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To Boil Brocoli in Imitation of Asparagus

Boiled broccoli seasoned with salt and topped with melted butter.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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To Boil Brocoli in Imitation of Asparagus

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Strip off the leaves from the broccoli and remove the outer rind up to the heads.

  2. Tie the broccoli in bunches and place them in a mixture of salt and water.

Cook and serve

  1. Boil in a pan of boiling water with a handful of salt for ten minutes.

  2. Lay the boiled broccoli in bunches on a plate and pour melted butter over them.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Broccoli (in the method)
The main vegetable; boiling softens its stems and florets until tender.
Butter
Adds fat and richness, coating the warm broccoli with a smooth flavour.

The step that matters

Boil for ten minutes. Boiling for the full time softens the stems while the florets stay intact. Overcooking breaks down the cell walls, leaving the broccoli soft, mushy and dull in colour.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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