Creamed broccoli

A little garlic, cream, and parmesan transform ho hum frozen broccoli to a delicious side dish that even my 5-year-old, hot-dogs-for-breakfast kid will eat.

Take me to the recipe!

I don’t actually feed my kid hotdogs for breakfast, but he WISHES that I would. I’m pretty sure he’s cried about it at least once this week.

How are you all feeling about your kids’ nutrition during quarantine? I know I’ve been eating like a maniac for a few reasons. First, I’m nursing, so I need at least 10,000 calories a day, right? Second, we can’t go anywhere or do anything, so we’ve definitely been using food as recreation, pleasure, and fun; all of the things we used to get outside of our house and with people besides one another. Third, I’m awake so many more hours per day with a newborn that I have more time to graze in a fatigued stupor.

All of this has set a really bad example for my kid. He wants to eat only comfort, pleasure foods and I’m too tired to fight it a lot of the time. Also, he’s kind of a jerk when he’s hungry, which I’m pretty sure is genetic. This broccoli has been helpful because I feel good about him eating something green and he feels good about eating something with cream and cheese.

I’m really trying not to sweat the eating too much. I think we’re all feeling like some degree of failure if the number of “It’s okay to______ or not to _______during quarantine” think pieces I’ve seen is any indication. It’s hard to do anything all the time. Like I always say, too much of a good thing is still too much. Family time is great, but no one gets a break from each other. I like being a homebody, but what I wouldn’t give for a playdate so my kid could destroy someone else’s house for a change.

If eating a fourth cookie means I can laugh at the AWFUL haircut my husband gave M and not cry with rage because he looks like Eleven from Stranger Things, so be it.

A couple of notes:

• This recipe is barely adapted from one I found on epicurious. Some commenters didn’t love it, but extra Parmesan and garlic really help, I think.

• This is a little soupier than other “creamed” things like spinach or corn. A lot of recipes call for a roux, which I opted against because I wanted this recipe to be fast and also, AP flour is about as scarce here as toilet paper or hope. What? Too dark??

• I kind of like the soupyness because we all have enough homemade bread to last until the next pandemic, right? So we need something to sop up with all those carbs. This is also nice tossed with some noodles or zoodles or the like.

• I use frozen broccoli for this recipe because I feel like that might be more accessible currently, but you can definitely use fresh broccoli.

• If you don’t have a shallot, sub in some really finely minced onion or just another clove of smashed garlic.

• When I say “well-smashed” I really want you to give the garlic a good squish with the side of your knife. Get aggressive. You want each clove to be in several pieces.

Creamed broccoli

1 bag frozen broccoli or 1 large head of raw broccoli (about 4 cups of florets and stems)
1 Tbsp butter
4 large garlic cloves, smashed well
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream  
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Yield: About 3-4 cups of broccoli
Time: 15 minutes, all active

In a large bowl, microwave the frozen broccoli until completely defrosted, about 4 minutes. Drain and place the broccoli on a paper towel while making the sauce.

If using fresh broccoli, bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop in the florets. Cook for 3-4 minutes and drain. Set on a paper towel to dry while making the sauce.  

In a medium pot, melt butter over a medium flame. Add the garlic and shallots and cook until fragrant, about one minute, reducing the heat if the shallot or garlic start to burn.

Add the cream and allow it to bubble. If it isn’t coming to a boil, increase the heat slightly. Similarly, if the cream is scalding or bubbling too fast, reduce the heat slightly. You want the cream to bubble pretty vigorously and it’s okay if it bubbles up and seems to expand, but we don’t want browning or burning.

Keep a close watch and stir occasionally until the cream has reduced and thickened so that when you scrape the bottom of the pot, the liquid doesn’t immediately re-cover the metal, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the parmesan and stir until melted, about 30 seconds.

Carefully taste the sauce (don’t burn your mouth!) and season with salt and pepper.

Add the broccoli and cook, stirring, until the sauce has covered the broccoli to your liking. The broccoli will release some water and thin out the sauce.     

Veggie waffles

Who resolved to eat more vegetables a few weeks ago? Who's still doing it? I'm going to be optimistic and say, "Good for you!"

I, for one, didn't make any resolutions this year, so I haven't broken any. However, I did make a list of cooking goals. For someone who cooks a lot, there are still many things I want to learn and master. Like bread. I've never made bread! How that possible?

Until then, these savory waffles are delicious for breakfast, but even better for lunch as a swap for sandwich bread. The veggies are held together with gluten-free garbanzo flour, eggs, and a few tablespoons of potato starch. The waffles are sort of latka-adjacent and as such, the potato starch makes them a bit crispier when they're first cooked. (In case you didn't know, potato starch is the secret to crispy latkes) However, once they cool, they get softer and more bread-like, so the starch isn't strictly necessary.

After giving all of the veggies a rough chop, you want to pulverize them in the food processor. This keeps the final product from being too chunky. Also, releasing some of the veggie liquid makes the batter more batter-y, so don't worry if the blended vegetables look too wet.

Veggie waffles

¾ lb potatoes (about 1 large or 3 small potatoes)
½ medium onion
½ cup cauliflower (heaping)
½ cup broccoli (heaping)
1 medium carrot
1 large garlic clove
¾ cup garbanzo flour
2 Tbsp potato starch (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 eggs
1 Tbsp olive oil

Heat your waffle iron.

Roughly chop all of the vegetables and place in a food processor. Process until all large chunks have been emulsified. Dump out into a large mixing bowl.

Add the garbanzo flour, potato starch (if using), salt, pepper, eggs, and olive oil and stir well to combine.

Grease your waffle iron with olive oil or avocado oil (spray is the easiest) and spoon about ¼ cup of batter into each opening of your waffle maker (ours makes two medium-sized waffles at a time). Cook until done according to your machine.

Top with fried eggs, cheese, ham, turkey, avocado, etc.

Yield: 9 waffles

The best broccoli, maybe ever.

I don't make that claim lightly. Even the toddler eats this with abandon, though he's intermittently a huge fan of broccoli. I say "intermittently" because, like all toddlers, he's mercurial and what he loves one day, he abhors the next. But broccoli falls back into favor more often than any other vegetable. All that to say, this broccoli is great- salty and crunchy and garlicky, but with a bit of freshness from the basil and something indefinable and unctuous from the anchovies.

Two things: Don't fear the anchovies and don't skip the fresh basil or substitute dried. It won't be the same. But back to the anchovies: This is a divisive little bottom-feeder. Love them or hate them, try them in this recipe. You won't really taste them because they are broken down at the start of the cooking process, so they really just become a salty, briny background note.

This dish is a great side for grilled proteins or mixed with whole grain or white pasta. I haven't yet tried it, but I also want to mix in some lentils for some non-meat protein.

Broccoli with anchovies and basil

2 medium heads broccoli, chopped into small pieces
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2-3 large anchovy filets (or 4-5 small ones)
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup whole wheat panko
15 basil leaves (about 1/3 cup chopped)

Preheat the oven to 400. Chop the broccoli and spread evenly over a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Add 2 Tbsp of oil and toss to coat. Add a small pinch of salt (the anchovies are salty, so you don't need much extra seasoning). Roast for 30-40 minutes until the broccoli is deeply browned on at least one side (usually the side touching the hot pan roasts first). Check the broccoli occasionally to make sure it isn’t burning. If it looks like the greens aren’t cooking evenly, give them a shake.

While the broccoli is cooking, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp of oil over a medium flame. Turn the heat to low and add the anchovies. Using the back of a spoon or spatula, squash and chop the filets while they cook until they are completely broken up.

Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

Increase the heat back to medium low and add the breadcrumbs. Mix ingredients thoroughly and toast the breadcrumbs for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pan often to stir the ingredients and distribute the heat.

When toasted to a slightly darker golden brown, remove from the heat and place in a large bowl. When the broccoli is done, add it to the breadcrumb mixture and turn to coat.

Add the chopped basil and turn a few more times to distribute.

Yield: 4-6 side servings

Broccoli and cheddar corn bread

When we were but wee lads and lasses, M's dad took me to a fancy pants restaurant called Dovetail on the UWS in Manhattan. Despite its pedigree, the restaurant served this perfectly salty and sweet corn bread instead of the traditional sourdough or focaccia. It definitely had whole corn kernels--either fresh or roasted, I'm not sure-- and probably more salt than is healthy. I don't even remember the rest of the meal, but that corn bread haunts my dreams 10 years later. We're planning a return trip in March for our wedding anniversary and I'll be Instagramming the hell out of that dinner.

This also feels like a good game day food and is perfect with a bowl of chili. (My favorite chili recipes here and here.) I have mixed feelings about football (the brain injuries, the low pay for the non-all-stars, turning a blind eye to domestic violence), but we'll be watching the Superbowl this weekend for the commercials and Lady Gaga, at least. So, why not have an appropriate accompaniment, right?  

M refuses fresh corn kernels, but make no mistake, we'll be trying again come corn season 2017. To get that extra corn-y flavor of the bread from Dovetail, I subbed corn flour for the AP flour that most recipes call for, which has the added bonus of turning this bread gluten-free. The flour isn't a perfect swap for fresh or roasted corn, but it gets the flavor closer while still being something M will eat.

Cheese makes everything better and broccoli makes me feel like a good mother, so I've thrown some of that in too. 

Broccoli and cheddar corn bread

Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 cup corn flour
1 cup corn meal
2 Tbsp coconut sugar (or granuated)
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1.5 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1.5 cups frozen broccoli, chopped
6 large scallions, chopped
2 tbsp butter
Flaky salt, such as Maldon, for the top

Preheat oven to 425. Combine the corn flour, corn meal, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and lightly whisk. Add the buttermilk, eggs, cheese, broccoli, and scallions, and stir to combine.

Place the butter in the cast iron or oven-proof skillet and put the skillet into the hot oven just until the butter melts. Take it out and carefully swirl to coat the bottom and sides.

Pour the mixture into the hot skillet (be careful!) and bake until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Let the corn bread cool before cutting.

Yield: 8-10 large slices of bread.

Green curry fish stew

Soup and stew are famously my favorite things. Well, this one is a Thai-inspired curry soup/stew that is both rich and light, familiar and new.

Get the recipe here!

For me, one of the things I like about having a child is that his needs are so immediate that caring for him forces me to be in the moment much more than I ever was pre-parenthood. That required compartmentalizing has gotten me through the past few days. I feel this way about cooking too. It's an activity that forces me to pay attention and helps me to block out the worry that can sometimes drag me into its vortex.

So, Green Curry Fish Stew! It's a very delicious vehicle for vegetables and while not technically "hiding" them, the vegetables become part of a whole and don't taste like themselves necessarily. When M was a baby, one of his favorite purees from Baby Foode was chicken, carrots, mango, and Thai red curry paste, so he's always liked these flavors.

My version of a Thai-inspired curry is not at all traditional and is also technically more of a soup than a stew because there's a lot of sauce. But to me, that's the best part, so I'm not complaining.

And don't be scared of kohlrabi. If you can't find it, cabbage or broccoli stalks are the closest substitutes and also the closest in taste. You can eat kohlrabi raw, sauteed, boiled, or roasted and it's available in most grocery stores and farmer's markets. Here is a great description of what kohlrabi is and some suggestions about what to do with it.

Green curry fish stew

½ large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cup fish stock (or chicken/vegetable stock)
1 can full-fat coconut milk
5-7 Tbsp Thai green curry paste (or just go ahead and use the entire little bottle)
1 pint mushrooms, chopped
1 bunch baby broccoli (if using regular broccoli, use 6 oz or about 2 cups)
1 medium kohlrabi bulb, chopped (or just use the broccoli stalks if you can’t find kohlrabi)
2 cups raw baby spinach (1 cup frozen)
1 lb white fish (thawed or frozen)
2 Tbsp fish sauce
Cilantro for garnish

Heat oil over a medium flame and add onion and garlic, cooking until the onions are opaque, about 3 minutes.

Add the chopped mushrooms and cook until they start to wilt a bit, about 5 more minutes.

Add the baby broccoli and cook for one minute.

Add the coconut milk and the fish stock and bring to a boil.

Add the spinach, kohlrabi, and fish and bring back to a boil (this only takes a minute). Push the fish down to make sure it's covered by the cooking liquid.

When the pot is back to a boil, reduce heat all the way to low, cover, and let simmer until the fish is flaky, about 8-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish and if you start with frozen or thawed filets.

Once the fish is cooked, stir in the fish sauce and sprinkle with cilantro.

Makes 7-8 cups, which was about 4 adult servings and 2 toddler servings