| A new star is appearing on produce shelves and it's | | | | and a little garlic powder. Roast for 5-6 minutes or |
| baby broccoli, a cross between regular broccoli and | | | | until tender. |
| Chinese kale. The trademarked name is Broccolini. A | | | | The Knorr website has posted a recipe for pasta |
| versatile vegetable, you can boil it, steam it, roast it, | | | | Alfredo with baby broccoli. Ingredients include a Knorr |
| stir-fry it, add it to salads and casseroles, pair it with | | | | sauce mix, chopped onions, Parmesan cheese, and |
| pasta, serve it with cheese sauce, or eat it raw with | | | | lemon juice. Some cooks boil or steam the vegetable |
| dip. | | | | in chicken stock and serve it with lemon wedges. I |
| Though many restaurants serve the vegetable, you | | | | like it stir-fried and here is a quick recipe for you. Cut |
| may not find it at your grocery store. I went to | | | | the steak when it is partially frozen to get thin slices |
| three stores and none of them carried it. In fact, | | | | of meat. |
| they never heard of baby broccoli. One produce | | | | Ingredients |
| person offered to get me a package of broccoli | | | | 8 ounces of sirloin steak, thinly sliced |
| flowers instead. The fourth store I visited had baby | | | | 5 tablespoons of canola oil (approximate) |
| broccoli, but it was as limp as wet noodles, so I did | | | | 2 slices of ginger root, peeled and diced |
| not buy it. Several days later a fresh shipment | | | | 1 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced into chunks |
| arrived. | | | | 1 bunch baby broccoli (about 1/2 to 3/4 of a pound), |
| Do not buy limp broccoli. Buy the freshest you can | | | | cut into pieces |
| find and, to keep it fresh, stick it in a glass of water, | | | | 2 tablespoons light soy sauce |
| cover it with a plastic bag, and put it in the | | | | 2 tablespoons extra dry sherry |
| refrigerator. | | | | 1 tablespoon orange marmalade |
| Martha Rose Shulman writes about the trendy | | | | 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes |
| vegetable in a "New York Times" article, "Fettuccine | | | | 1 teaspoon corn starch |
| with Braised Mushrooms and Baby Broccoli." She | | | | Method |
| describes it as "vibrant and light, full of nutrients but | | | | Coat a cast iron skillet or wok with canola oil. Stir-fry |
| by no means ascetic, fun to cook and a pleasure to | | | | beef over high heat. Remove and set aside. Pour a |
| eat." Baby broccoli is high in Vitamin C and also | | | | little more oil into the pan and stir-fry the ginger root, |
| contains Vitamin A, calcium, folate and iron. | | | | onions, and baby broccoli. In a small bowl, whisk |
| Roasting is one of the easiest ways to cook it. Just | | | | together soy sauce, sherry, maramalade, red pepper |
| preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cover a jelly roll | | | | flakes, and corn starch. Add cooked beef and sauce |
| pan with release foil. Separate the stalks and lay | | | | mixture. Stir-fry a minute more and serve over |
| them on the foil. Drizzle the vegetable with extra light | | | | Basmati rice. Makes four servings. |
| olive oil and toss it a bit. Season with salt, pepper, | | | | |