PicoBlog

I grew up in a part of the country where Broccoli Salad was a common sight at family gatherings. It was a toothsome number - roughly chopped broccoli florets and stalk, studded with little goodies like raisins, bacon, some kind of nut, red onion. The building blocks were great but the whole foundation would get drenched in mayo (as we Southerners are often wont to do) and render the whole thing a sloppy mess. If it was a summertime gathering - even worse. Mayo, as you know, doesn’t hold up well in the heat.

What I learned was broccoli can be an excellent carrier for a number of delicious bits. It’s readily available (always a plus), and it’s good for you! Now this simple side stays in my rotation.

I prefer to use Broccolini as it benefits from a thinner, more tender stalk and smaller, supple florets. While you can use Broccoli, it’s a lot of stalk. And for this type of salad, the stalks need to have their tough outer skin peeled to reveal the delicate meat beneath. Sometimes that feels like too much work for a weeknight. With Broccolini, you just get to chopping.

Broccolini Salad

To call this a recipe is a bit of a joke. It’s more a simple outline into which you can plug and play a variety of ingredients.

First: chop up a bunch of broccolini! You can roughly chop it for more texture, or go finer for a more delicate salad. (I like it rough.)

Then season it. Start with your acid first. I prefer lemon juice. Apple Cider Vinegar works well, or Red Wine Vinegar. (Or any vinegar!) Toss that broccolini to distribute and season with salt and pepper. Once it’s seasoned with acid, add your olive oil. Add enough to bring the acid into balance. You should discern the richness of olive oil on the middle of your tongue, but a sneaking bit of brightness on the edges and at the back.

Then go crazy. I like use Josh McFadden’s guiding light when dealing with vegetables - make them like you’re making nachos. You want some fat, some crunch, something sweet, acidity, savory notes. This symphony rewards your efforts come mealtime.

I like to add a roasted nut. Hazelnuts, pistachio, almond, pine - take your pick. I always go heavy here - this takes the salad to another level.

Then, some fat in the form of cheese. I like to peel a hefty portion of Parmesan or Pecorino into the bowl, tossing it to distribute. You could use Gouda, or a nice hard Cheddar.

I like red onion, roughly chopped, to stud the salad with its assertive bite. If I don’t have onion on hand, I might grate a touch of garlic directly into the bowl for its savory perfume.

For something sweet, you can’t beat golden raisins. I like their textural chewy contrast to the crunchy base. I buy mine big and fat and sweet from Nuts.com. You could add chopped dates, or currants, or diced apple.

This is the kind of salad, like so many I love, that only gets better as the days pass. Make more than you think you need. The passing days encourage a marriage, the alchemy of time making this better than you thought leftovers could be.

If, like me, you’re always looking for ways to get an easy bit of veg on the table that will please many palates, you’d be smart to file this away.

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