I say roasted broccoli stalk “side” but I ate this entire pan for dinner and it was perfect. There’s no judgement here when broccoli is involved. It’s one of my favorite vegetables and I will never turn down an opportunity to make a meal out of this crunchy cruciferous. I’ve also hinted towards my love of hazelnuts in this parsnip + meyer lemon loaf cake with toasted hazelnuts (which if you haven’t tried I might question your dessert loaf choices.) This simple brocc recipe is just as full of PNW locally sourced, toasty hazelnuts! The nutty crunch is a lovely accent to the subtle root flavor. It’s an awesome dish on the side of any meal, great as a salad topper, or enjoyable just on it’s own.
Why stalks though? Besides being delicious the broccoli stalk is often discarded as many folx don’t know that it is, in fact, edible. The stalk takes longer to cook than the delicate florets and the disconnect between cooking times or general lack of context in conventional grocery stores, cooking channels, and wherever else you’re looking at broccoli leads to misinformation and unfortunately stalks in the bin. The brocc stalk is quite versatile – you can save for scrap stock, eat it raw, or cook through until tender. The flavor is nuanced and a great addition to most savory dishes. Paired here with the hazelnuts, there’s a note a sweetness that makes for a well-balanced dish.
Don’t let that stalk go to waste!
Save your broccoli stalks for this well-balanced dish, accented with toasted hazelnuts, a shallot dressing, and lemon.
- 2 - 3 (leftover) stalks from larger broccoli clusters (you can cut up to the floret)
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped (bulk)
- 2 - 3 tbsp olive oil (bulk)
- 1/2 tbsp salt (to taste) (bulk)
- lemon to taste
- 1 shallot bulb, chopped finely
- 2 tbsp olive oil (bulk)
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar (bulk)
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On stove, lightly sautee chopped shallots for 3 - 5 minutes or until semi translucent. Take off heat and drop into bowl for dressing.
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Add olive oil and red wine vinegar and using a fork stir vigorously until well mixed. Set aside.
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Preheat oven to 425°.
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Thinly slice broccoli stalks and drop in mixing bowl. Add olive and salt to bowl and mix to coat thoroughly. Pour onto unlined baking sheet and put into oven for 15 minutes. They should be fork tender.
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Heat up you pan on the stove top and add chopped hazelnuts. Stir constantly for 5 - 8 minutes or until lightly brown. Take off stove.
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Once broccoli stalks have finished roasting remove from oven and squeeze lemon over. On the same baking tray add toasted hazelnuts and spoon over shallot dressing.
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Enjoy! Best served warm but will make a great cold dish. This will last in the fridge about a week.
Let us know if you give this recipe a try! (And you should cause it’s de-lish.) #closedloopcooking
Stay hungry,
Hawnuh Lee
Closed-Loop Cooking
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