Recipe: Olive Oil Poached Broccoli Stems and Chickpeas on Ricotta Toast

This recipe comes to us from 2019 Hazon Food Conference Presenter Liz Rueven.

Recipe adapted from Cooking with Scraps; Turn your Peels, Cores, Rinds and Stems into Delicious Meals by Lindsay-Jean Hard, 2018

Yield: Serves 3-4 with a single slice of toast or makes appetizers for a small crowd This recipe is dairy or may be made pareve/vegan with dairy-free spreadable cheese like Daiya

Ingredients

  • 2 heads broccoli, stems (large and small) and leaves included
  • ⅓-½ cup EVOO plus more for drizzling
  • 1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed. Consider saving the liquid, called aquafaba*, for other recipes.
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
  • Thick slices of crusty bread (use baguette if making this as an appetizer; use larger artisanal loaf, if serving to 3-4 friends).
  • 1 container (16 oz.) whole milk ricotta
  • Red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)

Preparation

  1. Using a paring knife, remove the tough outermost layer of the broccoli stems, reserving all of the leaves. Chop the stems into roughly chickpea-size pieces.
  2. Heat ⅓ cup olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the broccoli to pan. If the pieces aren’t fully covered, add the remaining olive oil. Cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. This will depend on the size of your broccoli “coins”.
  3. Add the chickpeas, 3 Tb. of lemon juice and salt. Cook until the broccoli is fully cooked, about 1-2 more minutes. Do not allow broccoli to get mushy.
  4. Add the broccoli leaves and stir until they wilt. Taste and adjust, adding more lemon juice or salt if necessary.
  5. Toast bread slices in toaster or oven under the broiler.
  6. Spread ricotta cheese on each piece of toast (be generous:) and top each one with some of the broccoli and chickpea mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, if desired.

Note: If serving these as appetizers, use a little less olive oil as a drizzle unless your guests have forks and knives.