depending on the type. Standard broccoli is relatively mild in flavor, while Chinese broccoli is slightly more bitter, and broccoli rabe contains the highest level of bitter compounds.

In conclusion, the current study clearly shows that nutrient and health-promoting compounds in broccoli are significantly affected by domestic cooking. All cooking treatments, except steaming, caused great losses of chlorophyll and vitamin C. Only boiling and stir-frying/boiling caused the loss of total carotenoids.

Steaming broccoli is quick and easy, and it's considered one of the healthiest ways to prepare the vegetable. Instead of submerging the florets and stem into boiling water or roasting them in the oven, the broccoli is placed in a steamer basket over simmering water and covered with a lid.

Honey adds a little complexity and maxes out the flavor. Published May 3, 2022. As far as vegetables go, broccoli rabe isn't always at the top of everyone's list of favorites.

To make your broccoli rabe less bitter, toss it in a pot of boiling salted water for one minute, then drain out the liquid. Then you'll want to quickly plunge the broccoli rabe into an ice bath to stop the cooking process and prevent your broccoli rabe from ggetting soft.

The classic bitter taste of Brassica vegetables is commonly thought to be due to compounds called glucosinolates. When we chew a big mouthful of broccoli or cauliflower these molecules are converted into a chemical called isothiocyanate, which is responsible for the pungent flavor many struggle to overcome.

It's definitely hard to find a spice or herb that doesn't work with broccoli or broccolini. Any combination of garlic, salt, pepper and any classic herbs, (basil, rosemary, sage, parsley, tarragon, thyme, etc.,) is a surefire way to treat these veggies right.

Break apart the florets. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook, uncovered, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes depending on the size of the florets. Drain into a colander, transfer to a plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with lemon wedges.

Broccoli has a high insoluble fibre content and requires more time to digest. The best time to consume broccoli is around breakfast or lunch so that your body has time to absorb it. You should eat it often as it is a green vegetable with various nutritious benefits. One can eat broccoli 2-3 times a week to lose weight.

How do restaurants make broccoli so good? ›

How do restaurants make broccoli taste so good? As with everything made by chefs, they have unexpected (read: unhealthy) additions to their meals — mostly butter, oil and heaps of salt. An excellent tip for the perfect broccoli is the blanching step.

Cooking (Or Not Cooking) Broccoli To Protect Its Nutritional Riches : The Salt Cooking broccoli too long destroys the beneficial enzyme that breaks down chemicals into cancer fighters. The best way to eat it is raw or steamed for just two to three minutes, a nutrition expert says.

Broccoli can be eaten raw, but blanching it quickly in boiling water helps give it a more crisp-tender texture and bring out its flavor. Broccoli can also be steamed, sautéed, and roasted. You could even throw long spears on the grill!

How do restaurants make broccoli taste so good? As with everything made by chefs, they have unexpected (read: unhealthy) additions to their meals — mostly butter, oil and heaps of salt. An excellent tip for the perfect broccoli is the blanching step.

Play with texture: If you hate mushy vegetables, try raw, shredded, roasted or stir-fried versions instead. Love crunchy foods? Try baked kale or beet “chips.” Enjoy more soups: If the texture of both raw AND cooked vegetables is not your thing, puree them instead.

Boiling leaches out the vegetable's water-soluble vitamins in these vegetables, such as vitamin C and folate, as well as many of the glucosinolate compounds, which are water-soluble, too. Moreover, too much exposure to high temperatures destroys the enzyme that converts the inactive glucosinolates to active compounds.

Blanching Broccoli

Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add a tablespoon of salt and then add the broccoli and cook until just crisp-tender, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the broccoli. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately add to the ice water to stop the cooking process.