Frozen broccoli: how to cook it deliciously to preserve all its beneficial properties?

I had frozen broccoli in the refrigerator for a week - of course, I know how to cook it delicious. I just didn't get around to it. Today I finally “received” the stock, and now I’m sharing the recipes.

Fans of vegetable snacks will surely appreciate them. The dishes are simple and quick. In a few minutes you get the perfect dinner or breakfast: satisfying and incredibly positive!

I recently learned that it is called asparagus cabbage. I somehow didn’t notice the resemblance to asparagus. Cabbage is similar to its cauliflower cousin. I fell in love with her for a long time. I tried it for the first time in the Adler canteen about six years ago. Since then it has been one of my favorite vegetables.

How long should you blanch vegetables?

How long should you blanch vegetables?

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What is blanching?

Blanching, in other words, scalding, is a short-term (several minutes) exposure of vegetables, fruits, berries to boiling water or hot steam. Tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, eggplants, carrots, zucchini, asparagus, spinach and, of course, a very healthy vegetable, broccoli (cabbage), are often processed this way.

Reference. The term comes from the French verb to blanch, which literally means to wash, bleach, or pour boiling water over.

Scalding broccoli can be not only a preparatory step before further cooking, but also the main method of preparation for consumption.

. Broccoli and the healing properties of chromium

Broccoli is a valuable source of chromium

which makes it an ideal vegetable
for diabetics
, people with high
cholesterol
, heart problems
, arthritis and anemia
. Interestingly, chromium also helps in treating acne.

The demand for chromium increases with age, so we should be eating more broccoli every year! Chromium is a particularly important component for people with limited mobility and for sweet lovers

(sugar removes chromium from the body).

Cooking broccoli

To cook broccoli, trim off and discard tough stem bases. You can use a vegetable peeler to scrape off the tough outer skin on the stems and simply trim off the ends.

Then soak the broccoli in cold salted water for 30 minutes. This will remove any insects that might remain. To remove dirt, rinse thoroughly with cold water. Next, cut the broccoli into equal-sized pieces so they cook evenly.

Fill a clean sink or large container with ice and water. Ice water will be used to quickly cool the broccoli after blanching.

How to cook broccoli

Blanching Broccoli

There are two ways to blanch vegetables - boiling and steaming. If you choose to simmer, you will need to bring a large, deep pot of water to a full boil.

See also: Quinoa and its beneficial properties

Blanching Broccoli by Boiling

Place broccoli in boiling water and cook for 3 minutes.

Boil broccoli

Steam Blanching Broccoli

If you are going to steam, you will need a saucepan, as well as a basket insert that fits snugly inside. Pour 5 to 7 cm of water into a large, deep saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Place the prepared broccoli pieces in a steaming basket or insert. Place in a pan of boiling water, cover the pan and start timing. Cook for 5 minutes.

Steamed broccoli

How to cook for a child

Doctors recommend boiling fresh broccoli in a saucepan for your child all year round to saturate the body with useful substances. The cooking process is no different, but it’s better to take shelf life more seriously and try to make puree at one time.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Several inflorescences should be separated from the cabbage and, after washing, placed in a small saucepan with cold water so that it only slightly covers the vegetable.
2. You need to wait until it boils and keep the pan on low heat for no more than 5 minutes.
3. For an infant, you need to chop the broccoli in a blender, adding a little broth left after boiling.

For children over one year old, you can skip the last point and serve the dish on a plate so that they can eat with their hands or a spoon.

Preparing broccoli for cooking

Carefully selected heads of broccoli must be properly prepared for further cooking:

1. Rinse the broccoli thoroughly under running water.
2. Remove the bottom of the stem and leaves from the head.
3. Carefully cut off the inflorescences.
4. If the inflorescences are large, disassemble them into smaller ones.
5. Cut off the shoots from the stem and clean it with a vegetable peeler. Chop into small pieces or cut into strips and use for cooking various dishes.

All these steps must be performed only if the cabbage is fresh. Frozen broccoli does not require any preliminary preparation. And if you wash it, the vegetable will soften and become ugly.

Frozen fruit just needs to be cleared of existing lumps of snow.

How to freeze broccoli

To freeze broccoli, start by cutting it into small florets, 2-3 centimeters in size. Then place it in a saucepan with water and a little lemon juice. Cover the pan and simmer in water for 2 minutes. Then transfer the broccoli to a bowl of ice water and let cool completely. Once cool, place in a plastic freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 1 year.

Frozen broccoli

General rules

During the season, broccoli is sold fresh in stores and markets. When choosing cabbage, you need to buy a uniform green color without yellow or brown inflorescences.

The stem should be hard and the crown should be elastic. Soft stems or limp inflorescences are a sign of long storage.

Store broccoli in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator for no more than a week.

The inflorescences can be consumed fresh without any heat treatment. But more often broccoli is boiled or fried. The main goal when preparing is to preserve maximum benefits and pleasant taste.

Cooking begins with thorough cleaning, dividing into inflorescences. Then rinse with running water and trim the stalks.

You can cook in several ways:

• Steamed;
• In water;
• Blanch.

What to serve with

Broccoli can be served as the main ingredient of a dish or as an accompaniment. Suitable for preparing salads in combination with tomatoes and eggs. Vegetable soup is being cooked.

The easiest way to serve is to season with vegetable oil.

Also add:

• Garlic;
• Pepper;
• Lemon zest;
• Toasted sesame seeds or chopped almonds.

Season with sour cream and mayonnaise. Sprinkle with a little balsamic or rice vinegar and lemon juice.

Broccoli frozen in sour cream in a frying pan

Cooking cold-treated cabbage differs from fresh cabbage. It is not necessary to cook it. Just fry or simmer until cooked and pour in creamy sour cream sauce. If you don’t know how to cook frozen broccoli in a frying pan, do it this way – you won’t regret it!

How to make the gravy:

• Fry 30 grams of flour in a dry frying pan until golden brown.
• In a separate bowl, mix it with 1/3 tbsp. vegetable broth, 30 grams of tomato paste and 0.5 tsp. table mustard.
• Add salt and ground black pepper (a pinch).
• Place on the stove. When it boils, pour in sour cream.
• Mix quickly until smooth.
• Remove from heat.

How to cook broccoli:

• Heat vegetable oil (3-4 tbsp.).
• Carefully fold in the broccoli.
• Cover and reduce heat.
• After 5-6 minutes. it will become soft and slightly crispy. During this time, it must be turned over 2-3 times.

Remove from heat and pour in the sauce. It will give the snack a unique charm. If desired, add fried onion and crushed garlic clove. Garnish with chopped herbs.

Instead of tomato, you can put processed cheese. Grate it and swirl it with a fork – a new taste is guaranteed!

How to cook delicious frozen broccoli in a frying pan - an easy way

This is the best alternative to sandwiches, a great breakfast or light dinner. The snack is liked by adults and children. It is moderately high in calories, bright, beautiful.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• broccoli – 300 -400 g,
• eggs – 2-3 pcs.,
• full fat milk or cream – 70 ml,
• cheese (hard varieties, feta cheese, suluguni, Adyghe) grated – 50-70 g.

Procedure:

• Break the eggs into a bowl.
• Pour milk, salt, pepper, whisk until smooth.
• Place broccoli on a hot frying pan.
• Fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Pour in the egg mixture and sprinkle with cheese.
• Reduce heat, cover and wait for the mass to set.

Turn off the heat and wait a bit. Serve as a separate dish with black bread toast, canned tomatoes, and homemade adjika.

How to deliciously cook frozen broccoli as a side dish with vegetables?

Take any frozen vegetables. Choose the ones you like: green peas, green beans, or zucchini. A ready-made mixture with bell peppers, tomatoes or young corn is also suitable.

Procedure:

• Add broccoli and vegetable mixture to a hot skillet. You can add finely chopped onion to them.
• Stir constantly with a silicone spatula to prevent them from burning.
• When the edges start to brown, add a spoonful of H2O.
• Reduce heat to medium.
• After the liquid has evaporated, add salt and half a glass of sour cream.
• Add salt and mix.

If you are deciding how to cook frozen broccoli tasty and quickly, choose this method. Vegetable stew harmonizes with meat, poultry, and fish. And it takes minimal time.

To make the side dish satisfying, combine it with boiled rice or slices of boiled potatoes.

Serve with cutlets, beef tongue, chicken liver. It's useful and unusual. An excellent combination is obtained with funchose. In this case, instead of sour cream, add soy sauce.

What are al dente vegetables?

Al dente (from Italian al dente - by the tooth; pronounced: al dente) - in a broad sense, a concept in cooking that characterizes one of the varieties of the degree of readiness for consumption of a product after its heat treatment.

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