broccoli stem relish

So, the posting hasn't exactly been hot and heavy lately. Would you believe that I lost the cord that connects my camera to the computer--in an apartment that in my home state would not be big enough to serve as a socialite's closet, and which has been kept tidy enough. Even a top-to-bottom cleaning in honor of my mother and sister's visit failed to reveal the errant cord. It's so much more fun to post with a photo, but Sunday night I made something I have to share.

I began cooking for myself senior year of college, at which point my repertoire was pretty much limited to pasta, roasted vegetables (thank you, Ina, for the introduction), vinaigrette, and steamed broccoli. This was delicious, satisfying, and, if you're interested, an excellent weight-loss regimen. Over the next few years--until my Urban Organic box forced me to learn how to cook all kinds of green vegetables--I ate truckloads of broccoli and was always frustrated to throw away the stems, which, after all, I was paying for. Spending more time with cookbooks taught me that I could eat them, and so I did, peeling the stems, slicing them into little disks, and steaming them along with the florets. They were a nice color but always tasted watery and felt too smooth; eating them was a way of economizing, not a delight, and I knew there must be a better way.

Sure enough, Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way includes a broccoli stem relish that I finally got around to making this weekend. The stems are left raw, salted to draw out some moisture (and to cure them a bit? I should open the McGee), and dressed with some Asian-y ingredients. The result is quite delicious--crunchy and refreshing but very, very flavorful. I have been struggling not to succumb to 4pm vending machine chips at work and think this might be a good substitute, at once healthy and satisfying. If you don't like sesame oil, you won't like it, but if you do, you've got to try this, since you're probably already throwing away its main ingredient! Just when you thought it was impossible to adore Jacques Pepin more...

-Peel 3/4 pound broccoli stems (for me, this was about 5 stems). Cut them into little sticks 2.5 inches long and .5 inch thick. Put them in a bowl and toss with 1 tsp salt. Let them stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to one hour.
-Mix a dressing. He recommends: 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp hot chili oil, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp balsamic, 1 tsp dark sesame oil, .5 tsp chopped jalapeno, and 1 tbs minced fresh mint. Since I didn't have all those things, I did this combination, which was delicious (if not, surely, as delicious as his, with the fresh mint): 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp hot chili sesame oil, scant tsp sugar, 1 tsp balsamic, 1 tsp mirin.
-Drain broccoli sticks and toss with dressing.

Comments

[Evan!]

sounds delicious! My mom taught me to them (broccoli stems) raw. She loves them and she got my wife and I on the same kick. we never cook them anymore!

yrs-
Evan!

[Adrienne]

Funny, I have always loved broccoli stems, in fact I think that I may enjoy the stem more than I do the leafy part. And I really like sesame oil, so it sounds like this just might be the perfect recipe for me. Thanks.

[Luisa]

They're actually the best part of the broccoli plant - with far more nutrients than the florets. I had a recipe in one of those "Best American Recipes" collection that had you shred the stems, then steam and toss them with toasted pecans or something. I'll have to go dig it up. But this relish sounds much more exciting - all those flavors!

[Caroline Frost]

Robin--great post. I love the stems, too, and get looks from my roommate when I set to peeling and chopping them (although I must say, the florets, when they mop up the butter and lemon juice, make me happier than just about anything). I've done something like this recipe with cucumber and jicama and it's just killer--I have broccoli around more than jicama, so now I'm glad to have the new recipe.

[Michelle]

Here's another great book to read...a great way to combine one's passion for reading, eating and family. Here are some reviews if you are interested.

MOSTLY TRUE

A Memoir of Family, Food, and Baseball

Molly O'Neill of New York Times and The New York Cookbook fame, is now the author of MOSTLY TRUE: A Memoir of Family, Food, and Baseball, a lush memoir that treats each of these subjects with affection, hilarity, and, of course, the rich and beautiful writing that she is so well-known for.

“Mostly True reads like a comic novel . . . O’Neill trots merrily from one anecdote to the next – from testing recipes for Lillian Hellman’s culinary memoir to publishing under her own name.” – New York Times Book Review

“One of the funniest, most heartwarming memoirs in years from the esteemed food columnist for The New York Times Magazine . . . Foodies will cheer for the remarkable O’Neills.” – People (4 stars)

“Amazingly alive.” – Boston Globe

“Hearty nourishment for foodies.” – New York Newsday

[panasianbiz]

I stumbled across your blog while I was doing some online research. This is a really terrific sounding recipe, so simple, so healthy, and yet it sounds delicious!