Let’s Eat - The Broccoli Files

Let’s Eat — A Writer’s Guide to Cooking
When it comes to broccoli, simple is best. When it’s served hot, in a casserole or with butter or sauce of some kind, I always end up discouraged by the taste, texture, or smell, if not all three. For me, the very presence of hot broccoli is enough to ruin an entire meal. Around it, nothing else smells or tastes quite right. On the other hand, broccoli is very tasty raw, whether eaten by itself, in salad, or with dip. In fact, although we don’t have dip very often, when we do we almost always have it with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and celery, rather than the standard crackers and chips. It’s a great way to go, especially now that crackers and chips typically cost several dollars for just a few ounces and contain about the same amount of nutritional value as their packaging. But, I agree, one cannot always serve raw broccoli. When something a little more stylish is called for, we break apart several crowns, wash them, steam them until tender, and then set them in the refrigerator well ahead of mealtime to cool. Shortly before it’s time to serve, we add some finely chopped red onion, sprinkle on a little salt, and top it off with oil and vinegar. In other words, we have broccoli salad, except that we serve it on a regular flat dish. Prepared in this way, broccoli goes with just about everything — typical meat-and-potatoes fare, even enchiladas. And since it is chilled when it’s placed on the table, there is no broccoli smell to contend with. If there is any broccoli left over, just seal it in a plastic container, juice, onions, and all, and put it back in the refrigerator. It’s great the next day. Ask our oldest son. He has been known to make broccoli sandwiches, complete with baby carrots and potato salad. He uses sourdough with plenty of mustard, and his sandwiches usually weigh about two pounds — a bit strange, perhaps, but rugged and very impressive. I do, however, wonder about the chocolate milk he has for dessert.	Also by William Michaelian POETRY Winter Poems ISBN: 978-0-9796599-0-4 52 pages. Paper. —————————— Another Song I Know ISBN: 978-0-9796599-1-1 80 pages. Paper. —————————— Cosmopsis Books San Francisco Signed copies available Main Page Author’s Note Background Notebook A Listening Thing Among the Living No Time to Cut My Hair One Hand Clapping Songs and Letters Collected Poems Early Short Stories Armenian Translations Cosmopsis Print Editions Interviews News and Reviews Highly Recommended Favorite Books & Authors Useless Information Conversation Flippantly Answered Questions E-mail & Parting Thoughts
Top of Page Current Entry Old Eats

Let’s Eat — A Writer’s Guide to Cooking