Broccolini has my vote for the most misunderstood vegetable. This lovely green leafy plant is often called baby broccoli, but here’s the kicker – it isn’t. Broccolini is in the same family as broccoli (brassica), but it is actually a cross between broccoli and Chinese gai lan (also known as Chinese broccoli). Compared to broccoli, broccolini sports a milder, sweeter flavor and is surprisingly easy to prepare. You would think this little gem would fly off the shelf and into carts, but no. I often find broccolini (when I find it at all) on special. Grocery stores either don’t stock it or have trouble selling it. Perhaps, there is a bit of mystery surrounding this less common vegetable. Such is a sad fate for a lovely source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. Could it be that folks don’t know what to do with a vegetable that looks like miniature broccoli but isn’t?
Broccolini can be streamed, grilled, roasted, and even nuked in a microwave. If you can cook broccoli, you most certainly can cook broccolini. Possibilities are endless, but I do have one word of caution. Be careful not to overcook this delicate vegetable. Broccolini is best consumed al dente; anything more is mush.
My favorite method involves, of course, olive oil. Cover the bottom of a skillet with olive oil. Then, sauté one medium onion and three garlic cloves until tender. Add 2/3 cup bulgur, one 14.5-ounce can of fire-roasted tomatoes, and 1/2 cup vegetable broth. Lay the broccolini on top (I used one 8-ounce package), cover, and simmer until the bulgur and broccolini are al dente. Add a splash of fresh lemon juice before serving. Note: While cooking, add more vegetable broth as needed to cover the bottom of the pan to prevent food from burning.
*For this meal, I paired my skillet broccolini blend with grilled lemon-garlic halibut, a perfect combination.