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:
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?
Related: Pasta’s Best Friend: (Almost) Overcooked Vegetables
(Image: Anjali Prasertong)