broccoli soup sounds great. The stems tend to be very woody by now and before you put them in the food processor, I'd take a veggie peeler to them and remove the tough outer layer. In fact, I've used the peeled, sliced stems like water chestnuts. Not bad at all. cora

My hubby makes a great broccoli soup.....I'm generally not a veggie person but I love this soup.

1 stick of butter
3 small onions chopped
15 oz. brocolli or asparagus chopped (or spinach)
8 cups of chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. chervil (not necessary)

Melt butter in stock pot, add onion then sautee gently without browning (about 5 min). Add broccoli, pour in the chicken stock, add salt and pepper and chervil. simmer for 45 minutes. Take off heat, let cool. Blend soup in blender or food processor (for asparagus ass through strainer or cheesecloth). Eat and enjoy.

Heavy cream can be added to make it a cream soup.

Okay that is the recipe per DH. I have no idea what chervil is and he says he only uses it when he has it.....the soup has been great without it.

Make this soup you will love it. :-)

I always peel the stems of store bought broccoli to use. If you shred it you can make a broccoli slaw. I also make a broccoli salad, the clusters cut small, the shredded stems, bacon bits and dried cranberries with ranch salad dressing to taste. I don't have measurements I am one of those kind of cooks that wing it. :o)

You could try using them like fresh spinach:

chop them up with some onions, garlic and feta cheese and an egg. then bake the mixture for 30 or 40 minutes. kind of like a spinach cheese pie, without the phyllo sheets. or put the mixture into those pre-made puff pastry shells you can find in the freezer section at the grocery store. Yum!

Kate

Great ideas, ladies! I knew there were cooks out there.

Corar, when you say water chestnuts, are you talking in stir fries? Salads? How do you use them?

Trinigemini, I am definitely going to try that soup. Can you use just the stems and leaves for the 15 oz broccoli? I guess I can try and that will give me the answer. I think I do have chervil!

Katkin, there is a little local restaurant a half mile away that makes broccoli slaw. I was thinking about asking them how they do it. They do use the dried cranberries like you mentioned, and peanuts too. The only thing that puts me off is the shredding, because I'm pretty lazy about that kind of work. Maybe if I try once and it turns out well, I would be more willing to put in the time. Thanks for the great idea.

Kate, that sounds almost like a quiche. Do you think the broccoli leaves would be tender enough to use in that fashion? They are kind of firm like collards. I love the feta cheese idea though. Sounds delish.

Keep the ideas coming! I'm thinking of taking down just one plant at a time for each recipe, and in the meantime, letting the little florets keep on forming. I'm just using them in salads or veggie combos right now.

Thank-you!

Anna

Anna DH says that you can just use the stems but he would not use the leaves of the plant.....just stems and the head.

Anna, I have a salad shooter from the 70's that I use to shred the stems with. A cheese grader would work if you have to do it by hand, or a mandolin. And of course a food processer.

In the broccoli salad I use the sunflower seeds (forgot them), and the broccoli floretts along with the shredded stems and cranberries.

Oh wow! I gotta try these, they all sound delicious!
Anna, I use the peeled, sliced stems both raw and cooked, salads and stir fry. They just don't maintain their crispness as well as water chestnuts, when cooked. cora

Anna
When you will harvest your turnips you can use the broccoli stems with them.
Peel them thickly, cutting just below the tough outer layer of skin with a paring knife. Slice them into rounds, diagonals, matchsticks. Boil in salted water until tender- firm and season with a fresh vinaigrette.

Broccoli stems can also be used as a side vegetable or as a part of a vegetable mixture, be it a soup, salad or stir fry.

Willy

I make a quiche with the leaves at the end of their season each year. I can't seem to find the recipe I used last year, but it included baking powder to fluff it up, if I recall right. Quiche is basically eggs, cheese, milk and whatever else you want to add. It worked great, taste and texture just like spinach quiche.

I love this thread, because I have ten broccoli plants that have not headed up yet, and was wondering what to do with them. I think the leaves would be really good if you stripped the green part off the stems, briefly boiled the greens, drained, then sauteed with garlic in olive oil, and add lemon juice. I have boiled, then sauteed them with bacon, garlic and beef stock (a cube)and they are great like that. Kohlrabi leaves, and collards work well with the bacon, too, but the stems can be tough. Maybe chopping the stems fine in the food processor would work, I think it is a good idea to try for soup. When I have not first boiled the greens, they have been bitter, but I still ate them! :)

Wow, a lot of great ideas. Gives me inspiration. I didn't realize the outside of the stems need to be peeled off. What if I just pureed it with my vita mix blender and used it like that for soup? I will definitely experiment and let you all know how things worked out. It will be a while yet, cuz I'm still going to hold out a week or two to start pulling them since I see more small florets.

Katkin, I do have a cheese grater. I also have sunflower seeds I can use for a slaw. What is the dressing made out of?

Smart2surf, I've made a similar recipe, minus the bacon, with collards and think I will try it with the leaves as you say.

Natives and veggies, I haven't made a quiche in years, but sounds like a great idea. Will need to look through my recipe box.

Willy, I make a stir fry of some sort about once a week, so I will definitely peel and slice the stems to try that way.

This veggie garden is going to make a cook out of me yet! That is a good thing, a very good thing. Thanks everyone.

Anna

I have a vita mix, and it will Pulverize those stems! Anna, you have given me a great idea, which I did not think of before.
I use my vita mix to puree raw tomatos for sauce, and it works so good, there is no need to peel or seed them. I just pour the puree into my pan (after sauteeing the meats in a bit of olive oil, or just olive oil and no meat)and it makes a lovely smooth sauce. But we were not talking about tomatos. Forgive me, since all my tomatos are green on the vine, and I cannot wait to harvest some in a week or two. I was a little late in planting, but all is well.

Great recipes everyone!

Anna check the link for the best veggie cookbook ever. IMHO. Marian Morash is the wife of Russell Morash the producer of the PBS TV show The Victory Garden. I purchased this book just after we were married and read it cover to cover. It's a little tattered now after 26 years of use but it's still my favorite veggie bible.

Here is a link that might be useful: Victory Garden Cookbook

Marion, thanks for the name of that cookbook. I'll check my used book store. :o)

Anna, I am talking about two different salads. :o)
Broccoli salad:
Broccoli flowers, cut small
broccoli stems, peeled and shredded
sunflower seeds
dried sweetned cranberries
bacon bits
Ranch Dressing.

Broccoli slaw
broccoli stems, peeled and shredded
and what ever you use in cole slaw.
I sometimes add cranberries
carrots, shreded
red sweet pepper
green pepper
Mayo and vinegar.

You can buy broccoli already shredded by the cole slaw already shredded, as well as the carrots, if you need to.

I also make a shredded carrot salad with raisons, sunflower seeds and honey mustard dressing.

Marion, sounds like a great book! I went ahead and ordered it today. Thanks!

Katkin, I will have to try both your recipes. I guess I was a little confused, but now it makes perfect sense. Sound really good. Thank-you!

Anna