Broccoli is in season right now and my child loves it. But if you purchase it by the pound, you'll suddenly realize that what you are paying for—is a lot of stem. So this past week, I started collecting the stems and putting them neatly in the fridge, (covered loosely in plastic). By the end of the week I had at least 4 cups.
If you don't have time to make this, chop the stems roughly and freeze them until you do have a moment to use them. Don't waste them, though, the stems can be part of a whole new meal and honestly, they're just, or even more delicious than the florets.
LEMONY BROCCOLI STEM PUREE: Put 4 cups of roughly chopped broccoli stems into a pot of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook until tender. (Roughly 10-15 minutes). Drain. Put the cooked stalks into a food processor with 1 cup of cooked white rice. Blend. Add 3/8 of a cup of Sour Cream, 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed Lemon, a grating of fresh Nutmeg and a grind or two of freshly Ground Pepper. Blend again. Check for seasoning. You may need to add a tiny bit of Salt, but if you boiled your stems in fairly salted water, it probably won't be necessary.
NOTE: This puree serve 4 as a side dish with Fish, Roasted Chicken or any Grilled Meats. Roasted Pumpkin, or something sweet like Roast Yams would go well as another side dish with this. (The sweetness offsetting the lemony broccoli puree). You could also toss the Broccoli Stem Puree through cooked buttered noodles, with a little grating of cheese on top. Or, fold it into a cheese sauce, mix through cooked noodles, top with garlic breadcrumbs and bake, for a cheesy broccoli gratin.
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So pleased to welcome Illustrator ALLI ARNOLD to my blog! To see her work, check here.