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Brocoli, Boiled
Trim off all leaves that are not required or liked, and place the brocoli in a pan of salted water to kill any insects, etc., that may have taken shelter under the stalks. Wash them well, and put them into an uncovered saucepan of boiling water, with a large table-spoonful of salt to every half gallon of water. Keep them boiling till done, which will be in about ten or fifteen minutes, according to size. Drain them directly they are done, or they will lose colour and become sodden.
A method rather than a recipe, and the instructions still hold up apart from the timing. The one line to take seriously is the last one: drain the moment it is tender, or the residual heat and trapped water finish the job badly.
- What "brocoli" meantIn late Victorian books this is usually purple or white sprouting broccoli, sold with long stalks and leaves attached, or a cauliflower-like heading type. It is a tougher, leafier vegetable than the tight green Calabrese heads sold today, which may account for the generous ten to fifteen minutes.
- TimingTen to fifteen minutes will reduce modern supermarket broccoli to khaki mush. Florets need three to five minutes in fast-boiling water; thick sprouting stalks four to six. Test the stem with a knife tip rather than watching the clock.
- Salt ratioA tablespoon to every half gallon is roughly 15-18 g to a little over 2 litres, on the light side by current practice but perfectly workable. More salt in the water seasons the vegetable itself and helps hold its colour.
- The insect soakSound advice with garden or farm-stand broccoli, where aphids and small caterpillars shelter in the head. The original gives no time or temperature; a soak in salted water dislodges them. Bagged supermarket broccoli rarely needs it.
- Uncovered saucepanNot fussiness. Brassicas release volatile sulphur compounds and acids in cooking; trapped under a lid these sharpen the smell and the acids dull the green. Leave it open, and keep the water at a hard boil so the temperature recovers quickly.
- DrainingBroccoli holds a surprising amount of water in the floret heads. Drain upside down in a colander, or lift the pieces out with a spider so the water runs off rather than sitting in them. If it is not being served immediately, cool it under cold water and reheat briefly.
- QuantityThe original gives none. Reckon on 150-200 g of trimmed broccoli per person as a side dish.
Broccoli reached British kitchens from Italy in the eighteenth century, when it was often called "Italian asparagus" in garden books and seed lists; the older spelling brocoli sits closer to the Italian broccolo, a cabbage sprout. The instruction to soak against insects is a reminder that vegetables of the period often came from a kitchen garden or a market stall unwashed and unsorted, and that the cook rather than the supplier was the last line of inspection.