Easy Broccoli

Easy Broccoli

Serves 4

There are so many ways to cook green vegetables-braise, sauté, blanch, steam... I’ve tried them all. Steaming is supposed to be the method that retains the most nutrients-no dunking in boiling water. This apparently robs fresh green vegetables of their nutrition (or some of it). But I find that 

steaming doesn’t always make such an appealing vegetable, something is lost, a tad ironic. Blanching is the best way to cook vegetables for taste and texture, but this requires dunking them in boiling water, which is not so great if you want they’re vitamins and minerals. It’s also a little more time consuming, adding the ice dunk at the end. The way I like to cook broccoli (and green beans and asparagus) for an every day meal is very easy and it’s somewhere in between all of the above mentioned methods.

Cooking a meal with multiple dishes is easiest when you prep the vegetable first, set it in a pan to be turned on ten minutes before the meal will finish cooking.

1 lb of broccoli-cut up into bite sized pieces. (If you cut the stems in half the cooking time is shortened.)

Place in a 12-inch frying pan with a tight fitting lid

Add 1/2 cup of water

Add 1/2 tsp of salt

Cook for 7-10 minutes, depending on how crunchy you like your broccoli, on medium high. Check after 7 minutes. All of the water may evaporate during this time so be careful to avoid scorching. The broccoli will continue to cook a little after you remove it from the heat, so remove it a little early. If there is still water in the pan when it's done, drain. If all of the water evaporates and it's not done, add a little more water and cook a few minutes longer.

Serve with butter and lemon slices. 

To see more of my work: http://www.smcintyre.com/