Broccoli Facts and Recipe Ideas

Did you know that Broccoli contains almost 5 times as much vitamin C, 8 times as much Calcium,
and almost 2.5 times as much Fibre as Potato. 

Broccoli:
Pronounce it: brok-o-lee

Like cabbage and cauliflower, broccoli is a brassica and is sometimes known by its Italian name, calebrese. It has tight clusters of deep green buds and thick, edible stems and was developed from the more loosely packed purple sprouting broccoli. There's little to choose between the two in terms of flavour or nutrition.

Availability:
All year round, but at its best from the end of July to the end of October.

Choose the best:
Go for firm, bright green, undamaged heads (if it's yellow its already past its peak) and firm stalks. As broccoli deteriorates faster when in contact with the air, supermarkets often wrap it in cellophane - always choose the unwrapped type if you can as, if it still looks good, you can be sure that it has been recently picked.

Prepare it:
Trim any woody stem ends or tough leaves with a knife. Divide into small, individual florets, each with a short stem, and diagonally slice the thicker stems. Rinse under cold water. Broccoli boils or steams in 3-6 minutes, depending on the size of floret. In stir-fries, cook it for a couple of minutes, until tender.

Store it:
In an airtight bag in the fridge.

Cook it:
Cook and drizzle with olive oil or melted butter or a handful of grated parmesan; add to a cheesy pasta bake; stir-fry in groundnut oil with chopped garlic and dry fried cashews, adding a drizzle of sesame oil to the pan just before cooking ends.

Alternatives:
Try purple sprouting broccoli or cauliflower.

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Here are two recipes that use broccoli you may wish to try

Chicken Fillets with Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms, Broccoli, Green Beans and Peas

Ingredients
serves two

350g chicken fillet roughly cut into cubes
little olive oil for use in frying pan
salt, pepper and mixed herbs to taste
4 chestnut mushrooms stuffed with cream cheese
selection of green vegetables - broccoli, green beans, peas
chicken stock

See method here

Broccoli and Smoked Salmon Omelette

Ingredients
Serves One
1 tbsp olive oil
100g Tenderstem® Broccoli, each piece cut into 3
Half a small red onion, finely sliced
3 large free-range eggs
Knob of butter
2 tbsp cream cheese
1 tbsp chopped chives
Salt and pepper
50g smoked salmon, cut into strips

See method here

Hope you may enjoy some broccoli soon !

All the best Jan