This salad was inspired by a little plate a chef sent out one hot night almost thirty years ago. It was made with just the stems, peeled and cut into cubes, and was one of those things where the chef was being thrifty. I would have paid gladly for this great combination of cool crunch and silky, nutty flavored sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
¾ -1 pound of broccoli, stems and florets ½ cup of bon-bon sauce (See recipe) 2 tablespoons salt
You will also need a tray of ice, 1-2 tablespoons salt, and a bowl big enough to hold the cooked broccoli chunks in a bath of ice water.
METHOD:
Trim the bottom of the stalks, and then peel them.
Cut the stalks into cubes ¾ inch, or quarter the stem lengthwise and cut across into ¾ inch pieces. Trim florets to roughly the same size or a little bigger.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. The volume of water should be at least double the volume of broccoli. This will ensure the water remains at a boil when you dump in the broccoli.
When the water boils, add 2 tablespoons of salt.
Make an ice-bath to arrest the cooking. Empty at least one ice tray into a bowl large enough to hold the broccoli, plenty of water, and the ice. Add water enough so the broccoli will all be submerged. Add the salt to the water and stir until the water is ice cold.
Add the broccoli chunks to the boiling water and cook for 2-4 minutes, or just until the chunks are no longer entirely raw, and turn a deeper, brighter shade of green. Bite into a chunk-it should taste cooked, but still be crisp.
Immediately pour out into a colander and quickly rinse with cold water. Then, quickly put the broccoli into the ice bath and stir until the broccoli is no longer cooking, and is quite cool. Drain and dry the chunks, and then refrigerate.
When ready to use, place the broccoli on a plate and drizzle with bon-bon sauce. If you wish, serve individual salads with a small pyramid broccoli and drizzle with the sauce. Garnish with things like sesame seeds, cilantro leaves, or thinly slice scallion tops.
Chef’s Notes:
Originally, this dish was designed as a way to use up stems of broccoli, and used only stems. For that, everything is the same, but peel the stems and cut into cubes ¾ inch in size, then follow the recipe. This is fun as the cubes stack well and look good in small bowls. You can also add cubes of carrot with the broccoli. Cook them as you would the broccoli, but cook longer until they are cooked through. The broccoli also looks nice with threads of carrot for garnish. This salad is a great kid friendly recipe, and you can blanch long stalks of the stem and keep these and sauce handy with carrot sticks or celery as a treat for kids.
SERVES: 4-6
SOURCE: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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