A rich and modified take on one of our most versatile and popular side dishes- the humble yet delightful Broccoli 🥦🥦🥦
Can I begin by saying that I think side dishes are wildly underrated. They are the thing that often gets you through the meal, compliments the main serve and can even be the unsung hero you weren't expecting. You can have side dishes from nearly every food group and have them cooked in just about every way- fried, boiled, steamed, baked, raw... it's a way to add some excitement and curiosity to the meal.
Before I get into why I chose this recipe, I want to make a little foray about why sides are even more important when someone has a modified meal, or notably is recommended a puree diet. Quite often when meals take time, effort and work, side dishes get forgotten. This means you end up with one kind of flavour or recipe on the plate.
When people are on modified diets of any kind, there is a risk of losing appetite and interest in food and this is where the importance of versatility and therefore ✨side dishes✨ have a salient role to play. There are a range of strategies to use to keep up interest in food and that includes exposure and inclusion of a range of flavours, colours, and where possible, textures. This means that the meal is going to be that much more enticing if there is a main dish and a side or two, versus just a main, especially if that plate is pureed.
Now... Broccoli is probably one of my most favourite vegetables and it's a go-to for me no matter the season, the occasion or the craving. It compliments any kind of protein and can be paired with nearly any vegetable to beef up your side plate. The darling is even a delight when she's fresh, raw and straight from the garden.
The difficulty with modifying broccoli is that it is difficult to separate the florets and the stem. The florets become soft quickly and easily when cooked however the stem is more fibrous and often ends up being harder. So as a whole, it is rather inconsistent to prepare as soft and bite sized or minced. However... Broccoli is an absolute treat as a puree option. It holds its flavour and colour beautifully and doesn't release too much water.
I chose to added some protein by using parmesan and almond meal to create a texture that would not cause choking and unlikely contribute to residue, as long as it passes the spoon test. I think the trick to this is adding water, only as required, to maintain the texture but avoid it being too sticky. The protein also helps to increase the feeling of being full and staying full as this can be harder to achieve with puree meals.
For some added fun, you could try changing the kind of nut meal you add to the recipe such as casher or walnut, or the kind of cheese such as Stilton or Pradera. These simple substitutes could take your broccoli puree on any kind of journey to spice up a basic serve of protein or be the hero nobody was expecting!
Broccoli Puree
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2 small or 1 large broccoli, boiled
2 tbsp olive oil
⅓ cup of Parmesan
⅓ cup of almond meal
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp of water as required.
METHOD
1. Cut up the broccoli into small pieces and add to a pot of boiling water.
2. Boil the broccoli until soft, then strain.
3. Refresh the broccoli by running under cold water. Strain well.
4. Place the broccoli, olive oil, parmesan and almond meal into the blender, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until almost smooth allowing the cheese and almond meal to provide some texture.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil ✨
Comments