LONG-COOKED BROCCOLI

LONG-COOKED BROCCOLI image

Yield 4 people

Number Of Ingredients 6

2 heads broccoli
1/4 cup, plus 2 teaspoons, kosher salt, divided
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole dried red chile

Steps:

Cut the head of broccoli off the stalk, leaving about 1 inch of the stalk still attached. Slice outer layer of fibrous peel off main stalk, and cut it vertically into long, flat slices, about 1/4-inch thick and 1-inch wide. Slice all the way through broccoli florets, cutting it vertically into 1-inch-thick pieces. You should have a bunch of long pieces of broccoli. In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water and 1/4 cup salt to boil. Cook all of cut-up broccoli in water for 2 minutes, until broccoli turns bright green. Drain broccoli and place in large bowl of ice water to chill. Drain well, and pat dry with kitchen towel. In a large, heavy skillet, combine broccoli, onion, garlic, chile, olive oil and 2 teaspoons salt. (We didn't have any large dried chiles on hand, so I threw in a couple of chiles de arbol instead.) Over very low heat, cook broccoli, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until it's very soft and tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.