Heston Blumenthal's Broccoli

I feel almost silly posting this because it's barely even a recipe and besides I should be packing instead of writing about broccoli, but I promise to keep it brief and in any case, it's such a good little recipe that I simply have to tell you about it quick quick quickly before I go.

Okay, so I have this book by Sophie Grigson lying around the apartment (Sophie being the daughter of the late, great Jane Grigson) and I'm flipping through it, wondering how on earth I'll figure out what a marrow is, oh, and a kumara, for that matter (and swedes? really? why?), when I come across a paragraph referring to Heston Blumenthal's method for cooking broccoli. Suddenly I snap to attention. Because, you see, I love broccoli, so much so that for years I ate it multiple times a week, all year long. And then I grew sick of it. Fell sick of it? It happened rather quickly is all I know. Steamed, dressed with lemon and olive oil, plunked down on a plate at yet another evening meal, oh, it was all just so boring. Good lord, I'd have rather munched on cardboard. Tragic! I know.

I mourned my lost love, wondered if I'd ever get it back. I dallied with lettuces and beets and fennel - oh fennel - but secretly I always wondered when I'd finally grow up and come home to broccoli again. And here, suddenly, the chance lay flat in my lap. A few sentences instructing me to simply scorch the stuff in a hot pan and shake things about a bit before dumping it out on a plate. It sounded...almost too good to be true. Too easy. I was suspicious.

But, of course, I needn't have been. After all, if you're a world-famous chef with Michelin stars and a television show and bestselling books and you're still doling out tips for dealing with the humble broccoli that feature nary a foam or emulsion or reduction or sous-vide treatment or sprinkling of foie gras or coating of caviar, I'll be the first admit that it's silly to mistrust you.

Okay, so here's what you do: wash a head of broccoli, or whatever comes wrapped in a rubber band and sold as one "head" of broccoli at the grocery store and lop off all the florets so that they're approximately the same size. Then peel the stalk of the broccoli, if you feel like it, (don't if you don't) and slice it into thinnish coins (1/4-inch thick? 1/2-inch is fine, too). Take a heavy-bottomed pan (something like this, perhaps) and pour a couple of spoons of olive oil in it. Set it over high heat until the oil starts to smoke and then dump the broccoli into the smoking pan all at once and cover it quickly with a lid. Cook for 2 minutes with no peeking. Take the lid off, season the broccoli with salt and pepper, put on oven mitts and grab the handles of the pot to shake the broccoli around a little bit, add a lump of butter (I used about a tablespoon) and then put the pot back over the flame, covered, for 2 more minutes. At this point, you can test the broccoli and see if it's cooked enough for your liking. If it's not, put the top back on and cook for a final 2 minutes. It should be scorched in spots and still quite green in others.

This swift, high-heat method concentrates the flavor of the broccoli, but still cooks the broccoli through so it's yielding and almost creamy. The seared spots are toasty and delicious. It's even better than the roasted broccoli at City Bakery and so much more interesting (and fast) than my old steamed stalwart. I'm not quite sure what the addition of butter does; I suppose it contributes a richness of flavor, but I think you could probably attempt this without it and it'd still be good. We dumped the broccoli into a bowl and gobbled the whole head up in a matter of minutes. Broccoli! I'm back.

I know, I know, I said this would be brief. But there's one more thing: head over here if you want to read an interview I did a few weeks ago with the folks at Cookthink who asked me all kinds of interesting questions to which I mostly just replied, "uh, tomatoes?"

Oh, and on that subject, I took a tomato canning class up at Stone Barns this past weekend, thanks to the lovely Sherri Brooks Vinton, and now I'm adequately armed to make good on that threat to can my own tomatoes, so watch this space, folks. I'm going to do it and it's going to be awesome and then you're all going to do it too. Who needs imported canned (BPA-laced) industrial tomatoes? Not us, no sirree.

And with that, I'm off. We'll be in Italy for the next ten days visiting my mother (how can it be that my grandfather won't be there? I don't even believe it): eating frosty slices of watermelon, getting books all salty at the beach, and trying our very best to do nothing else at all. We have to take two airplanes, a bus, a train, and a car to get there and even still I'm so ready that I'm practically jumping out of my skin. I'll see you all in September.

Comments

[arundathi]

fantastic! have to try this!!

[Leah]

Broccoli! My long-lost love too! I overate broccoli a few years in a row myself and have wanted to reignite the flames of passion and oh MAN I am so making this.

Have the most wonderful trip ever and I hope you come home feeling relaxed and refreshed and renewed, dear Luisa. xo

[Lucy]

Kumara = orange sweet potato
Marrow = giant watery squash-like thing
Swede = rutabaga
It's 'cos the book's English and that's what most of the rest of us call them!

Have a wonderful, wonderful time away. Come back with lots of news.

[Honeybee]

Have a wonderful time in Italy.

[[eatingclub] vancouver]

Wow, great technique for broccoli! Thank you for sharing it. That Heston knows some stuff! I too loved broccoli and then suddenly got sick of it. I'll try this soon.

[Erinn]

Bon Voyage!
We'll be munching on broccoli until you come back and post again!
Cheers...

[Lisa-Marie]

Leah
Are there sweet potatoes that aren't orange? We only have the orange kind in Scotland(mmm sweet potato mash).

This recipe sounds lovely, i just looked in my Sophie Grigson book, and its not there :(

Glad to see you are back,enjoy your holiday, i hope you feel loads better!

[Liz]

Kumara doesn't have to be orange, Kumara is the Maori name for sweet potato, and we get gold, orange and purple (the skin only is purple, the flesh is yellow)

[Lucy]

Ah, very true Liz. But I was trying to make the most obvious visual connection!

[w.]

I love broccoli! Next time try it stir fried with slices of ginger (about the same size as the coins you slice the stalk into), and oyster sauce!

[Victoria]

Even though I have only had one day off all summer, I'm not jealous of your taking off for Italy. I am happy, happy, happy for you. Although you will be so sad not to see your grandfather's face and hear his voice, you will feel his presence so strongly that I believe it will be okay. And how lucky that you got to see him last year for one more time. I had a special last day with my father - which, of course, I didn't know would be a last. And someone got pictures of us all at table, and instead of being upset when I see them, I rejoice at how much we had to share. Have a great time, be well, and see you in September.

I am, however, jealous that I didn't take a tomato canning course and cannot wait to hear about it and get your instructions because I, too, want to "do the tomatoes." Maybe I can get you to make good on your promise to post your pasta with tomatoes and ricotta recipe so everyone will have this wonderful, how-did-I-ever-live-without-it dish.

I will try this broccoli as soon as I've eaten everything from the summer garden.

[Ali]

Well, Luisa... Two things really:

1) In fact for the past two nights, I have eaten broccoli for dinner. Not broccoli with something else. Just a big bowl of broccoli. It's one of the perks of being adult and it made me soooo happy just curling up with my bowl of lovely green. This recipe is fortuitous!!

and

2) THANK YOU SO MUCH for your suggestion and candor on blogging. I've made my mark and already love Typepad. Working now on a header, and getting images online, etc, etc. But it has begun. Thank you for responding so quickly to my email. It's the simple things that most people forget or don't take time to do like that. And I appreciate it.

Have a splendid vacation! You deserve it.

-Ali-

[Diva]

Ciao bella- just saw your blog, through my friend David L in paris' Crostata post!

I was just picking wild blackberries in Tuscany and was going in that direction!

Don't know where you are, I am in Certaldo, not Italian,, but married one in 1990.moved here in 1984, was a pastry chef in SF!
Buona vacanze!

[Julie]

That last picture of the Italian hillside looks like a painting. Such beautiful light.

Have a wonderful vacation!

[Heather]

Oh, I just went to read your interview and had to stop in the middle to come back and leave this post because the maple syrup on snow thing totally got me because I pretty much consider those books to be total food porn in the very best way. I usually have a copy of Farmer Boy with me when I fly because I am a nervous flier but everything is so full and foody in that book that life just seems fine despite bobbing around at thousands of feet.

I hope you have a wonderful trip, and look forward to your return.

Heather

[Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)]

I've always had to work hard to love broccoli -- well, not just broccoli, but all of those cruciferous vegetables. This method of cooking might, maybe, possibly, make a believer out of me! Have a wonderful time in Italy -- rest, relax, cook, etc, sleep, laugh....

[Mike S]

Luisa,

I'm also a huge broccoli fan. Growing up, we used to eat it with a small amount of butter, salt, pepper and cider vinegar. Just a splash of the vinegar brings out the flavor of the broccoli wonderfully and is more healthy than just piling on the Marie's Bleu Cheese dressing. (Which I still do when I'm feeling moody).

To this day, people are still surprised that my parents got all of their (6) kids to eat broccoli by putting vinegar on it... of all things.

[charlotte s]

enjoy your trip! i hope it relaxes, refreshes and reinvigorates you...

[annie]

Luisa, I'm sorry to have missed the blog where you mentioned your Nonno's passing. My Nonna is going to be celebrating 98 years this fall, and she is anticipating(as we all are) her 100th birthday. Even knowing that they lived so long and they were some of the fortunate ones to have a good long life, it is always sad to see them pass on, because a part of our heritage and our history passes on with them.No one can answer questions about life as they experienced it growing up during world turbulence. I sincerely wish you a great, relaxing, beautiful holiday to reconnect with yourself and loved ones,to savour the flavors of Italy, and absorb the sunshine in your pores. Ciao e buone ferie!

[ann]

Bon Voyage Luisa!! Have a lovely, lovely amazing holiday with your family. Ciao bella!

[Reader]

Thanks for taking the time to post the broccoli recipe. Sounds fantastic and just what I need to get veggies into these kids.

Have a magical holiday - ciao!

[bea at La tartine gourmande]

Love the last two pictures. Full of the emotions of the country! Have fun!

[Bobbie]

Have a wonderful time in Italy!

[Sylvie]

Enjoy your trip! I'll have to give this method a try it sounds great and so easy!

[Christina]

Have a wonderful trip! Can't wait to see what you cook when you return! I'm very interested in hearing about your Stone Barns experience.

[anne spice]

Luisa,

What is it about broccoli that is so viscerally satisfying? I seriously believe I could happily subsist on its stalwart green florets and a bit of cheese alone. Thank you for sharing this. While I'm far from bored of my own affair with the steamed-with-lemon-juice-and-olive-oil combo... perhaps by occasionally punctuating it with this technique, I never will be.

Have a wonderful warm and glowing Italian trip... and a happy return...pax.

[Hungry Girl]

How serendipitious! I wrote a love-post to brocolli on my blog (recipesfortrouble.com), and then chanced upon this one...Can't wait to try your version.

[Anne]

I tried this and its really wonderful! Even my husband liked it and he doesn't like broccoli! You've saved us!

[Elizabeth Parrish]

Luisa- don't think I've commented before, but I have to say I love you blog. Beautiful writing, photos, and recipes shared!

Please, please please share your info and tips on canning tomatoes, because I would just love to try and never have before. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what you have to say on this

[Nicola]

Have a wonderful time in Italy Luisa! Your blog is so inspiring and I hope to see you soon!

[Melody from ~Pennies In My Pocket~]

My hubby is going to love this and it looks like I will, too! He loves his little green trees....me on the other hand, not so much. This does sound good so I'll try it! ;-)

~melody~

[Sarah]

I've just read over your last couple posts, & I know I'm a little late but I so enjoy your site & your recipes, & I've made more than a few things from here. I hope that your trip to Italy is revitalizing - have you read Eat, Pray, Love? It's about finding balance, & she starts out gorging on yummy food in Italy...sounds good to me! :)

[Mary]

Every time you laugh, stop in awe, relish the moment, and marvel at the way the light makes you feel, your grandfather will be there--smiling.

[Sonja]

I guess this will mean a revival of broccoli for me, too...

[JB in San Diego]

Made this tonight in a cast iron skillet, and it was great - though my wife said it was too oily. I think I'll have to cut back on the olive oil next time - I probably used 3 tablespoons (oops). One was probably enough.

I added some sliced fennel root to the pan with the broccoli and I can report that it benefited greatly from the same method.

[Leah]

I just want you to come home to the news that this recipe caused me to eat an entire head of broccoli (or bunch, or two full stalks, or one rubber-banded group, or whatever), including both florets and sliced stalks.

In ONE SITTING.

ALL BY MYSELF.

mmmm, broccoli.

[pea and pear]

i love broccoli also, maybe i will try it this way. Usually I just go with steamed with olive oil, lemon, cracked pepper and salt.

PS: I hate dill too, and I never really thought about it before, but it totally tastes like dirty fridge!!!!

[hi]

you look attractive in your picture, bye

[Karen]

I made this exactly as directed and the taste was amazing. Ny new favorite broccoli recipe.

[ChristinaM]

I really like broccoli steamed, then topped off with brown butter and bit of ground coriander, salt and pepper. Try it, it's surprisingly delicious!

[former lurker]

I cooked two crowns last night this way and they were dinner. They were that good. One caveat learned the hard way: pat your broccoli dry if it's going directly into the pan. (Not that the broccoli "broth" isn't delicious...)

[Marcus Schmarcus]

it's genius. as i'm pathologically unable to eat a meal without garlic, i used garlic butter with deeply satisfying results. it's on high rotation in my kitchen now.
thanks luisa i'm always stealing something useful, and i love your writing.

[R Chow]

I just had to leave you a note to thank you for posting this "recipe." It's fabulous, and now I don't cook my broccoli any other way.

[rachel]

Sounds delicious! I just picked up some broccoli at the farmers market yesterday. I know what I'm having for dinner tonight. Great blog!

[ellen in dc]

I love this recipe. I could eat broccoli like this every day. Really. I wonder if that approach works with other vegetables. Thanks for posting that--this is a terrific blog.

[Ted Fristrom]

Wow, I didn't know Heston Blumenthal had it in him. You sure Grigson didn't edit out the part where the broccoli is supposed to be served with a perfume atomized filled with essence of ricotta? I love his books, but I never thought the wonder of his cooking could be channeled into something so beautifully commonplace.