Friday 7 June 2013

George Bush Got It Wrong

love food hate waste logo

I cannot bear to waste food. It seems to me just wrong on lots of counts.

It shows lack of gratitude for God’s blessings

It is throwing away money

It is an insult to those who do not have enough to eat

It is ungrateful to the farmers who worked hard to produce it

It sets a poor example to children… I could go on and on…broccoli bush

Unlike President Bush, I am very fond of broccoli.

When you buy broccoli, you often get quite a length of stalk under the head. Many people chop that off, and just eat the florets. Then they throw the stalks away. I bought two heads [yellow stickered, so half price] and cut off the stalks. Together they measured the same length as an average carrot, and no way was I going to discard them!

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I peeled them, and cut them into batons.

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Then I put them in the steamer. There were new potatoes with a sprig of mint in the water in the bottom section, batons in the top section, then I clipped my blanching basket over the lip, and put the florets in that. I sprinkled a little salt over them.

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So all my veg cooked in the one pan. Very economical, and no waste

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Before serving, I ground some pepper and sea salt over the veg and dotted them with butter. Broccoli is brilliant

I can spell it correctly too [easy when you remember broccoli is an Italian word, and has the Italian boy’s name Rocco in the middle]

13 comments:

  1. We used to eat broccoli daily but it is one of the veg that the FH mustn't eat whilst taking Warfarin, so we have had to change our eating habits somewhat and look to some alternatives. With keeping everyone eating green veg and being mindful of preferences to avoid waste, I am currently using more frozen veg but we are enjoying green beans, broccoli and cauliflower, asparagus and broad beans.

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  2. Can't believe people throw away the stalks!They're great in soup too. Well done on your 'no waste' plateful of food which looks yummy.Have a good weekend, Angela. x

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  3. Maybe that's the beauty of only living on ready meals - measured portions, no waste, no time spent peeling and chopping so you can watch Corrie, hardly any washing up .......... Only joking !!

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  4. I love it too, as do my rabbits. The stalk is as prized as the floret here, I like to add batons of stalk to a stir fry, they add a really nice texture.

    I like your blanching basket too.

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  5. Steamed broccoli, or in fact any steamed vegetable, is a great favourite here. My pan is a three layer one too, found it years ago in M and S, a real bargain.

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  6. Yummy! I must dig out my steamer.

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  7. I chop the stalks then freeze them..when you have pile they make great soup.
    Jane x

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  8. Very economical & the veg looks tasty too. Like you we have no food waste in our house. I did get a bit fed up when talking to people on a stand in our town centre about not wasting food as they were including such things as banana skins and used tea bags in their estimates. Not sure if this was under the Love Food, Hate Waste umbrella or not, but it seems quite legitimate to me not to actually eat these things. It all goes to compost here anyway, to grow the next lot of veg in the garden If it is edible then we will eat it. Thanks for the tip on how to remember how to spell broccoli.

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  9. I always eat the broccoli stems - sometimes I cut them crossways into little medallions and steam them right with the florets. They're also delicious in soup and stir-fry.

    I think it may be possible to use woody asparagus stems this way too, but haven't tried it yet.

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  10. Broccoli is one of my favourite vegetables and we eat the stalk as well as the florets.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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  11. I will admit to loving broccoli and hating the stems, so I always cut them off, the same with cauli.

    I have to ask Angela, I came across this photo and wondered if it was your church? https://witness.guardian.co.uk/assignment/519f90a9e4b0e392888615d8/340649

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    1. Yes Carolyn - it IS our church, and that's Bob waving the bubble maker around!

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  12. I like broccoli roasted in the oven best. Just olive oil, salt, pepper. It caramelizes and tastes so delicious. You can chop the stem into fine sticks and stir fry them with other veggies too.

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