Charred Broccoli Salad With Dates, Almonds, And Cheddar

Carla Lalli Music’s book, Where Cooking Begins , arrived at my door Tuesday. I made her charred broccoli salad for dinner that night, then again on Wednesday, and again on Thursday.

I always have broccoli on hand. It’s a vegetable my children eat with little complaint: boiled, well buttered, well salted.

It’s a vegetable that appears in our farm share in late summer, but I find it tastes good, even from the unpleasant grocery store, year-round. Most often I roast it. I like it very charred.

In this recipe, the broccoli is charred but it’s not roasted, and though the char resembles that from roasted broccoli, the texture is completely different. Carla, in the recipe notes, says: “Searing broccoli lets you straddle the line between raw and cooked.”

Here, halved broccoli heads sear for about five minutes on one side and just one to two on the other. In the end, Carla says, “a cake tester should meet firm resistance when inserted into the thickest part of stem.” The result is firm stalks with tender, charred florets.

When you first taste this salad, you may find it sturdier than you are used to. But as you continue to eat it, which I suggest you do with a fork and knife, I think you’ll find the texture surprisingly nice, a refreshing change from fork-tender broccoli. I also think you may find the texture, after months of eating roasted vegetables, to be, in fact, perfect.

This is a great salad to make ahead of time or bring to a party as it holds very well and tastes even better with time: as it sits, the almonds, dates, and cheddar soak up the flavors of the dressing, a mix of olive oil, vinegar, and honey. The broccoli remains firm as time passes, but it, too, absorbs the dressing, becoming more flavorful.

Carla, if you are unfamiliar, is the food director of Bon Appetit . She’s incredibly knowledgable and trustworthy — you may have unknowingly made one of her recipes — and she’s a fun one to follow on Instagram . ( Incidentally, I’m just learning, also on Youtube: This video with Queer Eye’s Anotoni Porowski made me laugh. )

I’ve spent little time with Where Cooking Begins , which focuses on both techniques and recipes, but I have many pages and recipes flagged, and I sense it’s a treasure, a collection of pearls amassed over many years from many sources: from her mother, who loved to cook, from work as a restaurant line cook, and finally from testing and creating recipes for Bon Appetit for over a decade. I’m looking forward to learning so much more. As always, I’ll keep you posted.

Here’s the play-by-play: Gather your ingredients. Small-ish broccoli heads are good for this one.

Halve them.

Sear them. Five minutes on the first side.

One to two minutes on the second side.

Once cool, cut them.

Chop some dates and almonds.

Dress the broccoli with salt, oil, vinegar, and honey. Toss. Add the dates and almonds.

Toss again.

Shave in some cheddar.

Toss and serve.

Carla Lalli Music’s Where Cooking Begins .

Description

Adapted from Carla Lalli Music’s Where Cooking Begins

As noted in the post above, the broccoli in this salad is pan-seared, which allows the edges to get charred while keeping the stalks/bodies firm. I think you should make the recipe once as directed — the texture may be firmer than you are used to, but I think you’ll find it really nice and refreshing as you eat it. If you find it too firm, next time, sear the broccoli for a longer amount of time on the second side.

I find small heads of broccoli work best for this salad.

This is a salad that can be tailored to your liking. Depending on the size of your dates, you may only need 4 or 5. You may find that the honey is unnecessary given the dates provide a nice sweetness. (I always add the honey.) If you can’t find Marcona almonds, regular almonds are fine — I’ve been using roasted, salted almonds. Other cheeses could work in place of the cheddar, though the cheddar is really nice.

• 2 to 3 small broccoli heads, 1.25-1.5 lbs.
• extra-virgin olive oil
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vinegar, such as apple cider or white balsamic, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup, plus more to taste
• nice flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for finishing
• 5 to 6 Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup salted Marcona (or other) almonds, roughly chopped
• 2 ounces aged or sharp cheddar, shaved with a vegetable peeler

1. Trim woody ends from broccoli stalks, then cut heads away from stems. Peel stems and halve lengthwise. Cut broccoli heads in half through the crown to create two lobes (don’t separate into florets).
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 teaspoons oil to pan. Place broccoli in skillet cut side down. Season all over with salt and pepper to taste. Cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes or until the undersides are well browned but broccoli is still crunchy — a cake tester should meet firm resistance when inserted into thickest part of stem.
3. Turn heads over onto floret size for a minute, just to lightly brown rounded sides, then transfer to a cutting board.
4. When cool enough to handle, cut broccoli heads and stems into 1/4-inch (or slightly larger) slices and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the honey. Season generously with sea salt. Toss. Taste. Adjust seasoning with more olive oil, vinegar, and salt to taste — I’ve consistently been adding at least another tablespoon each of oil and vinegar. And I find the broccoli can really handle the sea salt, so don’t be shy — salt till it tastes good.
5. Add the almonds and dates and toss again. Add the cheddar and toss one final time. Serve immediately or let stand for hours before serving. This salad gets even better as it sits — the dates, almonds, and cheddar soak up the dressing, while the broccoli remains firm (while also absorbing the flavors of the dressing). This is a salad to be eaten with a knife and fork.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 7 minutes
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Description

Adapted from Carla Lalli Music’s Where Cooking Begins

As noted in the post above, the broccoli in this salad is pan-seared, which allows the edges to get charred while keeping the stalks/bodies firm. I think you should make the recipe once as directed — the texture may be firmer than you are used to, but I think you’ll find it really nice and refreshing as you eat it. If you find it too firm, next time, sear the broccoli for a longer amount of time on the second side.

I find small heads of broccoli work best for this salad.

This is a salad that can be tailored to your liking. Depending on the size of your dates, you may only need 4 or 5. You may find that the honey is unnecessary given the dates provide a nice sweetness. (I always add the honey.) If you can’t find Marcona almonds, regular almonds are fine — I’ve been using roasted, salted almonds. Other cheeses could work in place of the cheddar, though the cheddar is really nice.

• 2 to 3 small broccoli heads, 1.25-1.5 lbs.
• extra-virgin olive oil
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vinegar, such as apple cider or white balsamic, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup, plus more to taste
• nice flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for finishing
• 5 to 6 Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup salted Marcona (or other) almonds, roughly chopped
• 2 ounces aged or sharp cheddar, shaved with a vegetable peeler

1. Trim woody ends from broccoli stalks, then cut heads away from stems. Peel stems and halve lengthwise. Cut broccoli heads in half through the crown to create two lobes (don’t separate into florets).
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 teaspoons oil to pan. Place broccoli in skillet cut side down. Season all over with salt and pepper to taste. Cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes or until the undersides are well browned but broccoli is still crunchy — a cake tester should meet firm resistance when inserted into thickest part of stem.
3. Turn heads over onto floret size for a minute, just to lightly brown rounded sides, then transfer to a cutting board.
4. When cool enough to handle, cut broccoli heads and stems into 1/4-inch (or slightly larger) slices and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the honey. Season generously with sea salt. Toss. Taste. Adjust seasoning with more olive oil, vinegar, and salt to taste — I’ve consistently been adding at least another tablespoon each of oil and vinegar. And I find the broccoli can really handle the sea salt, so don’t be shy — salt till it tastes good.
5. Add the almonds and dates and toss again. Add the cheddar and toss one final time. Serve immediately or let stand for hours before serving. This salad gets even better as it sits — the dates, almonds, and cheddar soak up the dressing, while the broccoli remains firm (while also absorbing the flavors of the dressing). This is a salad to be eaten with a knife and fork.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 7 minutes
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2019/03/22/charred-broccoli-salad-with-dates-almonds-cheddar/

Whole fish, even for many fish lovers, can be a hard sell. The head, the tail, the fins — I suppose it’s just a little too much?

If this perhaps describes you, I’m hoping I can convince you to give whole-fish cooking a go, because I think you’ll fall in love with the method, this Chinese-style preparation in particular.

The recipe, from Alana Kysar’s Aloha Kitchen , can be broken down as follows:

1. Steaming the fish — I’ve been using Branzino — on a bed of aromatics (ginger, scallions, and cilantro) with a splash of sake.
2. Making a sauce , a simple mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and hot chilies (if you wish).
3. Dressing the steamed fish with a few tablespoons of hot oil and the soy sauce mixture, which you heat up briefly as well. The sauce will sizzle upon meeting the steamed fish.
4. Showering the steamed fish with a final garnish of cilantro, scallions, and ginger.

It’s really fun to make and truly one of the most delicious recipes for fish I have every made. As suggested, I’ve been serving it with rice , which tastes especially good with the sauce.

Before opening Aloha Kitchen , I would never have thought to make this dish at home. Steamed whole fish is something I often order out, because it’s consistently good. It’s also something I’ve always feared would never taste as good at home, one of those Chinese dishes that just tastes better, for whatever reason, in a restaurant.

But Alana’s recipe has proven otherwise: it’s simple and delicious. I hope you give it a go.

Incidentally , Aloha Kitchen is all about local Hawaiian food, which Alana describes as: “Creole cuisine built on the many influences of Hawai’i’s early immigrants.” These influencers include Hawaiians, Westerners, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Koreans, and Filipinos. The foods of these various cultures are reflected in the recipes in Aloha Kitchen , all of which will make you want to jump on an airplane immediately, hightail it to the first drive-in in sight, and order a plate lunch of loco moco, steamed rice, and mac salad. Meet you there?

Perfect. Can’t wait. OK, back to the whole fish.

Why Cook Fish Whole?

1. Texture. For one, cooking fish whole, regardless of the medium, is more forgiving. If you overcook a filet in the oven or on the stovetop or grill by a minute or two, it likely will be dry; a whole fish won’t. Steaming in particular keeps the flesh very moist. (That said, I will absolutely try the hot oil and sauce trick over grilled whole fish come summer.)
2. Heat retention . Like another favorite fish-cooking method, en papillote , the fish retains its heat. This method, which, as noted above, calls for pouring hot oil and sauce over the fish, gives the hot fish another blast of heat.
3. Ease. Cooking filets of fish on a grill or stovetop takes a bit of finesse and there’s always the risk of sticking. With steaming, there’s no such worry — no flipping, no sticking.

Are you convinced? Will you give whole-fish cooking a go? Or are you already an adopter?

PS: ALL the Fish Recipes right here .

Here’s the play-by-play: Gather ginger, cilantro, scallions, and a hot chili, if you wish.

Cut some of them coarsely for steaming…

… and some finely for garnish.

Stir together a simple sauce: soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, hot chili.

For this recipe, a mild, white-fleshed fish is nice. I’m using Branzino.

Make slits in the Branzino and stuff each with a coin of ginger and a slice of scallion.

Prepare a steamer basket — I’m using a cooling rack — with cilantro, ginger, and scallions; lay the fish on top.

Bring water to boil in a wok or other wide vessel.

Lower in the fish.

Pour 2 tablespoons of sake over top, then close the lid.

Steam for about 10 minutes. Near the end of cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small pot until it shimmers.

Transfer fish to a platter, and pour the hot oil over top first. Heat the soy sauce mixture in the now empty pot, and pour that over top, too.

Garnish with slivered ginger and herbs.

So good with rice.

This is the recipe I use: Perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice .

Alana Kysar’s Aloha Kitchen

Description

A few notes:

• If you serve this with rice, get that going first. I’ve been making Perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice ; just the rice part, not the dressing.
• You need a wide pot or pan with a lid for this recipe. The wide shape of the wok is nice because the cooling rack can rest higher up in the pan, allowing water to simmer beneath it without hitting the fish. A whole fish fits nicely inside it, too.
• Depending on the size of your fish, you will need to adjust the timing. I’ve been using Branzino, and each Branzino has weighed about 1.25-1.5 lbs. For this size fish, 9 to 1o minutes steaming is about right. For a 2-lb fish, cook for about 16-20 minutes. Alana calls for Moi or other mild, white-fleshed fish.

For the sauce:

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 hot chili, thinly sliced, optional

For steaming the fish:

• 1 whole fish, such as Branzino, about 1 – 1.5 lbs
• kosher salt and pepper
• 6 scallions, greens part only, cut into 2 -inch lengths
• one 3 -inch piece ginger, sliced crosswise into coins
• a few small handfuls of cilantro
• 2 tablespoons sake

For finishing:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (or macadamia nut oil, if you can find it)
• 1 scallion, green part only, thinly sliced on the bias
• one 2 -inch piece ginger, peeled and julienned
• small handful of cilantro, finely chopped

1. Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, and chili, if using. Set aside.
2. Prepare the fish. Using a paring knife or chef’s knife, cut three or four 1-inch slits on each side of the fish through the skin to the bone. Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Season generously all over, inside and out, with salt and pepper to taste. Insert 1 piece of scallion and 1 coin of ginger in each slit. Stuff the fish with half of the remaining scallions and ginger. Stuff some cilantro into the cavity of the fish, too.
3. Prepare the steamer bed . Lay the remaining cilantro, scallions and ginger on top of a steamer basket — I use a cooling rack. Place the fish on the bed of aromatics.
4. Steam the fish . In a large wide pot, such as a wok with a lid, bring 2 inches of water to a boil over high heat. Carefully set the steamer basket inside. Pour the sake over the fish. Cover the pan. Reduce heat to medium or low, keeping the water at a simmer. Steam for 9-10 minutes (see notes above), until the flesh is opaque and easily flakes. Transfer the fish to a platter. Discard the aromatics.
5. Finish the dish. Heat the oil in a small sauce pan over high heat until it starts to fizzle. Pour the oil over the fish. Return pan to burner and pour in the soy sauce mixture. Heat the sauce until it bubbles up — this will happen nearly instantaneously. Pour the sauce over the fish. Scatter the scallions, ginger, and cilantro over top. Serve with bowls of steamed rice.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Steaming
• Cuisine: Chinese