Broccoli Salad with a Kick

Let's be honest - broccoli isn't exactly on the list of sexy vegetables. I like it and it tastes great in vegetable curries, but I've never found a really attractive flavour combination involving broccoli. Until last autumn!

It was when I visited my host family in Sydney on the occasion of my host brother Scott's wedding to his bride Becky. My lovely host Mom Lee was cooking a new recipe - this one.

Lee, this post entry is dedicated to you and Alicia who gave me thatis wonderful broccoli salad recipe, and to your lovely family. I just went on about how unattractive a vegetable broccoli is and how appealing this salad makes it look and taste. I just love this combination.

Lee, Alicia, Scott, Bruce and Christopher are kind of like my second family - unfortunately they live on the other side of the world. Despite all this distance, I have visited them four times already and I will definitely post more of their recipes in the future. Both Lee and Alicia are amazing chefs who cook creative, healthy food with a hint of Asia. My favourite is Alicia's date loaf, which will soon appear on my blog as well.

And as is my habit, here are a few health facts before I tell you the recipe...

Broccoli is a type of green miracle. While it was still considered somewhat of a novelty in the 70s, it's ubiquitous in our kitchens today. Back then, broccoli was imported from Italy. Its white brother, the cauliflower, has been around for much longer.

Broccoli gets its green colour from magnesium it contains, which is particularly helpful for our metabolism, muscles and heart. Furthermore, it has numerous secondary plant substances, such as flavonoids and glucosinolates, which are said to have a cancer-inhibiting effect. Broccoli also has a high fibre content, enhancing our digestion.

Broccoli is the ideal anti-stress vegetable. It is rich in vitamin C and gets us through chilly winter days, protecting us from colds.

Broccoli packs a lot of potassium, which acts as a diuretic and lowers our blood pressure.  It contains tons of minerals like calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and sodium as well as the vitamins B1, B2, B6, E and carotene (provitamin A).

And what makes this broccoli salad so special, exactly? It is an amazingly fresh produce combination with some sour cranberries and crunchy broccoli florets as well as red cabbage and creamy mayonnaise.

(c) Illustration/Eva Fischer

 

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Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 TBSP sugar
  • 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
  • 260ml (250g) mayonnaise
  • 1 head of broccoli, broken up into florets
  • ½ red onions
  • 1/4 red cabbage
  • 4 strips of bacon (you can use more or leave them out entirely for the vegetarian version)
  • 85g dried cranberries
  • parmesan
  • Constanzes pikantes Zaubergewürz (I added this spice mix because I think it enhances the dish amazingly)
  • Sonnentor's Ayurvedisches Zaubersalz (ayurvedic salt) and 5-blend pepper from the mill (containing different coloured pepper corns)

Preparation:

  1. Wash the broccoli, break up into florets and add to a salad bowl. Remove the outer leaves of the red cabbage (careful: this may stain quite a bit - use disposable gloves to do this), then wash, halve and remove the tough stem before finely slicing it. Sort out any thick ribs and discard. Put the red cabbage into a salad bowl.
  2. Peel and finely chop the onion. Fry the bacon in a dry pan and chop into small pieces. Coarsely grate the parmesan.
  3. Add broccoli, onion, cranberries and bacon to the salad bowl. Make a dressing from the sugar, apple cider vinegar, mayonnaise, salt and pepper.
  4. Marinate the broccoli with the dressing, season with salt and pepper, garnish with the parmesan and serve.