Stay Spicy: A Craving For Broccolini

On Friday evening, after a trip upstate to do yoga with my friend Julie, I found myself roaming the streets of Astoria with a Dunkin’ Donuts hot cocoa in search of broccolini. Weird, right? My days of roaming the streets on Friday nights, and stumbling into bars, is a long gone memory of the past. Now I wear sweat pants or wide leg jeans, leggings and a sweatshirt if I want to feel “sexy” and troll for fresh produce. I’d like to think of this as a sign of maturity, although it feels more like a sign of giving up or a resoundingly loud and cotton clad resignation to being 44, low estrogen and single.

Now, I don’t want you to read that last sentence and feel bad for me. I am wearing elastic and I am ecstatic. My life of wearing tight pants, high heals, thinking about the weather, my hair, frizz, my period, pushup bras, and what someone might think when they see me naked have now been replaced with the joys of sitting on the couch alone, peace, less anxiety, time returned because I’m no longer outfit planning and being able to listen to my body closely enough to know when it has a broccolini craving.

Broccolini is the much more delicate sister to broccoli, but is not bitter like broccoli rabe. This baby of Chinese broccoli and standard broccoli is tender, cooks very quickly and has long, leggy, lean, green stems that are edible and supple. It’s not stumpy like broccoli, but beautiful, the super model of gassy vegetables. I have no idea why I was craving it, I just knew I had to have it; like those times when I had to have one night stands with tattooed men. A craving for a prison fantasy? Google says the broccolini is a craving for more vitamins and minerals and to “eat away.” This, I would regard, is more healthy than sleeping with tattooed men.

With my hot cocoa in hand I walked through two produce markets on 30th Avenue. Apple bins lined the streets and I wondered how each market could have so many fresh berry options in the fall. I spied bitter dandelion greens, swiss chard, romanesco cauliflower, romaine lettuce, and there they waited for me, little baby bunches of organic broccolini. I bought two bunches and knew exactly how I would prepare it. I still don’t know if the broccolini was simply a vehicle to get wads of warm cheese in my gullet but, either way, I knew I would be satisfied.

I walked back to my apartment, down 30th Avenue, past 20 bars, through the crowds of young women in tight clothes and uncomfortable shoes. I made eye contact with the men standing on the street, scoping their Friday night prey, knowing full well that the only thing I would be preying on was the produce in my little yellow, plastic shopping bag. That’s right, I didn’t even have my cloth shopping bag with me. As I rounded the corner to the apartment, the manager at Key Food waved to me and I waved back. As my booty swayed in my leggings, I could feel the movement under my sweatshirt. I wondered if II still had “it.” But I guess it doesn’t matter anyway. All of the answers I needed were inside of me and would soon be topped with briny and spicy broccolini. I needed nothing else.

Spicy Oven Roasted Broccolini

1 bunch of broccolini, tips of stems removed only
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1-2 oz mixed feta and goat cheese
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Moroccan olives

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Place broccolini on a baking sheet and toss with garlic powder, salt and olive oil
Roast for 15 mintues
Toss with red pepper flakes, cheese and olives
Drizzle with olive oil and serve with bread or pair with a protein of choice.