Broccolli stems

[scunge]

It's fresh broccolli from the farm stands any rec's to what to do with the stems other than chop and steam with the crowns? How about in the juicer ? Thanks

[markabauman]

Makes a good slaw. Make cream of broccoli soup.

[oryza]

Broccoli stems are surprisingly versatile... I've julienned them into thin strips and stuffed them into dumplings, pickled them, and simply cut them up for crudites where they blend in well with carrot and celery sticks. It's easy to be creative with such mild-flavored crunchy bits. I do think that juicing them is a very creative idea. I am very curious to know how it would taste in the juicer. (I imagine it would probably taste really good with apple slices mixed in). Do post an update if you do that

[LisaN]

slice the stems at an angle and use in stir fry

[tmso]

Brocoli is two wonderful vegetables : fleurettes and stalks. I think I like the stalks better, and when serving them, I've had guests ask what that wonderful vegetable was.

Peel the stalks, the either slice or cut them into sticks or cubes, or even use them whole. Steamed or poached, they're nice. Sauteed in oil with garlic. Diced in pasta sauce. They go nicely in soups. My favorite might be poached then tossed with brown butter.

[scuzzo]

I thnk broccolli stems are gold. I peel them and eat them raw. I give my dog the pieces that are too hard to peel. She loves them more than chicken liver!

[Val]

I like them plain too...I'll bet they'd be a good dipper for hummus...must try.

[Will Owen]

We have a cat who used to go nuts whenever I'd steam broccoli, because while she was strangely drawn to greens of any kind, broccoli stems were her favorites. Her response was that of a normal cat (if there is such a thing!) to the sound of a can opener, and she'd make a real nuisance of herself while I pulled out and peeled a cooked stem, cut her off a good lengthwise slice, waved it around to cool it off enough - this made her really crazy - and then gave it to her. Then she spent a couple of years on a severely restricted diet, and came out of it no longer veggie in any way, only about as nutty as any cat. I kinda miss it...

[FriedClamFanatic]

Chop them fine.no bigger than a 1/3 of an inch......and add them to a "quiche" type recipe using bisquick. I do this all the time. otherwise, I macerate them in the food processor and make a type of soup

[ipsedixit]

Trim the stalks of the rough outer layer and reserve for making vegetable broth.

Julienne the tender center portion in salads -- adds a nice crunch and 99% of the people think that you're serving some sort of "artisan" cucumber.

[scubadoo97]

Too many good recommendations already. I will say that the stems are the sweets part of the this vegetable.

[Sam Fujisaka]

tmso (and others) is(are) correct. Broccoli provides two vegetables. I serve the stems, trimmed nicely for presentation, steamed and then cold with a miso-lemon drizzle or dip. I usually use the florets in things like curries--finely chopped up. To me the stem is the more desirable part.

[almccasland]

I usually cut them into chunks and grill them (either on charcoal or my countertop George Foreman). Delicious!

[masha]

Julienne them and add to pasta salad.

[toodie jane]

Broccoli is really a powerhouse vegetable. So versatile and so much nutrition. Most of the nutrients are water-soluable and heat sensitive, so fast, moderate heat treatment or brief cooking in liquids that will be consumed gets the most out of it. Don't boil it unless you're going to drink the cooking water.

Peel them, slice in thick chunks, and saute quickly with celery, then 'dress' with toasted sesame seeds. Good flavor combo.

I add steamed chunks of stem to enchiladas, tacos, etc., and to stews, soups, etc at the end of cooking to get more nutrition into them.

If you are lucky enough to have broccoli in your garden, cut back any side shoots HARD; they will shoot back more vigourously, and it'll keep the middle open. Use those incredibly tender shoots like asparagus, as a separate veg. Young leaves can be stir-fried lightly or put into a raw salad of any type, green, slaw, etc.

[The Old Gal]

toodie jane, Thanks for that last paragraph! I didn't know that.
I love broccoli stems., raw or cooked, better than the crowns.

[toodie jane]

I did an experiment--cut back some plants to about 5" stubs, others less vigorously, but always cutting to an outside bud, like roses. A little cottonseed meal and boy howdy, they came back like gangbusters, and we had some great stirfry last night as well as putting some in a chicken pot pie, using Julia's herbed biscuit crust from '& Company'. I just love that crust! (she uses it for a leek & rabbit pie)

Make a regular biscuit dough, using butter for the fat and biuttermilk for part of the liquid, and add a couple of T. each of chives, parsley and whatever other herb you like. I added a few leavesof the basil, and a pinch of chopped sage leaves. PDG

[gwendolynmarie]

I'm obsessed. Stir-fried, in slaws, soup, raw, marinated, pickled, you can't go wrong.
Also roasted, either marinated first, plain, or tossed with garlic, red chili flakes, cumin, and a bit of toasted sesame oil. Baked into casseroles and gratins,

If you steam the stems quite well Then trim the outer layer, the inner core is so unbelievably silky it can be mashed to be eaten alone or made into a dip. Mashed with chard and roasted garlic, it's a brassica overload. It's also great chopped in chunks in salsa, potato salad, grain salads for contrasting textures, and in samosa fillings -curried chunks of broccoli stem, peas, and pistachios are quite nice, or sliced into rounds and served with rounds of roasted beet.
Steamed slightly then grated, it's great mixed with kohlrabi or potato for modified latkes, pancakes, and in quiches.

I have been wanting to try this recipe for broccoli stem relish, from jacques pepin http://books.google.com/books?id=LLCB...

[classylady]

I have a recipe that uses chicken broth, soy sauce and cornstarch.The broccoli stems are julienned and the broth is mixed with the soy sauce and then thicken with broth and cornstarch. Makes a good side dish.

[bigjeff]

just slice them into very thin disks and marinate in soy, vinegar, some sugar, some chilis. you can do the same with cauliflower stems.

[tobyglynn]

i'm not the only one that likes the stem!! was starting to think i was freaky. i saw a vegetable in the montreal botanic gardens yesterday. these days its grown as a feeed crop for cows but it used to be eaten by us. the stem was the edible bit and it looked like thhe brocoli family. i didnt take the name but sure it would be a god send to stem lovers :)

[chowser]

The guys in the broccoli fields used to laugh that people paid more for the crowns when the stems were the best parts. They're better protected than the crowns which can dry out and much hardier. They would pull out their knives, slice away the crowns and just eat the stems raw as a snack during breaks.

[alkapal]

clifford wright's e-newsletter (free, and recommended) just had this recipe for marinated broccoli stems: http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/re...

[another_adam]

I've been making something like this for the lunchbox lately, too (lightly pickle the stems and then toss with a sauce)--the biggest hit has been combined with the raisin vinaigrette from a Mark Bittman "roasted broccoli with raisin vinaigrette" recipe on epicurious...

[alkapal]

ah, the raisin component is interesting. my sister makes a family potluck favorite: broccoli salad dressed with a vinegared mayo, raisins and spanish red-skinned peanuts. it is really good. googling those ingredients, i see some recipes add crumbled bacon, and slightly different dressings. flim flam should give auntie alkapal the recipe!

btw, here is bittman's recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

some reviewer used craisins, which i think would be great, too. (makes me think i should start a craisins thread, i love them so much.)

[cheesecake17]

Make slaw out of it. Shred the stalks along with red cabbage and carrots and toss with an Asian inspired dressing. I usually use teriyaki sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinagar and some red pepper flakes. Top it with toasted sesame seeds.

[toodie jane]

I think I've mentioned it before on another thread, but broccoli stems and celery chunks, steamed and tossed with toasted sesame seeds. B&C+S=great flavor combo.