Today, many people know about its healing properties. But to become a welcome guest in our kitchen, broccoli is worthy not only because of its extraordinary benefits.
Broccoli was cultivated by the ancient Romans, although its journey to the rest of Europe was very long. Today, in our kitchen, it is very popular – in a light salad with a drop of olive oil or hot, fried or boiled, seasoned with butter. In recent decades, broccoli has completely taken the lead among vegetables. Many studies testify to its anti-cancer properties, and neuropsychologist David Servan-Schreiber* wrote about them many times, including on the pages of Psychologies. Like most cruciferous plants, it contains sulforaphane, an anti-toxic and antibacterial substance. However, it is good not only for the prevention of cancer. Broccoli is exceptionally rich in vitamins. For example, at an equal weight, broccoli contains more vitamin C than an orange. The main thing is not to cook broccoli for too long, because then it loses some of its useful qualities. Due to the high content of provitamins of group A, it has antioxidant properties, which is valuable for eye diseases. Like many green vegetables, broccoli is rich in vitamin B9, which promotes cell renewal, so it is recommended for pregnant women.
This low-calorie product (34 kcal per 100 g) is low in carbohydrates and high in fiber, which is why it is recommended for diabetics, as well as for those who are trying to lose weight. Recent studies have shown that broccoli can also help in the fight against chronic bronchitis, which is primarily affected by smokers**. It’s hard to resist the temptation of a product with such wonderful properties … Choose a head with a closed stem and compressed florets and cook broccoli in a way that suits your taste.
* D. Servan-Schreiber “Anti-cancer” (RIPOL classic, 2010).
** Ch. Harvey «Restoration of Bacterial Phagocytosis in Alveolar Macrophages from COPD Patients by Targeting Nrf2». Science Translational Medicine, 2011, vol. 9.
Broccoli tempura
For 4 persons
Prepare: 15 minutesPreparation: 5 minutes
- 1 head of broccoli
- 1 bunch chervil or parsley
- For tempura:
- 1 glass of ice water or highly chilled sparkling water
- Xnumx rice flour
For deep fat:
- Sunflower oil
For mashed potatoes:
- 1 slice of garlic
- 50 g butter
- 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp pistachio oil
- Fleur de Sel sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
Preparation
Gradually add ice water to the rice flour bowl. Beat with a whisk until a thick airy dough forms. Put it in the refrigerator for half an hour. Separate and disassemble the broccoli florets, cut the stem lengthwise. Boil everything together in boiling salted water for two minutes and set aside, reserving some of the broth. Blend it in a blender with broccoli stalks, garlic, butter, pistachio oil and lemon juice. Salt and pepper the resulting puree. Heat up the deep frying oil in a deep frying pan. After dipping the broccoli florets in the batter, immerse them in the oil for a few seconds. Do not wait until they darken, but immediately lay them out on an absorbent napkin. Serve with mashed potatoes, on a warm plate, sprinkled with chervil or parsley.
Baked eggs with broccoli noodles
For 4 persons
Prepare: 20 minutesPreparation: 1 hour
- 1 head of broccoli
- 4 eggs
- 16 kernel kernels
- young garlic
- olive oil
- coarse salt sea salt Fleur de Sel
- freshly ground pepper
Preparation
Preheat oven to 60°C. Pour a thick layer of coarse salt into a baking dish so that 4 eggs can be placed vertically in it. Put them in the oven for an hour. Ten minutes before the end, wash the broccoli stalk and cut it into thin, noodle-like, millimeter-thick strips (cut along the stalk with a vegetable peeler). Dip the noodle strips in a pot of simmering water for a few seconds, then set them aside to drain the water. Peel and mince the garlic. Break up the nuts. Peel the eggs from the shell and arrange them on four plates. Add to each broccoli noodles, sprinkle with garlic, nuts and drizzle with olive oil. Season with Fleur de Sel sea salt, pepper and serve.