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Braised Broccoli
1 head of broccoli 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup grated cheese paprika Prepare broccoli, soaking in salt water, then removing all the green leaves and the tough portions of stem. Boil in salted water until tender--about 10 minutes. Do not over cook. Drain carefully, so as not to break the stem. Place on pan, sprinkle with cheese and paprika, and place under broiler until cheese is melted. Serve at once. Serves 6.
A quick gratin rather than a braise: the broccoli is boiled, then finished under the broiler with cheese. The only real decision is how long to boil, and by current standards the answer is less than the recipe says.
- Timing is the hingeTen minutes in boiling water suits a whole head with thick stalks, which is plausibly what "1 head of broccoli" implied here. Modern crowns cut into spears or florets are tender in 4 to 5 minutes; pull them while the stems still meet slight resistance, since they keep cooking under the broiler.
- The salt-water soakA cold salted soak was a common way to drive out aphids and small insects hiding in the flower heads; the recipe does not say how long. With commercially washed supermarket broccoli it is optional, though it is still worth doing with farmers' market or garden heads.
- QuantityOne head today runs roughly 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb untrimmed. Six servings from that is modest but reasonable as a side dish; for a substantial vegetable course, use two heads and scale the cheese.
- "Grated cheese"Unspecified in the original, so the choice is open: Parmesan and dry aged cheeses were both in common use. Half a cup of Parmesan browns and crisps; cheddar melts to a softer sheet and needs closer watching.
- Broiler heatPreheat the broiler and set the pan 4 to 6 inches below the element. Two to four minutes is enough for the cheese to melt and spot brown. Dry the broccoli well first, or the pan will steam instead of browning.
- Keep the spears intactThe instruction to drain carefully is the reason the dish is arranged rather than tossed. Lift the spears out with a spider or tongs rather than tipping the pot into a colander, and lay them in a single layer, heads facing the same way.
- PaprikaUsed here for color against the pale cheese. Sweet paprika is the likely intent, not smoked or hot.