Comments on: Broccoli & macaroni – frugal, simple, meatless, delicious

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:39:00 +0000

@Matt: Sounds simple enough – and should help the stalks cook a bit more thoroughly. Thx.

@Michael: you can adjust the amount of oil – a cup is on the heavy side, for sure… keep in mind that the recipe serves 3-4. It does carry a few (ahem) calories, but olive oil has some healthy characteristics as well. From PEERtrainer:

The beneficial health effects of olive oil are due to both its high content of monounsaturated fatty acids and its high content of antioxidative substances. Studies have shown that olive oil offers protection against heart disease by controlling LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels while raising HDL (the “good” cholesterol) levels. (1-3) No other naturally produced oil has as large an amount of monounsaturated as olive oil -mainly oleic acid.

In any event, this is one of my favorites and as it happens, is probably the most calorie rich of the dishes I’ll feature. …one of which is greens and beans.

Thanks!

By: Michael W.

Michael W. — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:55:48 +0000

I think you need to address the issue of adequate (i.e., complete) protein, which you can remedy by having a bean dish on the side, still keeps the cost down. Beans & grains were the old combo the vegetarians in college used to use.

And a CUP of olive oil? Got a quick calorie calculator on that one?

:-)

Ought to be good for the Iditarod….

But sounds delish….

By: Matt M

Matt M — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:55:01 +0000

You might want to try the Alton Brown from Good Eats method for cooking broccoli. After just one attempt at it I’m hooked. It’s so good it’s almost like it’s something else, which is weird because it’s so easy.

You can find the details on the Food Network website but basically you chop the tops off the broccoli and then slice the stems into narrow strips (but not thin strips). You put just 1/2 cup of water into a pot and add some salt. Then you put the stems on the bottom and the tops or florets (spelling?) on top. The idea is the stalks or stems put the florets above the water. Then you cover and cook 3 minutes on high, then 3 minutes on low. That’s it. It really comes out very well.

Only issue is that it changes the visual presentation in something like this, which for Italian dishes is part of the appeal to me.