In three easy steps, this recipe marries garlic with steamed broccoli for a light, healthy, and flavorful dish anytime of the year. Serve it with a healthy main like EE‘s poached chicken or make it the star of its own vegetarian show by serving with rice (if you like and can eat nuts, adding cashews or slivered almonds are also yummy vegetarian options).
Here is what you need:
- Broccoli, a head for two people or two for up to four (organic preferred)
- Garlic cloves, two good-sized for each head of broccoli
- Onion (white preferred, yellow or red also great), half for each head of broccoli
- Olive or avocado oil, two tablespoons for each head of broccoli
- Salt, four teaspoons
- Pan with steam basket and lid
- Saute pan
- Cutting board
- Vegetable peeler
EE Step-Up: A teaspoon of red pepper flakes adds heat and color!
First step is to make garlic infused oil and onions. Start by chopping the garlic. Thinly slice the onion. Heat oil in saute pan on low to medium low, depending on how hot your stovetop runs. Add the garlic and onion. Stir and add a teaspoon of salt (and red pepper flakes, if using). Modify the temperature as needed to achieve a very light browning while avoiding burning. Within a minute, the garlic will begin to seep into the oil and release its sweet fragrance. Keeping the temperature low, stir intermittently while preparing the broccoli.
Next, rinse and dry the broccoli head. Cut off most of the stalk at the end.
Here’s a tip: using a vegetable peeler, remove some of the outer skin of the broccoli stalk (an excellent dish can be achieved without doing this, but if you have a peeler it is easy and worth doing because it will allow the garlic oil to permeate more thoroughly into the broccoli)
Roughly chop into large bite size florets. Add about an inch and a half of water and 2 teaspoons of salt to the bottom of the steam pan. Place the broccoli florets in to the steam basket in the pan. Put the lid on and place on the stovetop at high temperature. After it comes to a boil, turn the temperature down to medium low and continue to steam with lid on. After about 5 minutes (the broccoli will finish cooking in the garlic oil so no need to fully cook at this stage), remove lid and steam basket. Drain water from steam pan and discard. Shake broccoli steam basket over sink to ensure no residual water is in the basket. Broccoli should be a vibrant bright green.
Now marry the garlic infused oil and onions with the broccoli by combining about a handful of broccoli at a time into the garlic and onion mixture and stir until fully coated. For a crisp bite, it is ready to serve. For a softer chew, cook a few more minutes on low. Season with remaining teaspoon of salt.
