Soft Broccoli with Brown Butter

There is nothing worse than stinky overcooked broccoli, unless it's stinky over cooked cabbage. So it has taken me a long time to embrace the idea of slowly cooking broccoli to the point of nearly falling apart tenderness. I'm not sure why the slow cooking method works, but it does, at least this method does for me. For this dish I used some good sized side shoots that had the tough skinned bottom part of the stems removed and I left the leaves on. I didn't weigh the broccoli, but it was about 10-12 pieces which was enough to fit comfortably into a 10-inch skillet. One great thing about this preparation is that it takes very little attention and you really don't have too worry too much about overcooking the broccoli.

Broccoli shoots, trimmed as described above

3-4 tablespoons butter

salt

freshly ground black pepper

best quality vinegar, preferably one with a little sweetness, I used Katz Viognier Honey

Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat until the solids in the butter start to brown. Add the broccoli shoots to the skillet, laying them side by side, I nestled them in with the heads in alternating directions, they should sizzle a bit, and cover the skillet. Allow them to cook for a few minutes, until the florets have browned slightly, then turn the broccoli, cover the pan again and allow to cook a few more minutes. Season the broccoli with salt to taste, turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover the pan and allow the broccoli to cook, it should release enough liquid that it will steam in its own juices. Don't peek too often or the pan may dry out, if it does run dry add just a bit of water. Cook until it reaches a desired degree of tenderness, then season with freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of vinegar. Serve immediately, or it will hold a few minutes if covered and taken from the heat.

About 4 servings.

Broccoli Frittata - Two Ways

Broccoli Frittata

1 pound blanched or raw broccoli side shoots, or heading broccoli cut into florets

olive oil as needed

2.5 oz. sliced pancetta cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 cup (.5 oz) oven candied cherry tomatoes or chopped dried tomatoes

1/2 large sweet onion cut into slivers

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

8 large eggs

salt and fresh ground black pepper

4 oz. feta, coarsely crumbled

3 sprigs fresh basil, stems removed and leaves chopped

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Toss the blanched broccoli with some olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet. Roast for 15 to 17 minutes (I used convection) until the florets are starting to brown but are not dried out. If you are using raw broccoli it will take longer to roast and you should keep an eye on it and remove it from the oven when the florets are starting brown and then seal the hot pan with some foil so that broccoli stems will finish cooking in their own heat. The broccoli stems should still be crisp-tender. When cool enough to handle, chop the broccoli into bite-sized pieces.

Cook the pancetta with a tablespoon of olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until the pancetta softens and renders some of its fat. Add the onions and garlic to the skillet and continue cooking over medium-low heat until the onions are translucent. Drain the onion-pancetta mixture in a heat proof strainer over a bowl to catch the oil. Clean the skillet and return the captured oil to it and add another tablespoon of olive oil, place the skillet over medium-low heat and allow it to heat up while you assemble the egg mixture.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste, remember that the pancetta and feta are a bit salty. Stir in the chopped broccoli, onion-pancetta mixture, feta, and basil. Pour the mixture into the heated skillet spreading the contents evenly in the pan and pressing any protruding bits into the egg mixture so that they don't burn in the oven. Cook until the eggs are set around the edges of the pan and are starting to sizzle just a bit. Put the whole pan into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the frittata is cooked through and the top is starting to brown. I don't like to use convection with the frittata because it seems to brown the edges and top too much before the center is set.

Remove the frittata from the oven and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, this will help to release it more easily from the pan. Serve immediately or at room temperature or cold from the refrigerator.

Variation II

Follow the recipe as above but

- substitute smoked bacon for the pancetta

- use plain dried cherry tomatoes instead of oven candied tomatoes

- omit the garlic (if you choose)

- substitute a ball of buffalo mozzarella, cut into cubes, for the feta

- omit the fresh basil and use crumbled dried oregano instead

Chopped Sprouting Broccoli with Various Seasonings

This is the latest version of one of my favorite methods of preparing sprouting broccoli (Piracicaba, Calabrese, Spigariello, etc.) I generally like to blanch, shock, and spin dry the sprouting broccoli as soon as possible after it comes out of my garden. This gets rid of the unwelcome critters that take up residence in the heads and on the leaves. It also makes it easy to prepare a dish like this at a moments notice. The blanched broccoli will keep quite well in the refrigerator for several days.

I vary the seasonings depending on what I have on hand or what I'm in the mood for. Last night I added bacon, onion, pecans, and balsamic vinegar. Bacon is very good with the broccoli but not necessary, sometimes I use a couple of tablespoons of olive oil instead. Or perhaps I'll add some shredded duck confit to the mix instead of the bacon. Other dried fruits such as cherries, cranberries, or figs are good in place of the prunes, or the fruit can be omitted, in which case I generally omit the vinegar as well. Any vinegar that you like can be used instead of balsamic. Sometimes I omit the onion and add garlic instead, or perhaps I'm in the mood for both! The pecans don't have to be glazed, just toast them in a skillet or a 350° oven for a few minutes, or leave them raw, or leave them out. Pine nuts are one of my favorite nuts to use instead of the pecans, in which case I usually toast them in the dry saute pan a bit before I add the bacon. I also like toasted sliced almonds or toasted pepitas. And how could I forget, sometimes I like to spice things up a bit with chile pepper flakes (from homegrown and dried peppers, of course). The variations are endless. I generally serve this as a side dish, or a warm main course salad, but it's also great piled on warm garlic rubbbed bruschetta and drizzled with some of your best extra virgin olive oil and served as an appetizer.

So here's the version we had last night as a main course salad along with a chunk of pate and some toasted sourdough whole wheat bread.

About 1 lb sprouting broccoli, blanched in boiling salted water 1 minute and shocked in ice water, spun dry in a salad spinner
2 tbs butter
about 1/2 cup whole pecans
kosher salt
about 1 tsp honey
4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 large sweet yellow onion, cut into thin 1-inch long slices
8 dried plums, diced
balsamic vinegar

Chop the broccoli into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.

Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat until it starts to foam, add the pecans to the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, tossing the nuts, until they are browned to your liking, it should take just a few minutes. Turn the heat off, sprinkle with salt to taste, add the honey to the pan and toss it all together until the pecans are lightly glazed. Set aside to cool while you prepare the broccoli.

Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until it softens and starts to render its fat. Add the onion and continue to cook, stirring, until the onion softens and a brown glaze starts to develop on the bottom of the skillet. Turn the heat down to medium as the glaze starts to develop. Once the onion has softened, add the broccoli to the pan, and cook, tossing frequently, adding a tablespoon or few of water to help the broccoli steam. Cook until the broccoli it is done to your liking, if you like it soft, turn the heat to low, add a little more water, cover the pan, and let it steam. When the broccoli is done to your liking, turn off the heat, add the chopped dried plums to the pan, break the pecans into pieces (or not if you prefer) and add them plus any butter in the skillet, drizzle in some balsamic vinegar, toss it all together and taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Serve immediately.

Makes about 4 servings.

Eggs and Broccoli for Breakfast

I like to blanch my sprouting broccoli in boiling salted water for about a minute and then shock it in ice water to stop the cooking and keep it bright green. This helps to get rid of any aphids or caterpillars that might be hiding in the buds and leaves. I generally try to blanch the broccoli as soon as possible after harvest and then keep it in the refrigerator to be used at a moments notice. Saturday night I used a big portion of the broccoli that was waiting in the refrigerator in a big pot of Turkey Vegetable Soup. It was quite handy to have more of the blanched broccoli on hand on Sunday morning when I wanted a nice substantial breakfast without a lot of fuss, something to get me through a vigorous hike later that morning. These are not your typical soft scrambled eggs, which I do not like, the eggs are allowed to get a bit brown and crusty and must be scraped off the bottom of the pan so don't use a non-stick pan.

Serves 2

A few spoonfuls of bacon fat if you happen to be cooking a few strips to accompany your eggs, but olive oil or butter works just as well

About 1/4 cup thinly sliced sweet yellow onion

About 1 1/2 cups or more coarsely chopped blanched sprouting broccoli (di Sarno Calabrese for this rendition)

The equivalent of 4 large eggs (5 small from my girls), cracked into a bowl but not scrambled

About 1/2 cup Petit Basque cheese cut into 1/4-inch cubes (or cheese of your choice,  preferably something semi-soft and that melts easily)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat your fat of choice in a medium saute pan (not non-stick) over medium high heat and saute the onion until it starts to brown, add the broccoli and continue to saute the veggies until cooked to your liking, I like to keep the broccoli a bit al dente. Turn the heat down to medium-low and immediately add the eggs to the pan, breaking the yolks but not scrambling them. Let the eggs and broccoli cook together until the eggs become a bit crusty on the bottom, break them up a bit and scrape them off the bottom of the pan with a metal spatula, turning them over to cook the runny parts of the eggs. Once a light crust has formed on the bottom again, add the cubed cheese, break up the mixture a bit more and toss it a bit to cook any runny parts that might be left and to incorporate the melting cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve on warmed plates with a couple of slices of crispy thick cut bacon. Some fruit on the side is nice too.

A couple hours after consuming that you should go for a three hour hike and enjoy the nice weather!