Those Wonderful Cruciferous Vegetables by Dorcas Gerace
When I have been shopping for my produce and find those fiid and gas prices becoming more challenging, like $2.50# for cauliflower and broccoli for organic and about $1.99 or so for conventional, I am finding myself wondering just how many families are not enjoying these vegies as much because s/he might not find it a good investment because of how their past usage meant using only the flowrets and not the stems.
When you buy cauliflower, prepare and cook it, you have almost 100% of the vegetable in yield. With broccoli, you end up with less yield because if the stems are particularly tough, you will lose some weight as you will want to peel the stems.
When you prepare the cauliflower, cut the flowrets away the stems and the core. Wash and slice the stems and beginning the cooking process with them first. As they become tender, add the washed and sliced core and cook until almost done, then add the flowrets.
The stems and core provide much needed fiber and when cooked adequately, are most enjoyable and if the brix is at the right peak when picked, they provide a sweet taste of their own.
The core has its own texture and sweetness that offers a nice touch to the 3 textures you will enjoy in one vegetable. I do not add salt to my cooking water.
And there is no waste. No need to peel the stems. You might want to do a slight bit of trimming, but on the very fresh, it is ready to cook when you get it home.
For the broccoli, cut away the flowrets as close as you would like. If you got a tough stemmed bunch, using a potato peeler is not going to work as easy as a paring knife. Watch when you buy the broccoli that you are buying tender stems so that you will have the minimum of waste.
Just trim a small amount on the bottom of the stem and more if very woody, then just peel the stems from the bottom up by catching a bit of the stem and stripping all the way to the top. Slice the stems in halves only lengthwise, then half again for quarter pieces and slice in the shape you would like. Begin by cooking the stems until almost tender, then add the flowrets.
The stems are very sweet. If you are in the habit of throwing them out and just eating the flowrets, you can now know that you are not tossing out money in the weight of the stems, and you can enjoy the fiber they provide.
Relegate the peels to the compost heap.
In addition you can drink the pot liquor (the cooking water). If your cruciferous vegies are sweet, your cooking water will be pleasant tasting too.
If you are cooking several vegies like cauliflower, broccoli and carrots, you can use the same water for all...Cook the cauliflower first, then the broccoli and the carrots last. This pot liquor is especially tasty and wonderful for drinking or soup stock.
It seems daikon likes to be cooked in its own water. The color and taste stay in its integrity . I am hoping something I say about the use of the stems might keep you motivated to keep these vegies on your list as our prices rise. We need the different minerals that a wide range of vegies supplies.
The stems on vegies is beneficial energy for our chest health.
Best, Dorcas Gerace
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