This broccoli salad was inspired by another contest at Food52. I submitted this recipe to the contest, but have since tweaked it a bit to come up with the version you see here.
Though I will certainly eat steamed broccoli, I much prefer it when broccoli has been blanched. Yes, I know “blanched” is just a fancy way to say “boiled” and yes, I know you lose some of the nutrients in the cooking water.
But I simply don’t care. I don’t blanch/boil it for very long and it just tastes better to me.
My favorite way to eat blanched broccoli is with a simple dip made from equal parts good quality mayo and organic brown mustard. So I took the basic elements, embellished them a bit, and came up with a lightly dressed sweet and crunchy broccoli salad. If you can’t find the Meyer lemon for the dressing, use regular lemon juice and add a bit of honey.
Blanched Broccoli Salad with Pumpkin Seeds and Dried Cherries
Serves 2-4
Ingredients for the salad:
* 1 head of organic broccoli, cut into florets
* 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted in a hot pan for 1-2 minutes, until they pop (be careful they don’t burn)
* 1/4 cup dried cherries
For the dressing:
* juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon
* 1 tablespoon mayonnaise (or a little more to taste), preferably made with olive oil (or use grape seed oil Vegenaise, which also happens to be vegan)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/2 tablespoon organic brown mustard
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a large pinch of salt and the broccoli florets. Cook for 2-3 minutes (not more: you don’t want the broccoli to be too soft). Drain the broccoli and allow to cool.
Mix the broccoli, pumpkin seeds and dried cherries in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, the mayonnaise, the olive oil and the mustard. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well to combine.
