Ingredient: Broccoli
Broccoli doesn’t exist in the wild. Italian farmers bred it from wild cabbage, and the English called it “Italian asparagus.” The name comes from the word “broccolo”, meaning the flowering crest of a cabbage.
It’s one of Britain’s most popular vegetables. However, broccoli only really became common in UK homes in the last century and was still considered quite exotic as recently as the 1970s.
If you spot purple sprouting broccoli in late winter, it is well worth picking up as it is slightly sweeter and more delicate than the usual green heads.
Broccoli is packed with nutrients and provides plenty of vitamin C, folate and fibre. It also contains sulforaphane, an anti-inflammatory compound. Indole-3-carbinol in broccoli can help your body process oestrogen.
A quick steam or roast with olive oil retains more of the goodness, and it works raw in a slaw, too. I love some lemon zest or tamari soya sauce sprinkled over it. Cook it too much and it goes soggy. The stems are good too. Peel and slice them thinly; they cook nicely in stir-fries, soups, or pasta dishes.
