sel et sucre

Tag: broccoli

  • Roasted Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomato Salad

    roasted broccoli and sun-dried tomato salad 1

    I’ve long been a proponent of roasting vegetables – it’s an easy way to enhance their flavor without even needing to add anything (other than a little olive oil and a pinch of salt). But I don’t think I’ve posted any recipes before with roasted broccoli. It’s a great focal point for a salad like this, where the concentrated flavors are well-complemented by the intense umami of sun-dried tomatoes. A simple balsamic honey reduction adds sweetness. Hard-boiled eggs add a great additional texture and help to balance the other strong flavors (although I think this salad would still be quite good as a vegan version without them). I can never resist putting nuts, seeds, and dried fruit on my salads, and this is no exception, with almonds, sesame seeds, and raisins rounding things out here. All together, the ingredients make for a sophisticated and delicious salad, with more than enough components to make it a satisfying meal.

    (more…)

    Related Posts:

  • Broccoli and White Bean Soup

    broccoli and white bean soup

    When I picked up a head of broccoli recently, I was surprised to find it came with a huge quantity of thick, hearty-looking leaves surrounding it. I guess I’d gotten used to supermarket broccoli with these leaves trimmed and (I assume) discarded. After some quick searching, I found that, as I’d hoped, they were edible – and, on top of that, supposedly quite healthy and tasty! So when I set out to make this broccoli and white bean soup, I figured it made sense to toss the leaves in as well. They were an amazing addition to this delicious soup, and for those of you not quite so lucky with your groceries, you can substitute with another hearty green, like collards or swiss chard. I’m sure this soup would be great pureed, as in the original recipe, but it was great with everything left intact and still had a nearly creamy mouthfeel to it from the broccoli and beans simmered until beginning to fall apart.

    (more…)

    Related Posts:

  • 3-2-1 Stir Fry

    3-2-1 stir fry

    So you’ve probably heard that pound cake was thus named because it was once made from a pound of butter, a pound of flour, and a pound of sugar? Similarly, Cantonese 3-2-1 sauce is a recipe in a name. Only, unlike pound cake, this is a recipe I use regularly. Three parts soy sauce, two parts oyster sauce, and one part sesame oil yield this amazing basic sauce, full of umami and perfect for stir fries. I’ve mentioned my obsession with umami on here before, right? Officially recognized as one of our basic tastes (the others being sweet, sour, salty, and bitter) just 27 years ago, it’s that rich hearty flavor that makes steak, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese so addictive. Thinking about how to pack your food with umami can really make a difference in your cooking. 3-2-1 sauce is a great source of umami, so it’s a simple way to make a very flavorful dish. In this 3-2-1 stir fry, I use a combination of some of my favorite vegetables – beech mushrooms, broccoli, and bell peppers – but you could easily swap these out for some of your favorites.

    (more…)

    Related Posts:

  • Chinese Broccoli with Five-Spice Sauce

    chinese broccoli

    Although I’m pretty sure this dish isn’t authentic (due to the inclusion of butter), it tastes exactly like what I’ve eaten at dim sum restaurants before and is really simple (and fast) to make. The sauce, given a kick from garlic, ginger, and five-spice, is a great match to Chinese broccoli, but should work wonderfully on other vegetables as well. It’s not often that I find something that only takes about 10 minutes to make and still tastes delicious, so I know I’ll be coming back to this recipe.

    (more…)

    Related Posts:

  • Chinese Beef and Broccoli

    Chinese Beef and Broccoli

    Growing up, beef and broccoli was always my favorite dish to order at Chinese restaurants. But naturally, the heavily Americanized versions feature an overly sweet and thick sauce that I now find much less appealing. This version of Chinese beef and broccoli is a bit more subtle, with the flavors of rice wine, black vinegar, and oyster sauce.

    (more…)

    Related Posts:

  • Roasted Veggie Pasta with Pomegranate Balsamic Reduction

    Roasted Veggie Pasta with Pomegranate Balsamic Reduction

    Although I often enjoy spending multiple hours preparing elaborate meals, there’s a certain joy in creating a delicious simple meal in just half an hour.  This pasta is perfect for that as the three main components can easily be prepared in parallel, and all of them are fairly straightforward.  I always admire versatility in recipes, and this one is most certainly versatile; use almost any pasta or veggies to customize your meal.

    (more…)

    Related Posts: