March 24, 2005
From the desk of Jane Galt:Recipeblogging: Microwave broccoli
If, like me, you have macular degeneration running in the family, you should be eating certain vegetables at least 3-4 times a week in order to make sure you get lutein (it also comes in vitamin supplements, but your body absorbs vitamins better from food than pills). Broccoli and spinach are especially lutein rich. Unfortunately, I hate spinach. But luckily, I like broccoli.
You could too, if you prepared it right. Most broccoli is cooked horribly -- the life sucked out of it by oversteaming. But it's incredibly easy, and tasty, to prepare right in your microwave. It's loaded with fibre, has practically no calories, and fills you full of rich, vitamin-y goodness every time you take a bite.
To make broccoli in the microwave, you just need
* a covered (non-metallic) dish (you can use a non-covered dish and saran wrap, but if you do, be very careful to wear oven-gloves when taking off the saran wrap, or you can easily burn yourself with the steam)
*a lemon
*a head of broccoli
*a little water, perhaps 1/4 cup.
Wash your broccoli, and cut the bottom off, not so much that the whole thing falls apart, but enough to get rid of the tougest, fibrous part. (Don't worry, this isn't precision surgery; it doesn't really matter if you cut off too much or too little.)
Put broccoli and water in dish. Cut lemon in half and squeeze over broccoli. Cover dish and microwave on high, for 5-7 minutes. Test done-ness by taking a bite.
When the broccoli is cooked, you can add butter and.or salt and pepper if you like. That's all there is too it. Extremely delicious and nutritious.
Posted by Jane Galt at March 24, 2005 9:22 AM | TrackBack | Technorati inbound linksBroccoli must be cooked in Olive Oil with garlic. Or served raw with a dip.
Doesn't the lemon juice take some of the color out of the broccoli when cooking?
Shouldn't EVERYthing -- heck, including Dveil Dogs or Twinkies -- be cooked in olive oil with garlic?
In order to vent the steam, I pierce the plastic wrap with the knife I always have on me (closest I've come to using it as a defensive weapon0. A fork would work just as well.
Note that microwaving with an unvented cover amounts to pressure cooking and results in higher cooking temperatures than the standard boiling point of water.
Thanks for posting this! I've been trying to eat more veggies during the day, and broccoli is one of my favorites. I have been getting really tired of cleaning the steamer over and over again so this recipe will be a nice one to have in my repertoire.
I say it's broccoli, and I say the hell with it.
Well, at least someone remembers the New Yorker cartoon.
You can also add dash some spices in the water for add'l flavoring -- a bit of powdered sage, some oregano, or tarragon.
Another good vitamin for the macula is zeaxanthin, the pigment which gives corn (maize) its yellow color.
All brocolli needs to be tasty is a light, plain microwave steaming, followed by service next to a modest flame-grilled tenderloin cut and a cup or so of roasted garlic mashed potatoes -- made from scratch. With a glass of your favorite red, of course (and with apologies to the sensibilities -- but not to the wetted appetites -- of the resident vegetarians).
Echoing the recipe, and also the sentiments of the olive oil and garlic crowd, I like mine done steamed and then just a touch of a flavorful olive oil that has a bit of garlic sauteed in it drizzled over the broccoli, then lemon juice, and for the final wonderful touch, a shake of parmesan cheese on top. (Olive oil is one of the 'good' fats, and parmesan doesn't have very much fat in it, plus you're only using about a spoonful per serving.)
anony-mouse, "wetted appetites"? Deliberate (fascinating) imagery, or typo? Let the readers decide!
Rex, I'd think the lemon juice would make it not-bright-green, yes. Probably tasty though.
I generally just salt-and-pepper broccoli, throw in a little water and a pat of butter, and 'wave it in a bowl with an inverted plate on top, tossing afterward. Never thought of the lemon juice; must try that.
Oh, and let me add my voice to the olive-oil-and-garlic crowd. Garlic is one of the four food groups.
Yes, adding the lemon during cooking will make it turn grey. Still tastes fine though. I like it with the lemon and butter melted together with a few shakes of Tabasco. Plus S&P to taste.
I like broccoli anyway (steamed, roasted, microwaved) but my favorite way to eat it is as a salad. Cut into bite-sized pieces; if you're picky you might trim the tough skin off the stems. Marinate for about 10 minutes in rice wine vinegar, a little sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Yummy!
Oh great, now there are two of us. Quick, somebody shoot the fake one!
But which one is it?
Hate spinach!? Probably that nasty canned or frozen stuff. yich!.
Try starting with FRESH green spinach, especially baby green spinach, (available in plastic bags and shells in the big chain supermarkets, if not bunched at your local farm stand).
If you need to wash it, make sure it is dry. Fresh and dry are the requirements.
Heat a skillet/saute/frying pan, add a generous amount of olive oil and a clove or two of sliced garlic. Heat just until the garlic starts to sizzel, add the spinach, (half pound or more), add some salt, maybe a LITTLE crushed red pepper, and saute it, moving it constantly until it is just wilted.
It will taste NOTHING like that evil mettallic tasting stuff from a can, or that freezer burned, ice damaged nastyness you are probably familiar with. (the frozen stuff can be used in soups, but that is about it)
This works really well with brussel sprouts also, just remove the old outer leaves and stem, then cut up so they are in leaf form, not whole sprouts, or at least quartered.
You can also add the herb marjoram to the oil for a buttery flavor.
Try it once. go 'head, try it!
Yum. I gotta go to the market. NOW!
Tom
"Soooo Broccoli, mother says you're very good for me. But I'm afraid I'm no good for you."
"Sweetie, it's broccoli, it's good for you. Now open up for the airplane ..."
"Never! Damn the broccoli, damn you, and damn the Wright brothers. "
"Well, then, my goal becomes clear. The broccoli must die."
Boiling for 4 minutes does it too.
You can also simultaneously saute some mushrooms (maitake are good) in olive oil, and add some pine nuts, almond slices, or walnuts, and add the drained, cooked broccoli in with that for quick coating in oil and a nice combination.
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