Comments on: Broccoli with Olive Oil, Garlic and Chilli Flakes

By: dragon

dragon — Sat, 03 May 2008 05:48:59 +0000

Hi MM,

My 2 cents worth on the roasted garlic query by ricobaby: as you said, chop off the top (about 1/4 or 1/5 of the whole garlic size, just to expose the “meat”). Wrap in foil tightly and pop into a preheated 300-350F, no higher, for about 1 hour. Prick to test if soft, otherwise, keep for another 15 minutes, sealed in the foil still. To seal in foil is important otherwise the garlic will burn, caramelize and harden.

By: Marketman

Marketman — Sat, 20 May 2006 05:16:24 +0000

ricobaby, get a large bulb of garlic and slice off the top so that you remove just a bit of the garlic meats. Then place in a ceramic plate (or one with a cover) and drizzle with olive oil and place in oven at say 300F or higher and wait until soft…I hope that works…

By: ricobaby

ricobaby — Thu, 18 May 2006 08:33:05 +0000

MM I tried the salpicao of tequila joe’s before and I fell inlove with their melt in your mouth garlic cloves. I read somewhere taht you have to slowly roast it in an oven but I always end up burning it. any suggestions?

By: trishlovesbread

trishlovesbread — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 21:10:41 +0000

To make this this already perfect broccoli dish even more perfect, one must add lemon zest! If any of you have roasted garlic on hand, that stuff is great on this too. If you can get lucky and find broccolini again, I think this is its best preparation.

Thanks to MM and all who make this site extra interesting. Next to cooking itself, I love reading about cooking and food, so I love visiting this site. Where else can you get vanilla mentioned in the same breath as broccoli with garlic? Great stuff!

By: Mary A.

Mary A. — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 12:52:24 +0000

In our family we like like both the stem and florets. Make sure to use a peeler and peel the outer skin off the stems, and sliced diagonally. They are great with oyster sauce too.

By: gsl

gsl — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 07:24:13 +0000

Mr. MM thanks for this recipe. I got brocolli in my fridge and we’re sked to cook it today, so timing. This blog of yours is so educational. I’m so glad I knew this website since I’m immigrating to US in a couple of weeks. This is my link to our homeland.

By: juls

juls — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 06:55:35 +0000

MM: heheheh… i doubt it if i’ll be permitted to blog in Afghanistan :) It’s a wonder why the Philippine doesn’t have a vanilla industry wherein in Indonesia, it’s a big exporter of the product.

Mila: Thanks so much. I’ll drop by there sa Rustans very soon. The synthetic vanilla extracts cannot compare to the orig. (I’ll learned pala why those extracts smell like alcohol, it’s because vanillin (the synthetic extract) should be placed in ethanol daw)

cheers!

By: Marketman

Marketman — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 04:29:52 +0000

Mila, thanks for that…I learned something good today…

By: Mila

Mila — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 03:10:32 +0000

I found vanilla pods at Chef’s Exchange in Rockwell, also at Rustan’s Glorietta. They also sell Pure Vanilla Extract (not the chemical version) for P700+ at Rustan’s Glorietta. I can’t remember the brand name, but the flavor was intense. Worth every peso.

By: Marketman

Marketman — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 01:42:42 +0000

juls, seriously, are you based in Afghanistan? If you are, geez, sourcing that stuff might be difficult, no? At any rate, I bring my whole vanilla beans from the U.S. whenever I go on a trip every couple of years or have relatives sent it. They are in really small vials. I do the same for the real vanilla extract. Real vanilla extract is SUPERB compared to the artificial. The vanilla plant itself, I have NO idea where to get, but I did once see it and bearing a bean no less on the roadside on a trip to Bali once and we were in the highlands on the side of a volcano. I just looked out the window and voila, a vanilla bean…or so I thought it was… At any rate V. planifolia is native to South America and is a vine that thrives in tropical forests. V. tahitensis is what is more commonly seen in the South Pacific and Hawaii. According to my trusty Alan Davidson book, 80% of the global supply of V. planifolia (also known as bourbon vanilla) is grown in Madagascar, the Comoro Islands and Reunion.