Ingredient: Broccoli (calabrese)
Category: Vegetables
Season: June to November:
Broccoli is a plant of the Cabbage family, Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae). It is classified as the Italica Cultivar Group of the species Brassica oleracea.
Broccoli possesses abundant fleshy flower heads, usually green in colour, arranged in a tree-like fashion on branches sprouting from a thick, edible stalk. The large mass of flower heads is surrounded by leaves.
Broccoli most closely resembles cauliflower, which is a different cultivar group of the same species, but broccoli is green rather than white.
Commonly grown types of broccoli:
The most familiar is sometimes called Calabrese in Great Britain and simply 'broccoli' in North America.
It has large (10 - 20 cm) green heads and thick stalks, and is named after Calabria in Italy where it was first cultivated. It is a cool season annual crop.
Sprouting broccoli has a larger number of heads with many thin stalks.
It is planted in May to be harvested during the winter or early the following year in temperate climates.
Romanesco broccoli has a distinctive fractal appearance of its heads, and is yellow-green in colour.
It is technically in the Botrytis ( cauliflower ) cultivar group
Purple cauliflower is a type of broccoli sold in southern Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
It has a head shaped like cauliflower, but consisting of tiny flower buds. It sometimes, but not always, has a purple cast to the tips of the flower buds.
It is usually boiled or steamed or stir-fried, but may be eaten raw and has become popular as a raw vegetable in hors-d'oeuvre trays.
It is high in vitamin C and soluble fiber and contains the multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties including diindolylmethane and selenium.
A high intake of broccoli has been found to reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.
The Broccoli leaf is also edible and contains far more betacarotene than the florets
Preparation & cooking
Cut it into even-sized florets measuring about 2 inches (5 cm) each
Steam them till tender- 4-5 minutes.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice, a little butter or a sprinkle of grated cheese to just melt into the flower heads.
You can also roast broccoli tossed in a little oil and seasoning- just place in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 6, 400øF (200øC) for 25 minutes.
To stir-fry for 2 people:
Separate 8 oz (225 g) of florets into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces and slice the stalk bits into tiny diagonal slices.
Stir-fry in 1 dessertspoon of very hot oil for 1 minute, add 1 teaspoon of grated ginger and a crushed clove of garlic. Stir-fry for another minute, then add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of dry sherry.
Cover with a lid and continue to cook until tender- about 2 more minutes.
Broccoli (sprouting), February to March- After the lean winter months, the first fresh green Vegetables to herald spring is sprouting broccoli, with its purple or white flowery heads.
It has a lovely, sweet, very green kind of flavour and tender stalks.
Eat the leaves, stalks and heads when its very young.
Steam them, sprinkled with salt, for 3-4 minutes.
4 oz (110 g) per person. |