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The Kitchen Garden Cooking School

Broccoli


Large florets on succulant stalks that can be cut apart to make little trees. However, there is a variety of sprouting broccoli which has a number of small flower heads. Use raw (no thanks) or steamed, boiled, or stir-fried. Choose broccoli that has tight florets with no yellow flowers showing. Frozen broccoli keeps for up to a year. I'll hit the farmer's market after a frost, which sweetens the flavor, and blanch and freeze for the winter.

Broccoli

The Lovers

Our vegetables are polyamorous, flitting from love affair to love affair.
However, they do marry well with the ingredients below.

Oils

Avocado, coconut, hazelnut, olive, peanut, safflower, toasted sesame seed, sunflower seed, walnut

Butters

Unsalted butter, unsalted cultured (European-style) butter, clarified butter, ghee, Ethiopian spiced butter

Aromatics

Onion, shallot, leek, scallions, garlic, carrot, celery, celeriac, fennel, parsnip

Vegetables

Artichoke, Asian greens, asparagus, shelling beans, snap beans, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, Jerusalem artichoke, mushrooms, peas, snow peas, potato, spinach, summer squash, sweet bell pepper, Swiss chard, tomato, turnip

Asian Greens

Amaranth greens (en choy), bok choy, Chinese broccoli (gai lon), Chinese (Napa) cabbage, Shanghai bok choy, shungiku, tatsoi

Fresh Mushrooms

Chanterelle, cinnamon cap, cremini, enoki, golden enoki, hon shimeji, lion’s mane, maitake, matsutake, nameko, oyster, king oyster, portobello, shiitake, velvet piopinno, white beech, white button, wood ear

Fresh Herbs

Basil, bay leaf, chives, cilantro, dill, garlic chives, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, summer savory, tarragon, thyme, winter savory, za’atar

Cheeses

Soft or Crumbly Cheeses: Blue cheeses, chèvre, feta, fromage blanc, Gorgonzola, fresh mozzarella, ricotta

Semi-Soft Cheeses: Comté, Fontina, mozzarella, Taleggio

Hard Cheeses: Cheddar, Gouda, Gruyère, Jarlsberg, Manchego, Swiss

Grating Cheeses: Asiago, Grana Padano, Manchego, Parmigano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano

Nuts

Almonds, black walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts

Spices

Chinese five spice powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, black peppercorns, white peppercorns

Umami

Fermented black beans, black garlic, coconut enzymes, miso, fresh mushrooms, dried mushrooms, nuts, soy sauce, tamari, tomatoes, tomato paste, grating cheeses

Zing

Citrus: Lemon, Meyer lemon, yuzu, preserved lemons

Vinegars: Balsamic, Champagne, Chinkiang, cider, rice, rice wine, Sichuan Pepper, white wine, herb vinegars, fruit vinegars

Herbs: Ginger, young ginger

Specialties: Capers

Dried Chili Peppers: Chile de árbol, tien tsin

Ground Chili Peppers: Aleppo, Maraş pul biber, Sichuan peppercorns