Long-Cooked Broccoli
Published July 4, 2021
- Total Time
- 1¼ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2pounds large-headed broccoli
- 8garlic cloves
- ½cup olive oil, plus more for serving
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
- 3salt-packed anchovies or chopped oil-packed anchovies (optional)
- 1lemon, halved
- Pecorino Romano, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
244 calories; 20 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 452 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Pick off the coarse leaves from the broccoli stems, and peel away any tough skin with a vegetable peeler. Break up the head into a few large florets, then slice each one lengthwise, cutting through the stem and top to make ⅛-inch to ¼-inch-thick cross sections. Put the broccoli in a wide saucepan, about 3 inches deep, with a fitted lid.
- Step 2
Peel and slice the garlic, and add to the pan with 2 cups water, the olive oil and red-pepper flakes. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Bring to a boil, then cover the broccoli and simmer on low for about 50 minutes, until the broccoli is tender and just beginning to crumble and the liquid is nearly completely evaporated. If the pot starts to go dry before the cooking time is up, add a splash of water to keep it going.
- Step 4
Rinse, fillet and chop the salt-packed anchovies, if using. When the broccoli is cooked through, toss with lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice and anchovies, if using, then scrape into a serving dish and cover with a drizzle of olive oil and grated cheese. Serve warm, or at room temperature.
Private Notes
Comments
Broccoli+garlic+umami works superbly. Vegan anchovy subst: fermented bean paste, soy sauce (reduce salt). Some tips: * Broccoli leaves taste fine. * For step 2, saute veg. with umami source+oil. For regular (vs large-head) broccoli, cut stems into coins, saute them (+chopped leaves) before florets, which cook fast. * Add water only at Step 3 (1/2 cup, not 2). Pan-steaming (vs boiling) preserves some texture, as in Chinese recipes. * Garlic lovers: add *minced* garlic(+lemon) at step 4 (not 2).
Does the broccoli retain the same nutritional value when cooked this way?
I Use a very simple way to cook broccoli and pasta. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil throw in the macaroni (I use penne) and small chunks of broccoli and cook until the pasta is done. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and broccoli.Put the pot back on the heat, add olive oil, red pepper flakes and finely chopped garlic, heat oil and garlic for 30 seconds add back the pasta and broccoli. Stir and more olive oil, salt and pepper and cooking water if needed.
Simply put, Disappointing. I’ll try the Italian versions with no water as some have recommended.
I don't know why one would "adapt" an already simple, delicious recipe. In making it, I stuck with the original amount of water, 1 cup. More frightened me that I would end up with boomers delight- mush. I also added a bunch of different veggies to the pot, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, red bell pepper, onion and garlic. I even chunked up a peeled potato and threw it in. Approx 1 hour later, after mostly following the remaining directions, I had a flavorful mixture of veggies. No mush!
The photo looks much prettier than your broccoli turns out. It will look rather a sad grey green but it’s delicious.