Broccoli, or Cauliflower, or Zucchini Salad

We Italians… we know how to eat… and eat well. Olive oil is a staple in every true Italian home. I don’t even own another kind of oil. But I do have Extra virgin, virgin, and light olive oils…


My Mama’s version of Potato Salad is truly divine… to say the least… but since I am off potatoes, I only make enough to feed my men… and I just pick the string beans out of it and eat them…

Since I was a little girl, every year, when broccoli was at its peak, Mama would make a fantastic broccoli salad. No, it’s not that mayonaisse version with bacon and raisins and nuts so many love these days… this one is just a light, flavorful, crunchy salad that sings on the tongue!

Here’s what you’ll need…

1 big bag (2 lbs) of broccoli florets or cut your own florets into 1 inch pieces…

2 lemons

1 large stock pot, heavy as possible filled with 8 quarts of salted water, brought to a rapid boil

olive oil

salt

pepper

Steam or quickly blanche the broccoli until bright green and crisp tender… DO NOT COOK UNTIL THEY LOSE THEIR COLOR… yuck!!! They’ll be all soggy and gross…
Strain and Quickly place them into a big ice bath to stop the cooking…

Pat dry, and place into a large bowl

Add the juice of both lemons… (it sounds like a lot… but trust me…)

add about 1/4 – 1/2 olive oil to the florets

sprinkle with salt to taste

Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper

Serve immediately… the lemon “cooks” the broccoli… so if you want to have a little bit everyday for lunch… Just juice the lemons ahead of time, and place the juice into a small container, add all the olive oil and salt and pepper only to the broccoli, and the day you want to eat your salad, then dress with the lemon juice in the amount that suits you… Does that make sense?

Now…as for the cauliflower and zucchini salads… The lemon does NOT cook them for some reason… so add it right away and let it sit in the fridge… soooooooo yummy! My favorite is the zucchini and cauliflower…

I like to mix them also… especially the broccoli and cauliflower… on a hot summer day… in the morning I’ll cook up a boat load of broc and caul and ice it up and let it air dry… then for dinner, I’ll dress it, and we all fight over it…



Enjoy!!!