# Broccoli Leaves - edible?



## Instantkiwi

My broccoli has all leaf and no head due to a warmer climate I suspect. One must be able to eat these - any recipes out there.... treat as cabbage, spinach or what? I hate to waste things...


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## Regina

*Brocolli Leaves*

They should be edible.  They might be tough and bitter.  Try them and let us know.


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## Instantkiwi

*Broccoli Leaves nothing to be desired!*

My deduction.... Cooked as cabbage they are fibrous (full of fibre in fact), with a subtle taste of yuk! Actually rather like an especially strong spinach... and don't add salt! I would not recommend them... however may be ok pureed for making pasta or in soup? The stalks (from the broccoli head) I often thought of as 'poor man's' asparagus when sliced thinly but the stalks of the leaf definitely NOT and certainly need to be well cooked whatever you do with them!


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## Regina

*Broccoli leaves*

At least you tried.  Maybe you could use the cooking water as a stock.  Might be a bit strong though.


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## charlieparisek

*Recipe for Broccoli Leaves*

STEP 1 - Prep and Par Boil

1. Separate green leaves from white stalks. Discard stalks.

2. Tear leaves into 4 -5 cm pieces.

3. Put leaves in a pot of cold water, covering by about 4 cm of water.

4. Bring leaves to a boil, then remove immediately from heat.

5. Pour off hot water and rinse leaves in cold water to stop cooking process.  

6. Drain thoroughly and pat leaves dry.

STEP 2 - Cook Leaves

1. Rough chop drained leaves.

2. Fine chop of couple of cloves of garlic.

3. Splash a liberal amount of olive oil in a fry pan (or wok) and add garlic.

4. Heat garlic until soft. (Note: Don't burn garlic or it becomes bitter. If you do burn it, discard garlic and oil and start again).

5. Add leaves and cook over a medium-high heat about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks.  For softer leaves, add a bit of broth (or water) and cover while cooking.

6. Salt and pepper to taste, then serve.  If it's a bit juicy, use bread to mop up remaining sauce.

ADDITIONS

Add red chillis, panchetta, bacon, peppers, crushed tomatoes, etc. for variations.  You can also reduce frying time slightly, then cover with Parmesan chesse and bake in oven until cheese melts.


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## ironchef

are the stalks thinner like watercress, or thicker like regular full grown broccoli? if they are still thin, than you could treat them like broccoli di rape or broccoli rabe. saute them with olive oil, lemon, garlic, and parsley, then season with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.


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## kitchenelf

charlieparisek,

Welcome to Discuss Cooking and thank you for your recipe and ALL the variations - they all sound great - especially covered with cheese!!


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## charlieparisek

*BROCCOLI LEAVES, RABE, etc.*

To IronChef,

The recipe I posted refers to medium- to large-sized broccoli leaves that contain tough, chewy stalks. The smaller leaves (sometimes with buds) I don't tear up and just add them to the par boil stage as is (i.e. no tearing up).

Most of the broccoli leaves I get come in assorted sizes with mostly medium to large comprising the lot.  If I'm lucky enough to score a sizeable batch of the smaller leaves, I'll cook them separately in a wok Chinese style, then toss with oyster sauce or sprinkle with sesame oil. (NOTE: Oyster sauce and sesame oil don't mix very well in my opinion.  Choose one or the other.)

Regards,

Charlie


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## prozhkova

I just chopped up both the leaves and stalk and sauteed them with the garlic and onion as I made fried rice. It gave the dish a bit more color, and I could smell the broccoli while cooking it.  Neither gave the food a bitter taste. Both my husband and 4yo had two servings and didn't complain about the added veggies, unlike lunch time when they both complained about the chopped spinach I added to the mac 'n' cheese.


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## Zhizara

Instantkiwi said:


> My broccoli has all leaf and no head due to a warmer climate I suspect. One must be able to eat these - any recipes out there.... treat as cabbage, spinach or what? I hate to waste things...



My Mom and I used to grow broccoil.  After the head has been harvested, each leaf will grow one spear I always just took the new spear, but the leaves can be tasty.  

It's an awesomely beautiful plant.  Huge blue green leaves.


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## Claire

I don't see where you live, but when I lived in Port Orange, Florida, which is actually right at the freeze line, brocolli, brussels sprouts, etc, were strictly winter crops.  I grew them a lot, but not in the hotter months, planting in late fall.  In my experience, once a vegetable has bolted (yes, even the mildest of lettuce), they become bitter.  Just give it up as a good try, and don't plant them again if your temps are above 80 in the dead of winter.


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## CWS4322

The heads, leaves, and stems of broccoli are edible.


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