Simplicity: Slow-Cooked Broccoli

Recently the New York Times did an article on Alice Waters in anticipation of her new cookbook, The Art of Simple Food. The article wasn’t the best, but it piqued my interest. Especially the subtitle: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution. When the book arrived in the mail, I knew it would be an important one to my cooking.

There are no pictures in the cookbook, which is usually something that bothers me. But this book is different. It’s cozy, helpful, and incredibly simple. She focuses on creating good food with a few basic, but quality, ingredients. There is no “green agenda” to her book, just practicality. The best produce will come from your local farmer’s market; experiment with quality oils and spices; eat seasonally. And I love her belief that food can connect families and communities.

The very first recipe I made was slow-cooked broccoli. I recommend this to any broccoli lover (Heather, I’m talking to you!) Though it takes some time, the result is fantastic. The idea is simple: cut up a large bunch of broccoli into small pieces, heat about 6 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan; chop about 4 cloves of garlic and toss into pan with broccoli and salt. Cook for a couple minutes, then add a cup or so of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer and cover for an hour (i realize an hour doesn’t sound simple, but all you do is stir it once in awhile and it’s over before you know it.)

The result is almost a puree and very flavorful from the salt (I used fleur de sel, which I swear has transformed my cooking) and garlic. I tossed my broccoli with some pasta, chicken, and a very tasty port cheddar (the the brownish, nut looking stuff on the pasta. It’s pretty strong, but very good. You can get it at Whole Foods and I believe Trader Joes), and a drizzle of olive oil. Simple and very delicious.

Other things to do with slow cooked broccoli: scramble it with eggs for breakfast, spread on crackers, or use as a sauce over meat.

Update 3/07/08: The recipe also calls for a good squeeze of lemon juice after it’s done cooking. I highly reccommend it after trying it. It adds a brightness to the broccoli and compliments the garlic nicely.

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