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Broccoli Middle Eastern Style

Summary

Yield
Prep Time10 minutes
Eatingthrive-dining

Description

I used to be a guest at a friend's house whose family was from Syria. She enjoyed having lots of people for dinner and served it buffet style. One of her highlights was a huge bouquet of broccoli on a platter, as green and beautiful as any you've ever seen. I asked Evelyn how she cooked the broccoli and she told me to add olive oil to the water. broccoli

Following her advice, I always get complements. Here's what I do to prepare this super food.

Ingredients

  • head of fresh broccoli
  • 1 T olive or canola oil
  • salt

Instructions

In a large pot bring about an inch and a half or water to boil. Add and dissolve salt, up to a couple of teaspoons. Don't worry. Most of the salt gets poured out. Add the olive oil. Again, you are not adding a lot of fat because most of it will be poured out.

Trim the stalks off the florets, leaving the entire head intact. With a sharp knife, peel the skin off the broccolsi stalks.

Using tongs, plunge the broccoli into the boiling water. Wash the florets around in the water to completely soak them. Cover. As soon as the water begins to boil, turn the floret heads over so that the stalk side is down. Toss in the peeled stalks. Cover and bring to a boil for about three minututes. Remove a peeled stalk with your tongs and test for doneness by gently cutting into the stalk.

I like mine just past crunchy. So if it's at all cooked, I turn the heat off and let it bath in the wather for another few minutes. Then pour the water into the drain. Keep the lid on the pot until ready to serve.

Notes

This tastes great to me no matter who cooks it. I think that most people would prefer it not overdone so if you are unsure, err on the side of undercooking it.

Photo by John-ArthurÂ