Recipes: 3 ways to bring out the full flavor of broccoli

Sturdy stalks enactment umbrella clusters of tightly unopen buds. Often, children accidental that broccoli resembles trees. Adults who person go fans spot it arsenic a verdant vitamin powerhouse, a veg that is simply a versatile star, delicious successful soups, stir-fries, and salads. And pasta dishes, atom concoctions and sheet-pan roasts too.

When buying broccoli, look for those with tightly closed buds that are uniformly green. If leaves are present, they should beryllium greenish not yellow. Stalk bottoms should beryllium greenish arsenic well. Often astatine supermarkets, broccoli is bedewed from predominant sprays of water. I springiness it a bully shingle earlier it goes into my take-home bag. And erstwhile I get home, I enactment 1 expanse of insubstantial towel into the integrative container nether the broccoli and store it successful the fridge, unwashed, for up to 5 days.

As greenish vegetables go, it’s hard to bushed broccoli for the magnitude and assortment of beneficial vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Yes, and cooked with an oculus connected gathering flavor, it tin beryllium delectable. Yes, determination are those who eschew its charm. For those, I suggest substituting its mild-mannered cousin, cauliflower.

Roasted and Toasted Broccoli Bliss is made by placing broccoli florets coated successful panko and food toppings connected to a pre-heated baking sheet. (Photo by Cathy Thomas)

Roasted and Toasted Broccoli Bliss

Heating a rimmed baking expanse successful a blistery oven earlier adding the broccoli ensures that the veg volition person just-right texture and appealing caramelized edges. In this crockery the generous ratio of crunchy panko and food topping to roasted broccoli is beguiling.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 pounds broccoli florets with astir 1-inch of stem

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 spoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 ail cloves, minced

1/3 cupful panko breadcrumbs

3/4 cupful grated cheddar cheese

1/4 cupful finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

PROCEDURE

1. Adjust 1 oven rack to upper-middle presumption and different rack astir 6- to 8-inches beneath broiler element. Place a rimmed baking expanse connected the little mediate rack and preheat oven to 400 degrees. In the clip it takes the oven to heat, the expanse cookware volition get sizzling hot.

2. Toss broccoli florets with olive lipid and brackish successful a medium-size bowl. Turn the broccoli retired onto the blistery expanse cookware (it should sizzle) and roast successful mediate rack until the bottommost of the florets are nicely browned, astir 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, harvester the food and ail successful a tiny ovenproof crockery and spot it successful oven until the food melts, 5 minutes. (Alternatively, harvester them successful a microwave-safe vessel and microwave connected precocious powerfulness successful 15-second increments, swirling betwixt each, until the food melts, 45 seconds to 1 minute.)

4. Place breadcrumbs successful medium-size bowl, adhd the butter-garlic mixture, and flip with a fork. Add cheeses and flip to combine.

5. Remove expanse cookware from oven and sprinkle broccoli with cheesy breadstuff crumb mixture. Turn connected the broiler element. Place the expanse cookware connected the precocious rack. Broil until the food is melted and browned, 1 to 2 minutes (watch the breadcrumbs intimately to forestall burning). Remove from the oven, transportation to a platter, making definite to scrape up each the crispy, crunchy cheesy bits (it’s champion to usage a thin, flexible metallic spatula). Serve.

Source: “Sheet Pan Suppers Meatless: 100 Surprising Vegetarian Meals Straight from the Oven” by Raquel Pelzel (Workman, $16.95)

Broccoli, Beef and Brown Rice Combo features slices of grilled sirloin. (Photo by Nick Koon)

 Broccoli, Beef and Brown Rice Combo

Bejeweled with colorful vegetables and slices of perfectly grilled steak, this classical broccoli-beef operation gets an irresistible makeover successful this one-bowl meal. The fragrant brownish rice-vegetable substance is lightly napped with a tangy peanut dressing earlier a topping of thinly sliced steak is added. Get the prep started successful beforehand to let clip for marination.

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 ample cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoonful soy sauce

1 tablespoonful agave syrup oregon honey

1 spoon roasted sesame oil

1 tablespoonful atom vinegar

1 lb boneless sirloin steak

1 cupful earthy long-grain brownish rice

1/2 spoon salt

1 spoon rootlike lipid oregon canola oil

2 mean carrots, peeled, sliced connected diagonal 1/4-inch thick

1 3/4 cups broccoli florets

3 tablespoons creaseless peanut butter

2 tablespoons seasoned atom vinegar

1 tablespoonful soy sauce

1/8 spoon dried reddish chili flakes

2 teaspoons roasted sesame oil

Garnish: 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, spot cook’s notes

Optional garnish: Chopped cilantro

Cook’s notes: To toast sesame seeds, spot successful tiny skillet connected medium-high heat. Shake grip to redistribute seeds, cooking until lightly browned. Remove from heat, spot seeds connected rimmed sheet and cool.

PROCEDURE

1. Set a ample zipper-style integrative container successful vessel to clasp it upright. Add garlic, soy sauce, agave syrup oregon honey, sesame lipid and vinegar. Poke steak astatine 1-inch intervals with tines of fork. Add steak to container with marinade and seal. Refrigerate astatine slightest 2 hours oregon up to 8 hours, turning container occasionally to redistribute marinade.

2. Prepare rice: In a 3-quart saucepan spot rice, 2 1/4 cups water, brackish and oil. Bring to boil connected precocious heat; disturbance once. Cover with choky fitting lid; trim vigor to debased and mildly simmer 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from vigor and fto stand, covered, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove lid and fluff atom with fork.

3. Meanwhile, bring astir 5 cups of h2o to boil connected precocious vigor successful ample saucepan. Add carrots and navigator until tender-crisp, astir 4 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and acceptable aside. Add broccoli and navigator successful boiling h2o until tender-crisp, astir 6 to 7 minutes. Drain and acceptable aside. Heat grill.

4. Prepare sauce: In mean bowl, disturbance peanut food and 3 tablespoons blistery h2o to combine. Add vinegar, soy sauce, chili flakes and sesame oil; disturbance vigorously to combine. Place atom successful ample bowl; adhd condiment and vegetables. Toss. Taste and adhd brackish if needed. Set speech astatine country temperature.

5. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Grill implicit medium-high vigor astir 3 minutes connected each side; cooking times alteration depending connected grade of doneness preferred, vigor of occurrence and thickness of steak. Set steak speech connected cutting committee and let to remainder 5 minutes. Slice steak into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Spoon atom crockery into 6 bowls. Top with steak slices and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. If desired, garnish with cilantro.

Source: “Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce” by Cathy Thomas (Wiley, $29.95)

Soy sauce, hoisin condiment and dried reddish chili flakes boost the spirit illustration of Broccoli-Tofu Stir-Fry. (Photo by Angie Cao)

Broccoli-Tofu Stir-Fry

Soy sauce, hoisin condiment and dried reddish chili flakes boost the spirit illustration of this speedy stir-fried dish. Be definite to person each the components acceptable and acceptable adjacent to the stove earlier you commencement to cook. The substance is delicious served implicit cooked rice, quinoa oregon farro.

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cupful low-sodium chickenhearted oregon rootlike broth

1 tablespoonful sodium-reduced soy sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Pinch dried reddish chili flakes

1 spoon cornstarch

1 lb extra-firm tofu

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil

1/2 spoon Asian sesame oil

Nonstick spray

3/4 lb caller shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded (or utilized to hole broth for aboriginal use), chopped into 1/4-inch wide slices (other caller mushrooms whitethorn beryllium substituted if caller shiitake are not available)

2 1/2 cups tiny broccoli florets, astir 1 1/2-inches long

3 greenish onions, chopped diagonally into 1/4-inch slices, including fractional of acheronian greenish stalks

1 ample clove garlic, minced

Optional for serving: cooked quinoa, atom oregon farro

PROCEDURE

1. In a tiny bowl, harvester broth, soy sauce, hoisin, chili flakes and cornstarch. Stir to harvester and acceptable adjacent to stove.

2. Drain tofu and pat adust with insubstantial towels. Cut into 1-inch cubes. In a bowl, mildly flip tofu with sesame seeds. Heat oils successful wok oregon large, heavy nonstick skillet connected medium-high heat. Add sesame-coated tofu cubes and stir-fry until nicely browned, astir 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer tofu to plate.

3. Spray skillet with nonstick spray and instrumentality to medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and stir-fry until softened, astir 4 minutes. Add broccoli and stir-fry until broccoli is tender-crisp, astir 4 minutes, adding a tablespoonful of h2o if substance seems excessively dry. Add onions and garlic; stir-fry astir 30 seconds. Stir broth substance adhd to broccoli mixture. Cook, mildly stirring until condiment thickens. Add tofu and mildly toss. If desired, service spooned implicit rice, quinoa oregon farro.

Source: “50 Best Plants connected the Planet” by Cathy Thomas (Chronicle, $29.95)

Have a cooking question? Contact Cathy Thomas astatine cathythomascooks@gmail.com