Unfortunately, this is the last of the "Tenderstem in ten" dishes that we made - but only because we ran out of Tenderstem!
I've got at least two more ideas that I want to try out - so I'll have to find some Tenderstem broccoli in the shops and carry on.
This one was another of hubby's brilliant ideas - and it worked beautifully and can be done in the ten minutes. Well, so long as you're quick on your feet, that is! I am sure it would take me a whole lot longer, at the speed I amble around the kitchen!
Well, what's not to like? Italian gnocchi, blue cheese, tenderstem broccoli and bacon - seems like a match made in heaven, to me - and so it was.
Gnocchi are brilliant little things, in that they take a fraction of a second to cook (oh alright then, two to three minutes tops) and are just divine in a cheese sauce. The thing that takes the time with this dish is making the roux and grilling the bacon - but if you're able to multi-task and do the two at once (which I'm not), then you too should be able to put this dish together in just ten minutes.
The recipe is fairly flexible, too, in that you don't need to use just blue cheese if you're not keen on it. A lovely mature cheddar would be gorgeous, as would some of the Swiss cheeses that melt well, like Emmental or Gruyere. Don't forget to give the sauce a good pinch of some freshly ground black pepper, as that gives the lovely depth and warmth.
Equally, if you have some leftover chicken or gammon - then substitute that for the bacon. I'm quite sure they would be just as delicious - and would have the benefit of already being cooked - so saving you a couple more minutes.
The sprinkling of breadcrumbs over the top of the gnocchi was a masterstroke, in that it gave another texture to the dish. The soft gnocchi are always gorgeous and the Tenderstem broccoli is sweet and juicy, but to have a little crunch every so often kept your interest going. It was only a shame that we ate this for lunch, or we could have had a glass of some chilled white wine with it - which would have rounded the whole thing off deliciously.
TENDERSTEM GNOCCHI AL FORNO (feeds 3)
Ingredients :
250g streaky bacon
150g tenderstem broccoli
700g gnocchi
25g butter
25g plain flour
600ml milk
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
200g Castello blue cheese (or your cheese of choice)
2 handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs
a small grating of parmesan cheese for sprinkling.
METHOD :
1. Boil a kettle. Whilst you wait for the kettle to boil, begin grilling the bacon rashers. Once cooked, cut into chunks and reserve to keep warm.
2. Once the kettle boils, pour into a warm saucepan and bring back to the boil.
3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir to combine, then add the milk bit by bit stirring all the time, until thickened to double cream consistency. Add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper and the cheese. Stir to melt.
4. Once the water has boiled, drop in the tenderstem and the gnocchi, as both take the same amount of time to cook. 2-3 minutes later, when the gnocchi are all at the surface of the water, drain and return to the hot saucepan.
5. Pour the cheese sauce over the gnocchi & tenderstem and add the bacon. Stir gently to combine, then pour into a flat serving dish that will go under the grill.
6. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, then grill until crispy and golden.
7. Serve.
We ate ours with a simple side salad of lettuce, tomato and cucumber.
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Hubby and I just couldn't think of a suitable name for this one which described all of its attributes in one snappy title. It is, after all (and from the bottom up) toasted sourdough bread, tenderstem broccoli, smoked haddock, poached egg and hollandaise sauce. I defy you to think of some sharp-sounding title, we couldn't!
This is another recipe for the Tenderstem in 10 challenge, where bloggers have been asked to dream up a recipe that can be put on the table in 10 minutes, using 10 or less ingredients - one of which is lovely Tenderstem Broccoli.
Now, this Tenderstem in 10 recipe is entirely reliant upon you having some leftover Hollandaise sauce available - although I'm quite sure it would work just as well with a knob of butter on top!
I love poached eggs and since discovering that hubby makes a creditable Hollandaise, we've often got a little pot of it lurking in the fridge. Poached egg on ham, on toast, with Hollandaise. Oh yum. Provided you are very, very careful and heat it through so, so gently and mix well, there's no reason why you can't have a little pot of Hollandaise too. I generally put my little pot into the water I've just cooked the egg in, just to take the chill off of it.
So, this beautiful stack of loveliness is hubby's creation. He is a great one for using fish in every which way he can - and my goodness but it worked well here.
Our local supermarket is currently selling perfectly sized portions of smoked haddock, all neatly packaged in a little microwaveable bag with its own pat of butter and quite affordable at the moment at a special offer price of 99p. Just a couple of minutes in the microwave, slit the top and you've got a perfect piece of fish - which is just the job for this recipe.
So, once you've cut your bread and put it on to grill, chucked the fish into the microwave and got it twirling, the only thing left to do is put the kettle on for some boiling water for the tenderstem and the egg. Once it boils (and I recommend getting the heat on under the saucepan, so as not to knock all the heat out of the water by pouring it into a cold pan) three to four minutes later your tenderstem is done and you've a lovely poached egg to go on top. Drop your little bit of Hollandaise in its pot into the hot water and seconds later it's ready to drizzle over the top. After that, it's just an assembly job!
You don't even need to butter your toast - depending on how much Hollandaise you've got. Just pop it onto a plate, lay the tenderstem across the toast, then the fish on top of that, the egg crowns the lot and the Hollandaise drizzles beautifully across everything. Knockout!
Hubby is sensitive to eggs - as you probably remember - so he made one for himself that didn't have the poached egg. I reckon that it looks every bit as tasty and inviting as the poached egg version - so if you're egg sensitive too, why not go for the egg-free version and pop a knob of butter on top of your fish. Delicious!
I can see this recipe appearing again at the weekends, for lunch. Son & heir was distraught that he'd missed it because he was at school. Ooops!
TENDERSTEM & SMOKED HADDOCK STACK (feeds 2)
Ingredients :
2 slices of sourdough bread or some other robust bread
butter for spreading
4-6 stems of Tenderstem broccoli
100g of smoked haddock (microwave in the bag is perfect)
a capful of white wine vinegar
1 egg
a small amount of leftover Hollandaise sauce, or a knob of butter.
Method :
1. Boil a kettle and, while it boils, place two saucepans onto a gentle heat. (Not if they're non-stick, or you'll damage the non-stick coating).
2. Put the bread into your toaster to toast, or under the grill - but remember to keep an eye on it!
3. Place the fish into the microwave for the prescribed time.
4. Once the water boils in the two saucepans, add the tenderstem to one and the white wine vinegar to the other. Crack the egg into a ramekin and pour it gently into the water. Cook for 3-4 minutes (or to taste).
5. When the toast is done, put it onto the plate and spread a little butter onto it.
6. When the tenderstem broccoli is done, drain well and lay 2-3 stems across the toast.
7. When the fish is done, slit the bag carefully (those things are evil for scalds!) and tip the fish onto the tenderstem.
8. Carefully lay the poached egg on top and drizzle over the Hollandaise.
9. Season to taste and dig in!
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Hubby will complain bitterly about broccoli appearing on the menu too often, but even he has been heard to exclaim that where tenderstem broccoli is concerned, "it is as nice as asparagus". With which I completely agree.
I remember when son & heir was a little chap being weaned onto veggies, we used to call broccoli "trees" and he was sufficiently intrigued to eat them. Since then, he's been accepting "trees" on his plate without too much complaint and has even been known to enjoy having "tall trees" (or tenderstem broccoli) for dinner.
For those who think that it is just a matter of difference in shape, rather than flavour, the tenderstem has a much sweeter flavour than "ordinary" broccoli, with less of a cabbage flavour than Purple Sprouting broccoli. It is true that it is more expensive than your ordinary broccoli, but for a meal that you want to be a little bit special, it makes the grade beautifully.
So, when I was asked whether I'd like to take part in the "Tenderstem in Ten" challenge (to create a recipe that can be on the table in ten minutes or less), it seemed like it could be fun!
I had my first go at the challenge yesterday and my recipe for a lunch time Tenderstem Rarebit had a few teething troubles - none of which involved the tenderstem itself, I hasten to add - which sent it over time. Add to that my inability to get around my kitchen with anything faster than a snail's pace - and you begin to realise that making anything edible within ten minutes is quite a feat!
For instance, is the time from when you set foot in the kitchen, or from when you start the cooking process? If it's the former, then I've had it for all the challenges - but if it's the latter, then I'm in with a shout.
I often find, when I'm cooking something that involves a number of different processes, that my disabilities get right in the way. Take the Tenderstem Rarebit, for instance. I needed to grill the Ciabatta rolls to toast them, whilst the tenderstem simmered and the rarebit cooked on the hob. Now, I forgot that I can't use the grill at the same time as the hob - it's one or the other, because I need to sit at the cooker. Our cooker has the grill immediately under the hob and with the grill door open, I can't reach the back burners on the hob! Anyway, I'm always scared I'll set my t-shirt on fire trying to see into the pans on the front burners. That'd be a bit of a distraction, if ever that happened!
So, for you, you'll be able to combine operations in a way that was impossible for me - and save at least seven minutes doing so! For me, I'll be grilling the cut rolls on a grillpan in future - at least then I can see what's going on without fear of combustion.
I can tell you that it is very worthwhile. Hoooo, yes! This Tenderstem Rarebit recipe is going to go on the list of "can we have it for lunch again soon" recipes.
I figured that as broccoli and cheese are natural partners, and cheese on toast is another natural partnership, that bringing them all together in this recipe might just work. It did. With bells on. As a control experiment, I made one Tenderstem Rarebit and one just with the Rarebit topping - and the Tenderstem Rarebit was far easier to eat as the flavour of the tenderstem allowed some relief from the enormous (and gorgeous) flavours of the rarebit. The sweetness of the tenderstem was a lovely foil for the big savoury flavours of the cheese, mustard and stout.
Son & heir thoroughly enjoyed his helping and munched his way stolidly through, murmuring in appreciation, uttering "gorgeous!" and "cor!" every so often - so I think he approved. Hubby and I were both agreed that it was a do-again recipe that was much nicer with the tenderstem than without - and one that could easily be a substantial snack on those days when one has missed lunch!
Hence, I leave it up to you to have a go and tell me whether you managed to create your Tenderstem Rarebit in ten minutes. I am quite sure it's do-able, so long as you do all your preparation (getting everything out, separating the eggs, grating the cheese, etc.) before you start the ten minute timer!
TENDERSTEM RAREBIT (serves 3)
Ingredients :
3 ciabatta rolls, cut in half lengthwise
12 stems of Tenderstem broccoli (or more if they are thin stems), cut to fit the ciabatta rolls
1½ tsp English mustard powder
4 tbsp stout
45g butter
1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, to taste
250g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
3 egg yolks
freshly ground black pepper.
Method :
1. Boil a kettle and pour enough boiling water into a saucepan to cook the tenderstem, and place on the heat.
2. Place the rolls, cut side up, under the grill or onto a grillpan and toast until lightly browned. Turn and toast the other side.
3. At the same time, add the tenderstem to the boiling water and set a timer for 3 minutes. When they are cooked (when a knife inserted into the stem goes through without complaint), drain and set to one side.
4. Place the mustard powder, stout and butter into a small saucepan and heat gently until the butter is melted. Add the worcestershire sauce and the cheese and stir until the cheese is all melted but take care not to let it boil. Set aside to cool for a moment, while you rescue your rolls that are threatening to burn.
5. If you've used a grill pan, now is the time to get your cooker's grill heating up.
6. Place the roll halves onto the grill pan and distribute the tenderstem broccoli across the roll halves.
7. Add the egg yolks to the cooled (and hopefully thickened) cheese mixture and beat them through until completely incorporated. Add a little black pepper.
8. Spoon the cheese mixture across the tenderstem and place under the grill until browned and bubbling.
Serve.
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