Broccoli

The flavour is somewhat different but broccoli is a variety of cauliflower that is green;  instead of yellow or white. It was very popular in Colonial gardens and continued to be grown and sold along the east coast but gained popularity very slowly among other Canadians. Within the last few years growers on the west coast have promoted it and it is now as popular and often more abundant and lower priced than cauliflower. Shipped in ice from early cuttings, even the larges stalks are often tender. Choose heads and leaves that are bright green and crisp. Cut off only such portions of the stalk as are too hard and tough to admit the knife. Wash under running water and refrigerate, if not to be used at once. When ready to cook, use a deep kettle just large enough for the head or heads, and bring salted water to a rapid boil. Insert carefully, stem end down, leave uncovered and when the water stops boiling add soda the size of a small pea to the water around the stems. The heads should not be submerged. When the water boils up again they will cook more slowly than the stems and both will be tender in 15-25 minutes. If the heads are under water, they cook so much more rapidly that they will be mushy before the stems are tender. Broccoli heads, stems, and leaves are valuable sources of vitamins A and G, as well as iron and calcium.

Serve with brown butter sauce, brown butter and crumbs, Hollandaise sauce or au gratin, especially when the green colour is wanted.