The Broccoli Stalk Is the Best Part and You Have Been Throwing It Away

Take a head of broccoli and weigh it. Then cut off the florets and weigh those. On a typical head you have just discarded something close to half of what you paid for.

The stalk is not a lesser part. It is denser, sweeter and less sulphurous than the florets, it has a crisp texture closer to kohlrabi than to a flower head, and the only reason it gets binned is that the outer skin is tough and nobody was taught to remove it.

Breaking down a head

Cut the florets off where they meet the main stem, and keep the small stems attached to them.

Then deal with the stalk. The outer layer is fibrous and woody, and it is what people are objecting to when they say they do not like stalks. Stand it on end and cut down the sides with a knife, taking off two or three millimetres, or use a swivel peeler and go round twice. Underneath is pale green, crisp and completely tender.

If your broccoli has leaves, keep them. They cook like kale and are, gram for gram, the most nutritious part of the plant. Most supermarket broccoli has been trimmed of them before it reaches the shelf, which is a genuine loss and worth looking for at a market.

Three things to do with a peeled stalk

Raw, sliced into coins or matchsticks. Sweet and crunchy, excellent in a slaw with lemon and salt, and the fastest way to be convinced.

Roasted alongside the florets. Cut into batons of similar thickness so they cook at the same rate, toss with oil and salt at 220C for fifteen to twenty minutes.

Grated into anything. A stalk on the coarse side of a box grater disappears into fried rice, fritters, soups and pasta sauces.

A method for the whole head

For two, as a side or a light main.

• 1 large head of broccoli, leaves on if you can get them
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp capers, or 4 anchovies if not keeping it vegan
• Zest and juice of half a lemon
• 30g toasted almonds, roughly chopped
• Salt and black pepper