Photo by Jake Griggs

We grow the following varieties: Gypsy and Green Magic varieties in the Summer and Arcadia, Imperial, Diplomat, Marathon, and Violet Queen (Purple) varieties in the Fall.

The sections below were copied with permission from Mi Ae Lipe’s Tastes from the Valley to Bluff: The Featherstone Farm Cookbook (2008).

Storage

Store broccoli unwashed in a perforated bag in the coldest part of the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 2 weeks, depending on its original condition.

Complementary Herbs, Seasonings, & Foods

Anchovies, bacon, basil, beef, breadcrumbs, butter, carrots, cheese, chiles, cream, cumin, dill, fish, garlic, hollandaise sauce, lemon balm, lemon juice, marjoram, nuts, olive oil, orange, oregano, peppers, potatoes, shallots, tarragon, thyme, vinaigrette.

Serving Suggestions

• To make broccoli and other vegetables more appealing to kids (and adults too!), serve bite-sized pieces with a variety of dressings and dipping sauces.

• Chop broccoli into small pieces and sprinkle them over pizzas, salads, casseroles, and just about anything that could use color and vegetable crunch.

• Few vegetable dishes beat the simple preparation of steamed broccoli with a little lemon juice, melted butter, and freshly ground pepper.

• A quick soup: First blanch cut-up broccoli (tops and stems). Then place broccoli, cut-up cooked potatoes, and a couple of garlic cloves and onions (both 

Store broccoli unwashed in a perforated bag in the coldest part of the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 2 weeks, depending on its original condition.

Complementary Herbs, Seasonings, & Foods

Anchovies, bacon, basil, beef, breadcrumbs, butter, carrots, cheese, chiles, cream, cumin, dill, fish, garlic, hollandaise sauce, lemon balm, lemon juice, marjoram, nuts, olive oil, orange, oregano, peppers, potatoes, shallots, tarragon, thyme, vinaigrette.

Serving Suggestions

• To make broccoli and other vegetables more appealing to kids (and adults too!), serve bite-sized pieces with a variety of dressings and dipping sauces.

• Chop broccoli into small pieces and sprinkle them over pizzas, salads, casseroles, and just about anything that could use color and vegetable crunch.

• Few vegetable dishes beat the simple preparation of steamed broccoli with a little lemon jice, melted butter, and freshly ground pepper.

• A quick soup: First blanch cut-up broccoli (tops and stems). Then place broccoli, cut-up cooked potatoes, and a couple of garlic cloves and onions (both sautéed in olive oil or butter) into a food processor or blender and blend. Reheat the mixture, and add salt and pepper to taste.

• Broccoli is also great blanched until bright green and sautéed with garlic, onion, and olive oil.

• Toss steamed broccoli with butter and herbs. Cool and use in a salad.

• Peeled broccoli steams make a great raw vegetable on their own. Slice them long and serve with carrot and celery sticks on the crudité.

Links

Cook out of Box - Hands On: Blanching

Cook out of Box - Tried and True: Vegetable Pancakes

Recipes

Broccoli Stem Salad

Broccoli stems

Onion, chopped

Green olives, chopped

Mayonnaise

1. Peel and trim the tough outer layer of the broccoli stems. In a pan, simmer them in a little water until they turn just tender but not mushy.

2. Cool, add the onion and olives, and toss with mayonnaise.

3. Chill and serve.

Credit: Susan Roehl, Featherstone Farm CSA member

Broccoli with Peanut Sauce

Steam or boil broccoli until just tender-crisp.  Drain.

Prepare peanut sauce:

Spicy peanut sauce (Plenty for about six cups cooked broccoli or one pound of pasta. This keeps well in the refrigerator – make a double batch for another day.)

1 cup peanuts-only peanut butter (salt added is ok) – chunky or smooth

1 cup hot water

1 T peanut oil

2 1/2 t. fresh garlic – minced fine

2 t. fresh ginger – minced fine (optional)

2 T soy sauce or tamari

2 T hoisin sauce (optional – find this at an Asian market or ask your grocer to stock this great condiment. If you omit this, add an extra two teaspoons each of sugar, vinegar and soy sauce)

2 T Asian toasted sesame oil (optional but very nice if you have it)

1 T chile paste (Asian style) or red pepper flakes to taste or finely chopped fresh hot chile peppers

2 T brown sugar, white sugar or honey

5 T rice or cider vinegar

Gently saute garlic and ginger in peanut oil for about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed. Pour over cooked broccoli (warm or at room temperature). Optional additions: chopped sweet red or green pepper, tofu cubes, chopped sweet onion or scallions, chopped fresh cilantro.

Serve broccoli and peanut sauce mixture over rice or thin rice or egg noodles.  Add a wedge of lime if desired.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2011 - Week 6

Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese and Vegetable Soup

This recipe is adapted from one in Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland, by Beth Dooley and Lucia Watson.  I like it because it has a good ratio of vegetables to cheese.  Most commercial cheese soups are full of fat and thickeners and who knows what else.

Saute the following vegetables in 3 T. butter over low heat until softened:

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced onion 

Add the following and simmer about 5 minutes until vegetables are tender:2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (preferably homemade)

2 cups chopped broccoli (or cauliflower) (about 1/2 inch pieces)

2 cups chopped potatoes (peeling optional) (about half inch pieces)

1 quart milk

1/8 t. nutmeg

1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper

Puree the soup in batches (note - if you use a blender or food processer - cool soup first or it will "explode".  You could save back half of the milk and add it after cooking the vegetables to speed cooling.)

Put puree back in the pot and heat to a boil.  Turn off the heat.  Add 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese in small batches,  stirring well.  Make sure each batch melts before you add the next.  If you add the cheese all at once it might get gloppy and stringy.

Gradually reheat soup but do NOT boil.  Whisk in 1 T. Dijon mustard and 1/4 cup sherry and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco to taste.  Garnish with toasted croutons and more grated cheddar.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2011 - Week 6

Broccoli Quiche

There are quiche recipes all over the internet and in many cookbooks. All you really need to do is blanch cut up broccoli until just tender and drain well. Put the broccoli in the bottom of an unbaked pie crust along with a cup or two of grated cheddar cheese. Maybe add a little grated onion or chopped and drained tomatoes. Add some diced ham or cooked sausage if you have some and want a heartier dish.  Make a custard with milk and egg - 4 eggs and 1 1/2 cups of milk. Or 5 eggs and 2 cups milk if you are using a large pie pan or baking dish. Lowfat milk is fine but whole milk adds a richer taste and texture. Add 1 t.  of salt and some pepper to the egg mixture and  pour over cheese and vegetables. Bake about about 375 degrees until firm in the middle - about 30 minutes. You could make this in a buttered baking dish without a crust - here in Fillmore County we just call this "egg bake". If you do it this way I would turn oven down to 350 degrees.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 12 

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

This recipe has four basic parts.  With a little planning, it should come together fairly quickly.

Note that you can make a lovely Minnesota style hot dish WITHOUT employing canned condensed soup of any kind.

1.  The pasta - I recommend tubular pasta for this dish - it could be good old elbow macaroni or penne or something else exotic.  No long thin pasta.  While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce.  8 oz of pasta should serve 4.

2.  The sauce - Make a white sauce with cheese - also called mornay sauce if you use gruyere.  See Sept. 2 post on Bechamel for a recipe.    Add swiss or cheddar cheese to the sauce.  Make a double recipe and freeze half the sauce for another day.  You will need at least 2 cups of sauce for 4 servings, depending on your tastes.

3.   The broccoli - chop the broccoli, including the stems (peel stems first if necessary.  Compost any tough ends).  Keep stem pieces separate from florets.  Add stem pieces to pasta cooking water about 5 minutes before pasta will be done.  Add florets about 3 minutes before.  Drain broccoli and pasta together.  This saves time and dishes.

4. The chicken - you can use chicken, turkey, ham or even sausage or canned tuna.  The meat should be already cooked.  About 1/3-1/2 cup cut up meat per person. 

Assembly -- Put drained pasta and broccoli in a large bowl or even back in whatever pot you used to cook the pasta.

Add meat.  Pour sauce over all and mix well.  Put into a greased casserole or baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until heated through.  Optional topping - grated cheese or buttered bread crumbs.

Optional additions - saute some onion or sweet peppers and add along with the broccoli.  Add fresh herbs if desired.  Some chopped fresh parsley would be nice.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 15 

Broccoli Souffle (serves three to four)

Ingredients

4 whole eggs plus one egg white

3 T. butter

1 T. finely chopped shallots or onion

1 1/2 cups chopped cooked broccoli

3 T. flour

1 1/2 c. milk, warmed

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

Separate eggs.  Place egg whites from four eggs in large clean dry bowl.  Set aside the three yolks.

Grease a 1 1/2 quart baking dish well and sprinkle in about 1 T of cheese evenly in the dish.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees and adjust oven rack to center position.

Make a bechamel sauce with the butter, shallots, flour and milk. (See post from Sept. 2 for a detailed guide to bechamel sauce) Whisk in egg yolks.  (add a little sauce to the yolks first - then slowly add the warmed yolk mixture back to the bechamel sauce, to avoid curdling.  Add a pinch or two of nutmeg if you like that flavor). Add the broccoli to the sauce. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Gently stir about 1/4 of the egg whites into the sauce to lighten it.  Then fold the broccoli and sauce mixture into the rest of the egg white, taking care to lose as little air as possible.  It is all right if some streaks or patches of white remain.  Pour the egg mixture into the prepared baking dish, using a rubber scraper to scrape the bowl.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Put dish into oven and immediately turn down to 375 degrees.  Bake about 30 minutes, or until the souffle is puffed and golden brown.  Serve immediately.  (You can hold in a turned off oven about 5 minutes.)

Credit: Cook out the Box 2010 - Week 16 

Broccoli Vinaigrette Salad

Trim the bottom tough ends off broccoli stalks.  Peel the stalks if desired. 

Separate the head into florets and slice the stalks.  Cook in boiling salted water about 4 minutes.  Drain in a colander and spread on towels to cool and dry.

Meanwhile, make dressing.  Whisk together or blend in a food processor or blender: 2 T. red wine vinegar, 3 T. dijon mustard, 2 T. fresh chopped dill, 1 cup oil (half olive and half vegetable), salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Place broccoli in a shallow serving dish.  Pour vinaigrette over broccoli.  Marinate at least an hour.  Serve at room temperature.

Variation: Add strips of raw or roasted red sweet pepper. Add thinly sliced red onion.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 16

Pasta with Broccoli and Pesto

1 bunch fresh broccoli - washed and trimmed into bite size pieces

1 pound pasta

5 T. olive oil

2-3 fresh garlic cloves, smashed

1/3 cup basil pesto  (aren't you glad that you made some pesto last summer when the basil was around?)

Salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan for garnish - optional

Blanch the broccoli for about 4 minutes and drain.  Save the cooking water.  Add more water to the cooking water and cook pasta according to package directions.  While the pasta is cooking, saute garlic in oil in a large pan.  Then add and saute the broccoli a few minutes.  Drain pasta (save about 1 cup of cooking water) and add it to the vegetables in the pan along with about one cup of cooking water.  Stir in the pesto - correct seasoning - and serve in warmed bowls or on warm plates.  (Warming dishes is a nice touch - especially in the winter)

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Winter Box #1

Last updated on March 16, 2012 by Featherstone Farm