Broccolini and my New! Pan!

This week in our CSA basket, we got a couple bunches of adorable broccolini. Sometimes it’s called “baby broccoli” but it’s really not. It’s a cross between broccoli and kai-lan, which is Chinese broccoli (so says Wikipedia). It’s very delicate and not something you want to overcook, so light steaming or sauteing/stir-frying it are good ways to prepare it. I bet it would also be good roasted, as long as you don’t let it roast too long.

I prepared mine in my new! pan! (my very first all-clad stainless steel pan, and if my experiences with it thus far are typical, it won’t be my last.) Heated up the pan, then drizzled in some extra-virgin olive oil…

After the oil heated, I threw in the (washed) broccolini and tossed it around to coat it in oil. Then I splashed in some lemon juice and sprinkled in some salt.

Simple. And once I started to smell the broccolini, I took it off the heat. That’s a pretty good indicator that a vegetable is done without being overcooked – the smell. Mmm.

We sat down to dinner last night and my husband said that the broccolini was interesting (and good).
I said, “Hey, a lot of people describe broccolini as like a cross between broccoli and… something else. What do you think it is?”
He chewed, thoughtful, then raised his eyebrows and asked innocently, “linguine?”

I laughed so hard. What an awesome answer!
Well it is kind of … long, like linguine.
But the other vegetable that people compare it to is asparagus because of the long stalky parts and the sweetish flavor.
If you haven’t tried it, pick some up at your farmer’s market or in the grocery store. It’s quite lovely.