Broccoli Stir-Fry With Chicken and Mushrooms

by Mark Bittman

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1 pound broccoli, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces, the stems no more than 1/4-inch thick
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
•  Salt
• 1 cup water
• 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch chunks or thin slices and blotted dry
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
•  Freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

1. Put a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add half the oil, swirl it around, and immediately add half the garlic and ginger. Cook for 15 seconds, stirring, then add the broccoli, mushrooms and all but a sprinkling of the scallions. Raise heat to high, and cook, stirring, until mushrooms release their water and broccoli is bright green and beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Sprinkle with salt; add 1 cup water. Stir and cook until almost all liquid evaporates and broccoli is almost tender, another minute or two more, then transfer everything to a plate.
3. Turn heat to medium, add remaining oil, then remaining garlic and ginger. Stir, then add chicken and turn heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken has lost its pink color, three to five minutes.
4. Turn heat to medium. Return broccoli, mushrooms and juices to the pan, and stir. Add soy sauce, sprinkle with more salt and some pepper; add a little more water if mixture is dry. Raise heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced slightly and you’ve scraped up all the bits of chicken. Taste and adjust seasoning, garnish with remaining scallion and serve.

• Stir-fries work with virtually any combination of vegetables; protein-dense food (meat, poultry, fish, tofu, etc.) is optional. Use pork (like shoulder), shrimp, beef (like sirloin), or tofu instead of chicken; slice the meat thinly or the tofu into cubes. Use cabbage, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans, snow peas, carrots or spinach in place of either the broccoli or the mushrooms or both. Or use other mushrooms. Use fish sauce instead of soy sauce and finish with a squeeze of lime to give it a Southeast Asian flavor. Use olive oil, skip the ginger, use onion instead of scallion, and substitute 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary or thyme to give it a Mediterranean flavor profile. Use coconut milk instead of water and 1 tablespoon curry powder instead of soy sauce to give it an Indian flavor profile.

Green Beans with Oil and Lemon

From Keepers.

There's no easier, or zingier, way to perk up plain cooked green beans than by tossing them with equal parts olive oil and fresh lemon juice. This Greek "sauce" called latholemono, is a classic accompaniment to grilled fish and shellfish, but is just as wonderful on grilled or roasted chicken, pork, or lamb, as well as other vegetables such as asparagus, spinach, and broccoli.

You can skip the ice bath and serve the combination hot or warm, if you like, Either way, be sure to dry the beans well before tossing with the sauce or the water will dilute the flavor. Feel free to adjust the amount of oil and lemon juice to suit your taste. Chopped herbs - dill, oregano, parsley, mint - would also be a nice addition.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 lb green beans

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the oil and lemon juice until combined Season with salt and pepper and set the sauce aside.

Fill a large bowl with ice water. Season the boiling water generously with salt; it should taste like seawater. When it returns to a boil, add the green beans and gently boil, stirring once or twice, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, immediately submerge the green beans in the ice water to stop the cooking and retain the color, then drain again when cold and pat dry.

Add the blanched green beans to the sauce and toss to combine. Check the seasonings and serve. The green beans are best eaten within a few hours.

Parmesan Broccoli

Another recipe from Keepers.

Serves 4.

Salt
1 large head of broccoli (about 1-1/4 lbs), cut into small florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Grated zest of 1 lemon, and juice
Freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and season it generously with salt; it should taste like seawater. When it returns to a boil, add the broccoli and gently boil, stirring once or twice, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

In a large skillet, heat the oil, garlic and pepper flakes over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and just starting to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Add the blanched broccoli and cook, stirring often, until coated with the oil and heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon zest and a big splash of lemon juice, season with salt, and toss to combine. Check the seasonings and serve topped with a generous sprinkling of the cheese.

Tip: There's no need to discard broccoli's hard stalks - they taste great and have more fiber than the florets. Just peel them, cut into chunks, and use as you would the florets, cooking them a little longer if needed. Or you can cut them very thin and eat them raw out of hand, add them to salads, or cut the stems, too and make a broccoli slaw.

Cheesey Broccoli

From StoneSoup

Cheesey Broccoli

I made this the other night for a ‘batchelorette’ dinner because my Irishman was out. I was craving something healthy but also cheesey and comforting. Talk about hitting the spot! If you have coconut oil, I really recommend using it because it adds a lovely subtle coconutty sweetness which sounds weird but actually works really well. Of course if you don’t have any, butter or olive oil are just as good.

enough for 2 
4-5 tablespoons coconut oil, olive oil or butter 
2 heads broccoli 
2-6 small red chills chopped, optional 
4 large handfuls grated cheese

1. Heat oil in a frying pan or skillet over a medium heat.

2. Rinse broccoli and don’t dry as the water will help the broccoli to steam. Slice broccoli stems finely then chop the top into bite sized chunks. I just hack through it with a knife but you’re welcome to chop into individual ‘trees’ if you like.

3. Add broccoli and chilli to the oil. Cook, covered for about 5 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. You’ll need to stir a few times. If it starts to burn add a little water.

4. Add cheese and stir until well combined and just melted.

VARIATIONS

different veg – also great with cauliflower or broccolini. And in spring time I’m planning on trying some cheesey asparagus. I’m also thinking it would work well with snow peas, green beans or kale sliced into thin ribbons.

more substantial – serve with a handful of nuts, or a little cooked quinoa or a poached egg or toss in a drained can of chickpeas and add a little more cheese.

carnivore – serve as a side to a well grilled juicy steak or chicken breast.

different cheese – I used a combo of parmesan and emmental but any melting cheese is good here. Try raclette, gruyere, cheddar or even some blue. It’s a good way to use up little scraps of cheese floating around the fridge.

tiny person-friendly – skip the chilli or serve it separately so everyone can add their own. For more ideas for feeding your family, see my other blog www.theyellowbench.com

Broccoli Salad

From Cook's Illustrated.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Most recipes for this salad leave the broccoli raw, but we found that cooking it briefly in boiling water improved both flavor and appearance. Adding the hardier stems to the cooking water before the florets levels the playing field, so both are tender at the same time. Drying the broccoli in… read more

SERVES 4 TO 6

When prepping the broccoli, keep the stems and florets separate. If you don’t own a salad spinner, lay the broccoli on a clean kitchen towel to dry in step 3. You can make the salad up to six hours in advance.

INGREDIENTS

• 6slices bacon, chopped fine
• 1/2cup golden raisins
• 1 1/2pounds broccoli, florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stalks peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2cup mayonnaise
• 1tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse
• 1large shallot, minced

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 
   
   1. Cook bacon in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towel–lined plate.
   2. Combine 4 cups water and 4 cups ice in large bowl. Bring 3 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Remove ½ cup boiling water and combine with raisins in small bowl; cover, let sit for 5 minutes, and drain.
   3. Meanwhile, add broccoli stalks to boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Add florets and cook until slightly tender, about 1 minute. Drain broccoli and place in ice water to cool. Drain again, transfer to salad spinner, and spin dry.
   4. Whisk mayonnaise, vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. Add broccoli, raisins, walnuts, and shallot to bowl with dressing and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with bacon and serve.

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower with Lemon and Garlic

I had a bag of frozen mixed broccoli and cauliflower which I used to make this recipe. I steamed the vegetables for a few minutes before roasting it and since I didn't have lemons, I used frozen lemon zest. I also added some cheese before serving the dish.

Broccoli, cauliflower, and lemons are all rich in vitamin C, and garlic adds antioxidants.

• 1 head broccoli (about 1 pound), broken into 1-inch florets, stalks peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), broken into florets
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 lemons, thinly sliced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 
  

Preheat oven to 475 degrees (or lower?). On two rimmed baking sheets, toss broccoli and cauliflower with oil, garlic, and lemons; season with salt and pepper. Roast until vegetables are browned and tender, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom and tossing vegetables once halfway through.

Miso Ginger Asparagus

Try this with steamed or roasted broccoli, cauliflower or grilled eggplant slices.

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
1 teaspoon cooking oil (olive, canola or vegetable)
2 teaspoons Miso &; Easy (or 1 teaspoon miso paste + 1 teaspoon hot water)
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 375f.  Place asparagus on baking sheet and drizzle with cooking oil. Toss to coat. Roast asparagus for 8-10 minutes or until pierces easily with fork. Timing depends on how thick the asparagus spears are.

2. While the asparagus is roasting, prepare the ginger miso sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until smooth.

3. Pour over asparagus and serve.