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
- 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.
- 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”.
- 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.
- Add the broccoli leaves and stir until they wilt. Taste and adjust, adding more lemon juice or salt if necessary.
- Toast bread slices in toaster or oven under the broiler.
- 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.