Two-Hour Broccoli Confit: So Much Better Than Overcooked Broccoli

When I say broccoli cooked for two hours, you say gross, right? You probably think about retirement homes and sad cafeteria food. I was as skeptical as you probably are when I first read Food52's description of Roy Finamore's Broccoli Cooked Forever recipe. Then I tried it, first spread thick on a piece of grainy toast, then simply speared with a fork, standing over the pot. Broccoli cooked slowly for two hours in olive oil, garlic, red pepper and anchovies? Nothing at all like overcooked broccoli.

We've looked at slow-cooked broccoli before — check out Dana's recipe:

• Recipe: Slow-Cooked Broccoli with Lemon Breadcrumbs

But Finamore's recipe goes even beyond this one; he cooks the broccoli for, yes, two whole hours.

The method is simple: blanch broccoli florets and stems for five minutes, then cook them covered in a shallow bath of oil for two hours, until they are buttery soft. Sliced garlic, dried red peppers and a few anchovy fillets slowly infuse the broccoli with their flavor, the anchovies in particular giving the mixture a scent more alluring than any pot of broccoli I've ever known.

Eat the broccoli straight, or mash it onto toast or crackers; either way, it's hard to stop eating. It's a surprising, simple recipe that turns humble broccoli into a luxurious treat.

Get the recipe: Roy Finamore's Broccoli Cooked Forever at Food52

Have you ever tried broccoli cooked in this way?

(Image: Anjali Prasertong)

Comments (16)

Definitely sounds like it's worth trying! I wonder, however, how much of the nutrition of the broccoli gets leached out by cooking it for so long? I've heard that even just boiling vegetables for 10 minutes can remove up to 60% of the vitamins - how much would be left after 2 hours?

Any ideas for an anchovy substitution for us vegetarians?

How could I make this work in the oven or a slow cooker?

@jrossi1217: You'll want something salty and briny, so maybe olives, some type of seaweed or preserved lemons?

@TPD: After the blanching, you bake the covered pot in a 225°F oven for 2 hours. I'm less experienced with the slow cooker, but I imagine cooking it on low for 4 hours or so would work.

Interesting. I wonder what value blanching adds, and if 2 hours is really necessary. Also, what do you do with the olive oil that's left over? I wouldn't be able to bring myself to throw it out.

Capers would probably work as an anchovy substitute.

It's really a wonderful recipe. I halved it, and the only thing that stopped me from eating the whole batch in one sitting was the thought of ingesting 1/2 cup of olive oil at once!

Thanks Anjali and Illopro! I was thinking olives or capers as well, or preserved lemons if I ever get around to making them.

@MsTiggy - the nutrients are generally leached out into whatever liquid you're cooking the veggies in. So you can cook any vegetable forever and as long as you're also consuming the cooking liquid, you're still getting the nutrients. This is why many people in the south swear by pot likker (a.k.a. the cooking water from collard greens) as a restorative. Many dip cornbread or biscuits in it but some drink it like a beverage.

I also wonder about the purpose of blanching here. Maybe to break down the fibers a bit since you're not boiling them in water but stewing them in olive oil?

I once tried to make broccoli walnut pesto and it was pretty good, but man, whirl these in the blender or food processor with that extra olive oil and I'll bet they'd make a FANTASTIC sauce for pasta. Or a spread/dipping sauce for bread. Or even other vegetables. Raw broccoli dipped in broccoli confit? Or it that too much? Lol.

Wow, I had no idea that mushy broccoli could be redeemed. I'm going to try this.

Do you think I could make this with chopped canned Spanish sardines? (I have a TON of broccoli and a leftover can of sardines begging to be used).

Maybe miso (with or without a little soy sauce) instead of anchovies? Something with an umami-salty-from the sea kind of kick (miso isnt from the sea, but it makes me think of seafood since I tend to have it in my soup along with sushi).

Do you think this would work with cauliflower?

I eat broccoli everyday and have never seen this. I'll have to try this. Does it negate the benefits of broccoli though?

What adjustments would you make if you wanted to use frozen broccoli? I get tons of frozen brocc from my winter CSA and never know what to do with it.

@twnt1andcounting the recipe says cauliflower works as well :)