The Hunt is Over — Broccoli Rising Now and Forever

I’ve loved sharing weekly posts and recipes here on at soulfulvegan.com. But I’ve also loved having my monthly newsletter, Broccoli Rising on Substack.  So rather than being torn between two lovers, I’m migrating weekly posts to Broccoli Rising.

The good news for you —you no longer have to hunt for my content.  All ya gotta do is sign up for Broccoli Rising. It’s free, and you’ll have fresh homemade plant-based content and recipes each week delivered directly to your inbox. 

The important things never change, though.  I’m still the same broccoli-loving plantbased instigator I’ve always been. That’s why I call my Substack feed Broccoli Rising.  So today I’m sharing one of the  earliest-known broccoli recipes. It dates back to ancient Rome and It’s still a winner. 

How to Make Broccoli and Lentil Apicius

1. Take the broccoli and chop the florets into bite-sized bits. Slice the stems into thin, stylish discs.
2. Steam for 7 to 10 minutes, so broccoli is still bright green and has some crunch.
3. Rinse broccoli in cold water and set aside.
4. In a large pot, bring water or vegetable broth to boil over high heat. Pour in lentils. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmering for 20 minutes or so, until lentils are just tender and all the liquid is absorbed.
5. Meanwhile, toast cumin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Give it a shake occasionally so the seeds don’t burn. When your kitchen is suffused with a beautiful toasty smell, remove from heat.
6. Pour toasted cumin seeds into a small bowl. Or add your cumin powder here, along with the coriander. Whisk in olive oil, wine, and agave.
7. Tip lentils into a large serving bowl. Pour olive oil mixture over them and toss to mix.
8. Add broccoli, stirring gently to combine.
9. Toast the pine nuts in the same fashion as the cumin seeds, but shake the pan frequently and watch them closely — they can go from golden to black in a matter of minutes. Add to toasted nuts to broccoli and lentils, along with the chopped scallions and chopped parsley.
10. Season generously with sea salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.
11. Covered and refrigerated, it keeps for several days.

Broccoli came to ancient Rome by way of the Etruscans, neighbors who lived in what is now Tuscany. The Etruscans cultivated broccoli, but the Roman empire gets kudos for knowing a good thing when it comes along. They loved it. 

The Roman epicure Apicius knew how to make a good thing even better.  He prepared broccoli by enriching it with wine and spices. We know because the recipe appears in his fifth century cookbook, De re coquinera.  The cookbook, lavishly illustrated by hand, still exists.  I geeked out when I got to see it housed in the Academia Barilla.

The amazing thing about Broccoli Apicius then and now is how you can create such rich, layered flavors with a few simple whole foods.

Broccoli and Lentil Apicius Alterations 

I haven’t monkeyed with the original recipe, except to augment it with lentils, making it significant salad that works as a main.  

I don’t know how pricey pignoli, aka pine nuts, were back in Apicius’s day, but they’re through the roof now. Feel free to substitute slightly more affordable options like pistachios or chopped almonds.  I did.

Lentils, on the other hand, are the bargain they’ve always been. Like all dried beans, lentils are low cost, low carbon, low water, high yield. They even do good things for the soil they’re grown in.

Broccoli and Lentils Apicius

The first known broccoli recipe appears in Apicius, the early Roman recipe compendium, where it's cooked "with a mixture of cumin and coriander seeds, chopped onion plus a few drops of oil and sun-made wine." I give it a modern makeover, abetting it with lentils to turn it into a main course or significant salad. It makes use of the entire broccoli, from crown to stem. There's no waste and you get the most bang for your broccoli.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Main Course

Servings 4 -6

Ingredients

  

• 1 bunch broccoli
• 1 cup lentils any color, but tiny black lentils, also called beluga lentils, hold their shape nicely after cooking
• 2 cups water or vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon wine red or white
• ½ teaspoon agave
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds or 1-1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ⅓ cup pine nuts
• ⅓ cup scallions sliced fine
• 1 handful parsley chopped
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Take the broccoli and chop the florets into bite-sized bits. Slice the stems into thin, stylish discs.
• Steam for 7 to 10 minutes, so broccoli is still bright green and has some crunch.
• Rinse broccoli in cold water and set aside.
• In a large pot, bring water or vegetable broth to boil over high heat. Pour in lentils. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmering for 20 minutes or so, until lentils are just tender and all the liquid is absorbed.
• Meanwhile, toast cumin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Give it a shake occasionally so the seeds don’t burn. When your kitchen is suffused with a beautiful toasty smell, remove from heat.
• Pour toasted cumin seeds into a small bowl. Or add your cumin powder here, along with the coriander. Whisk in olive oil, wine, honey or agave.
• Tip lentils into a large serving bowl. Pour olive oil mixture over them and toss to mix.
• Add broccoli, stirring gently to combine.
• Toast the pine nuts in the same fashion as the cumin seeds, but shake the pan frequently and watch them closely — they can go from golden to black in a matter of minutes. Add to toasted nuts to broccoli and lentils, along with the chopped scallions and chopped parsley.
• Season generously with sea salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.
• Covered and refrigerated, it keeps for several days.

More beautiful broccoli recipes 

• Naked broccoli
• Friendly broccoli and black beans with sherry
• Farrotto with sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli and basil
• Yotam Ottolenghi’s broccoli with peanuts and gochujang
• VegNews’s vegan cheesy broccoli waffles

Finally, a few public service announcements

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