I have found one good reason to persevere with Broccoli.
According to that very reliable source of great quotations, the internet, George W Bush said : " I do not like broccoli. And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli. "
Clearly I have a duty as a parent to feed my children broccoli at every given opportunity and to instill in them a lifetime's love of this green hero of the supermarket. If only George Bush's mother had got it right.
I feel sometimes as if I have unleashed people's private passions about vegetables. Read this thread on a BBC Food Message Board. It started off as an innocent appeal for Broccoli recipes and ended up as a etymological discussion of brassica oleracea botyris asparagoides.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbfood/F2670471?thread=3707238&post=43515427#p43515427
I have been referred to wikipedia articles, quoted at by the Oxford English Dictionary but most touchingly of all, been sent the most enticing range of broccoli recipes to tempt young master Frederic. You can see him now with his sister in the top right hand of the blogsite. Anyway, Freddie is a little in awe of this public warmth for the brassica and bravely chomped his way through broccoli pesto and pasta this evening, whirred up by my own fair hands. He liked it - not a lot - but he liked it.
I'm thinking of suggesting a new book title for Lauren Child - "I will not never ever eat broccoli" with a new character, George W Bean.
I am honoured and delighted that you used the recipe! In the same vein I decided tonight NOT to give my children broccoli, but to challenge them with a new vegetable - shredded stir fried brussell sprouts. They definitely prefer broccoli! But bribed with chocolate mousse they ate one spoonful each of the sprouts (not counting the ones that landed back on the plate...).
ReplyDeleteWhat is the next veg? I can't wait!
Best wishes,
Clare (aka 24hoursisneverenough)
Yippee, I hope your children learn to love veg as much as mine do.
ReplyDeleteThere are never any left over veg just meat x chris
You say, "If only George Bush's mother had got it right."
ReplyDeleteIf only YOU had got it right! The President who stated he did not like broccoli was NOT George W Bush as you have stated in your blog, but his father, the first President Bush! Interesting blog though.
Broccolimash (serves 6)
ReplyDelete1 kg broccoli chopped
150 cl coffee cream
2 table spoons of sour cream
50 gr of cheese
1/2 table spoon of nut meg
1/2 table spoon black pepper
Steam the broccoli for 8-10 minutes. Add the cofee cream and mix in a food processor. Mix in the cheese and the sour cream and season with nut meg and pepper (and sea salt)
Thought you would find this review of the politics of broccoli amusing . . . http://eatbroccoli.org/politics.aspx
ReplyDeleteThe site also has a nice creamy vegan broccoli soup recipe http://eatbroccoli.org/crmyvgnbrcclisp.aspx
That quote is from George Herbert Walker Bush, our 41st President, not George W Bush, our 43rd President.
ReplyDelete