Don't throw away the best part of broccoli – eat it three ways instead

Just imagine for a minute what it would feel like to be a broccoli stalk. You spend your entire existence crowning yourself with a flower, so that the crown becomes the only object of appreciation and takes all the glory. Your beautiful flowers are stolen from you to become part of some sublime culinary creation, and you, sad stalk, are thrown into the trash. Species. Very bad. Deep, deep.

But it doesn't have to be that way, and it doesn't have to be that way. Broccoli stems deserve special attention, which means if you're one of those people who tend to throw them away, you might want to reconsider.

There are many things you can do with broccoli stalks. It helps to think of them like kohlrabi, which is nothing more than a large, bulbous stalk of broccoli. Kohlrabi is good both raw and cooked, with a mild flavor and a crisp, juicy center – and the same goes for broccoli stems.

Start by determining how hard they are on the outside, and you'll need to peel them if they've gotten too woody over time. After that, you can decide what to do with them. If you have enough, you can cut them into slices or slices and fry them in a hot pan in smoking oil, turning enough heat into their surface to get brownish spots.

You can also marinate them in a brine like I use here quick pickled asparagus recipe. It works the same way with broccoli stems. (And of course you can play with the seasonings, using different herbs, or leaving them out, etc.)

To be honest though, I rarely make such a fuss. Most of the time, I prefer to eat broccoli stalks raw, either tossed in a salad or arranged on a plate, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with a little sea salt. They don't need much. A fun little pre-dinner snack for the cook – just a treat, nothing to ruin your appetite.

And if you happen to be making a bowl of crudités, I urge you to include broccoli stems in your vegetable selection. Honestly, they are far superior to those awful raw flowers that get way too much of the glory – let's not pile on more that they don't deserve.

April 2017