Sizzlin' Skillet of Broccolette
Sizzlin' Skillet of Broccolette
or what I eat on repeat when Ham's not around to stop me
The prices at our local Manhattan groceries stores have been outrageous lately. Just today, the cost of one pound of butter at Westside market was $18.99. That's almost five bucks a stick and over 50 cents a pat. By contrast, now the farmers market feels like a real steal. The other day I got a massive bunch of kale (equivalent to 4 bunches at Westside) for 4 dollars. I was making it rain kale chips all week. No, I'm not ashamed to admit that I love kale chips. They're freaking delicious.
Because most of the local grocery stores seem to have cost us out, besides the farmer's market, we've been getting a lot of our groceries from Fresh Direct, an online grocery delivery company that's been servicing Manhattan long before the pandemic made it a standard practice. Their prices have remained (relatively) stable, and they have ingredients I can't find at my local grocery store, like fresh turmeric root, yucca that's not secretly rotten at the center, and my current favorite vegetable, broccolette. (I know I'm gushing, but I promise this is not sponsored.)
Broccolette (also known as broccolini or baby broccoli) is a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese kale (gai lan). It was developed in Japan and became available in the US beginning in 1996. I'm pretty sure I've crossed paths with it before but likely avoided it because it looks very similar to bitter broccoli rabe. Although broccoli rabe and broccolette practically look like twins, they are on opposite ends of the flavor spectrum, with broccolette tasting even more mild and sweet than broccoli, while broccoli rabe is so bitter you need a lot of acid and heat to balance its flavor. If you're a broccoli stem fan, you'll dig the stem to floret ratio on broccolette, which is real leggy and tender like asparagus.
My current favorite quick meal is this skillet of broccolette/broccolini/baby broccoli (why do they have one vegetable so many names?). It's a mash up of one of the first recipes I ever developed (broiled broccoli with manchego, honey, and nuts) and Carla's broccoli delight (a skillet of broccoli with melty, crispy cheese). When Ham was out of town for work, I ate it four days in a row because there was no one to stop me. If it weren't for Ham forcing a balanced diet on me, my meals would be wholly comprised of vegetables, cheese, and whiskey. If you can't find broccolette, try this with anybody in the brassicas family (bok choy, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, or broccoli classic). They all take well to high-heat, quick cooking, and covering in cheese.
Sizzlin' Skillet of Broccolette
12 ounces broccolette/broccolini/baby broccoli
1/4 cup raw pecans (or any nut/seed)
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
kosher salt to taste
1 1/2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) cheddar cheese, grated, chopped, or torn
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
Wash and dry broccolette, then trim and discard 1/4 to 1/2-inch off the ends (depending on how dry the ends feel). Cut into bite-sized pieces.
Add pecans to a medium cast iron skillet and place over medium heat. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the pecans look and smell toasty. Transfer the pecans to a cutting board and wipe out the skillet.
Heat the skillet over medium-high heat until you see wisps of smoke. Add the oil, broccolette, and season with kosher salt. Toss to coat with oil, then cook undisturbed until deeply charred.
Toss, then let cook undisturbed again to develop even more charring. In the meantime, preheat your broiler to high and roughly chop the pecans.
Evenly top with cheese and place the skillet under the broiler to melt the cheese.
Sprinkle over the pecans, drizzle over the honey and lemon, and generously season with coarsely ground black pepper. Eat immediately (out of the skillet if Ham's not home).
PS: Thank you all for the jam recommendations! I will be checking them all out!