Broccoli is a super food that has many health benefits, but it’s also a food that can be cooked in a variety of different ways and included in a selection of tasty dishes and snacks. For a start broccoli is actually a great source of fiber, pantothenic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, zinc, calcium, iron and niacin to just mention a few of its benefits. The vegetable also contain carotenoids which can help prevent some forms of cancer in the human body.
By now you are probably adding tons of broccoli to your online grocery list in an effort to improve your health and diet, but the best is still yet to come in the ways that you can cook this power antioxidant.
Cooking Broccoli: Eating it raw?
It may sound disgusting at first but there are no issues with eating broccoli raw if you can stomach the taste and texture. Obviously without cooking it you are getting all the best nutrients into your body, but the vegetable can be quite tough to eat and swallow. By cooking the super food you are adding more flavour and changing the texture so it can be enjoyed as part of a main meal or snack.
Although, if you just want something quick to eat then by all means reach for the raw broccoli and fill yourself up.
Cooking Broccoli: Preparing the Vegetable for Cooking
A freshly purchased broccoli does come in the form of a tree so there is some work to do in order to cut out the parts you don’t want to the parts you need. You will first need a sharp knife to cut through the broccoli stem horizontally and as close to the top of the florets as you can get. The closer you get the less work you will need to do as the broccoli should now fall into pieces.
There will still be florets attached to the main trunk of the vegetable so you will need to cut these up as well. You should now have a bowl full of large and small florets, all individually cut from each other.
Now take the bowl to the sink, and like most vegetables and meats you will want to give it a quick rinse under cold running water as this will rinse away any dirt or grit that may be caught in the florets. The broccoli is now ready to cook.
Cooking Broccoli: Sauté
If you want to make a stir fry then this option is the best to cook your broccoli under, but you need to make sure that the broccoli is dry (you might need to skip the washing part here). Grab your pan or skillet and layer the bottom with some olive oil and place the pan on a medium to high heat.
Once the oil is hot enough add the florets and a couple of pinches of sea salt, and stir or toss the florets so they are all covered well with the oil and salt. You will want to cook them for a couple of minutes until you see a brighter green colour change and the florets becoming tender.
Cooking Broccoli: Steaming
Rather than boiling broccoli a better choice these days is to steam them so you gain all the nutrition benefits. To do this fill a big pan with water, and use a steamer basket over the top (but make sure the water doesn’t touch the basket). If you have a steamer then use this instead.
Add the broccoli to the basket once the water is simmering in the pan and then cover with a lid so the steam can cook the florets in about 5 minutes.
Again, with a steamer you have all the tools there so just set the timer to 5 minutes once the machine has been switched on to boil the water.
Cooking Broccoli: Roasting
For the ultimate in taste you want to roast your broccoli as this really does bring out some fascinating flavours to the mix. You want to crank up the oven to around 425F and you need to have dry broccoli like you would during the sauté method, so if need be just miss out on the washing process so your broccoli is as dry as possible.
Spread the broccoli over some tin foil on a baking tray and then drizzle the florets with oil and toss them around the tray so they are all covered well. Add some sea salt to the mix and then let them roast for a good half an hour until you see the tips of the florets turning a golden brown or caramelized brown colour. The broccoli at this stage will be crunchy and ready to serve up to your guests as part of a dish, or if you fancy a quick snack then these moorish florets will do the trick.
