Let's Cook Some Broccoli - A Simple Recipe, A Great Flavor

 

I still have an issue with the guy who posted a video and tried to convince people that their veggies at home were not as good as they are in a restaurant. It just totally rubbed me the wrong way. He tried to claim that the "secret ingredient" that makes restaurant veggies taste so good is...butter. 

In the first place, I want to know where in the world he is getting all of these wonderful restaurant veggies, because the majority of the time, veggies are an afterthought in a restaurant. They are usually overcooked, undercooked, over-seasoned, or under-seasoned. And by over-seasoned, I mean salty AF. At least with under-seasoned, you can add what you want. 

So, unless you are dining at a 5 star restaurant, (and sometimes not even then), your average side-order veggies are a disappointment. I would say...99% of the time. That has been my experience. Your mileage may vary. 😀

Forget what he said. It is just pure BS. You can make veggies at home that far surpass any restaurant veggies. It's the cooking method, not the 5 pounds of butter, that make veggies good. They don't need a lot of adornment, but you can go that way too, once the cooking method is down pat.

Back to the broccoli. Unless I'm planning a broccoli casserole or broccoli soup with the leftovers, I usually just grab a good-looking crown of broccoli instead of a big bunch. That gets us through a meal with maybe enough left over for lunch the next day. (No guarantee on that though. It might all be consumed the very night it is made.) 

Either way, first rinse your broccoli. If you have a designated spray bottle for vinegar that you keep next to the sink (and if you don't, you should), spray it with that first. Then rinse & set it aside for a few minutes. 

For just a crown, I use either a 2-quart or 4-quart saucepan. Fill it 3/4 of the way up, add about a teaspoon of Kosher salt (less if you use granulated salt), and set it to boil. 

Then process your broccoli. Cut the crown into florets, and try to make them somewhat the same size. Cut them in half if necessary. But don't make a big deal out of it, as long as it's mostly uniform, you'll be fine. Peel and dice the stem too. 

Rinse again for good measure, then add to the saucepan after the water has reached a rolling boil. Stir, bring back to boil, then turn down to simmer. It will take 6-8 minutes before it's ready.

The pic above was taken after the water started to boil again. You can see it floats. Pennywise would approve. 😀

In this next pic, you can see that the broccoli has started to go below the surface. That's when you want to pull it. Sometimes I let it cook for about another minute once it dips below, but most often I pull it. 

Drain (no need to shock it in ice water), & add a little pepper & maybe 1 tsp. of butter, and toss until coated. Delicious!

Or you can leave it as-is, you use your favorite topping, or use it for soup, casserole, etc. Perfectly cooked, al dente. That's how it should be. If it is olive drab "army green," you are cooking it waaaaay too long!

If you aren't getting results like this with your broccoli, just drop me a line so we can figure out why.