If it ain’t broccoli, don’t fix it
It’s funny now to think about the list of foods I absolutely dreaded as a kid, compared to what I eat now. Veggies like Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli were the stuff of dinnertime nightmares. Living out in the boondocks, I would daydream about living in town close enough to ride my bike to a McDonald’s and how that would be the pinnacle of living. Now, my tastes have completely flipped, because my food palate has evolved since I am no longer an idiot kid. Imagine if the only foods I still liked were cardboard cheeseburgers, nuclear orange cheese dust chips, and cellophane wrapped snack cakes. Actually, I don’t have to imagine it at all, seven years ago that was pretty much how I ate, and the extra 80 lbs of body fat and pre-diabetes bore witness to all the carnage.
If any of you out there are suffering from arrested development and still eat like you are 10 years old, just try new foods again. Live a little. In the grand scheme of things, tasting a vegetable you hated as a kid is not that big a risk. Most people treat it like jumping out of an airplane or investing their entire life savings in Bitcoin. On the grand scale of life adventures, it rates a .001 on the scale, so don’t be afraid to try it again.
That being said, if the only way these vegetables were cooked for you was boiled to death like Bugs Bunny in the Green Witch’s cauldron, and then served limp and lifeless and drained of all its nutrients, I don’t blame you for being hesitant. I will still take a hard pass on any food prepared that way. Not only is it soft and mushy like baby food, all the healthy bits are left behind in the pot. Water is a solvent, and boiling water is extra strength.
Water can carve out canyons and move entire houses 20 miles away from where you left them, and it can damn sure do a number on your food. All that green color in the water from boiling broccoli is the vitamins it leached out during it’s torture session. Roasting is the way to go for me. It creates flavor and texture profiles that turn broccoli from bleh to blown away, and keeps the vitamins right where they should be…in the broccoli. You can also control the flavor profile any way you want, from chili powder and cumin, to garlic powder and red pepper flakes for some kick. I can honestly say that given the choice between some fast food offering of fries, or my baked broccoli, just on taste alone I am team green. I can’t keep this stuff in the house when I make it.
And reheating is simple, just throw in a toaster oven or right in a hot skillet for a few minutes, and it’s ready to go just like brand new. It’s great as a side, or to fill out casserole dishes to stretch both your dollar and cooking time. If you have an electric roaster you normally only break out at Thanksgiving, sticking these out on the porch to cook in that also saves heating up the kitchen during these hot summer months.
The stalks are also fantastic. If you are just cutting off the florets and chunking the stalks, I beg you to go buy a $10 mandoline slicer and get a kevlar glove from Amazon. Just peel the outer layer, slice thin, and those babies roast right up into crispy brown deliciousness. The benefits of broccoli are numerous, heart health, cancer protective compounds, eye health, metabolism, immune system, anti-inflammatory properties…I could keep going but you get the picture. If you or your family turns your nose up at this side dish, be brave enough to give this a try and see if you don’t just surprise yourself. Who knows, you might even bungee jump off a suspension bridge next.
Roasted Broccoli
Ingredients:
2 -3 heads of broccoli and stalks
1/2 tsp sea salt, fresh pepper, onion powder, garlic powder (and whatever else you fancy)
1 tbsp Olive oil
Instructions:
Cut the heads off the stalks. Wash the florets under water and let dry while preparing the stalks:
Use a peeler to strip away the outer layer of the stalks. Use a mandoline slicer set to thin to cut the stalks, stopping short of the root end. Make sure to use the handguard or a kevlar glove so you stop cooking with the same number of fingers that you started with:
Rough chop the florets and toss in a bowl with the sliced stalk and the other ingredients, mix well to coat. Roast at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, flip and stir, then roast again for another 5 minutes:
Serve as the best side ever:
See the list of all Jason Murphy’s recipes at www.mysaline.com/jason-murphy.