Evolution?

This might be turning into a food blog. Heh. I've cooked so much these past few months, often creating my own recipes, and they're good! I post my recipes for posterity, something I can refer back to when I make it again. Recipe development does not exist in a vacuum so most everything I cook is tweaked or inspired by other stuff I've tried and loved.

Vegetarians and vegans love to name dishes after meat-stuff even though it has no meat-stuff in it  and that's annoying..........but I'm calling this recipe broccoli pâté. LOL that is annoying and it sounds gross. I've never even had pâté. But this broccoli is so soft and tender and luscious it feels like  rich-people pâté.

Mushy vegetables have a bad rap; for the most part it's deserved. But when you cook vegetables to the brink with loads of olive oil and garlic, sure they're mushy but they're unbelievably delicious.

Please note: cut up your broccoli into similar-sized florets. DO NOT toss stems—peel off the stems' outer layer with a veg peeler or a pairing knife and chop them up.

Broccoli pâté with bread crumbs and a poached egg

For the broccoli (adapted from the first half of Merrill Stubb's Broccoli, lemon, and parmesan soup ):

1/4 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 lbs broccoli (see note above)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Boil your broccoli for 5 minutes and drain well.
2. Heal oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Fry garlics and red pepper in the oil until garlics become lightly golden.
3. Add the broccoli and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Turn heat down to your stove's lowest setting and cook, stirring every 30 minutes of so, for at least 1.5 hours.
5. Stir in vinegar and Parmesan. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

For the breadcrumbs:

1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
1/8 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and stir until breadcrumbs absorb all the butter.
2. Stir in salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
3. Cook until breadcrumbs turn a dark golden and become fragrant. Set aside.

For the poached egg 

Put it all together!

Scoop broccoli into a bowl and sprinkle a handful or two of the breadcrumbs over it. Put your poached egg(s) on top and finish with freshly grated parm and a few grinds of pepper.