At the market: Good quality broccoli should have fresh looking, light green stalks of consistent thickness. Bud clusters should be compact and dark green with a purple tinge.
Storage: Refrigerate in crisper.
Ingredients:
- Fresh: 1 ½ pounds broccoli OR Frozen: 20 ounces of broccoli
Preparation:
- Fresh Broccoli: Wash the broccoli and cut of the stalk ends. Cut the broccoli into 1-inch chunks.
- Frozen Vegetables: Open the package and proceed to the next step.
- Microwave Method: Place the broccoli in a microwave-safe dish with 2 Tablespoons of water. Cover with a lid. Cook on HIGH for 8-10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. The broccoli is done if a fork slides easily into them or they can be mashed easily. Place the broccoli, cooking juice, and 2 Tablespoons of water into a blender or food processor.
- Stove Method: Pour 1½ cups of water in a large saucepan. Put a steamer basket in the saucepan. Place broccoli pieces in the steamer basket. Cover the saucepan and place it on a stove burner. Set the burner temperature to HIGH and bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for the suggested cooking time in the table. Don’t let the water boil away. Check the water level during cooking and add more water if needed. Let stand for 5 minutes. The broccoli is done if a fork slides easily into it or it can be mashed easily. Place the vegetables and 4 Tablespoons of cooking juice into a blender or food processor.
- Puree broccoli in the blender or food processor to a smooth texture. You may need to add ¼ to ½ cup of additional water to get a smooth texture. At least once during the puree process, stop the appliance and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Spoon the pureed broccoli into ice cube trays and cover them. Put them in the freezer for 8 to 10 hours or overnight.
- Write “BROCCOLI” and the date on a freezer storage bag. Remove the baby food trays from the freezer and quickly run hot water over the back of the tray. Twist the tray to pop the vegetable cubes out and into the freezer storage bag. Place the storage bag in the freezer.
Makes: About 24 one-ounce servings