The Food Network had a contest to give someone their own cooking show! Of course Broccoli Man could not pass up this opportunity to bring broccoli to the masses. While Broccoli Man was not selected as a contestant, HE DID APPEAR ON THE SHOW! They showed snippets from some of the 10,000 videos they received, including yours truly saying, "I AM BROCCOLI MAN!"
Check out my audition tape here and learn my secret ingredient for chili!
TEXAS STYLE (?) BEEF N' BROCCOLI CHILI!
Many have said to me, "Broccoli Man™, how did you get your start?" It all began at a chili cook-off in 1994 (shortly after that lab accident that created the Human/broccoli hybrid). Broccoli Man did not win this time, but a legend had begun! On the left you see Broccoli Man serving chili before his "face-lift". Broccoli Man eventually won a chili cook-off in 1999 and another in 2007! Here's how to make his famous Beef n' Broccoli Chili.
Says Broccoli Man, "It's actually quite easy. I use Old Westport Championship Chili Blend for the dry ingredients. I've tried others but I always go back to Old Westport. I follow their recipe, but substitute 16oz of chopped broccoli florets for the beans and add an 8oz can of "tiny whole mushrooms" or chopped mushrooms. Real Texas chili doesn't have beans! Ok, so it doesn't have broccoli either, but that's beside the point. Here's another variation I tried recently that worked quite well - in addition to the broccoli and mushrooms, add 8oz of chopped green beans and 8oz of chopped black olives. You may want to add another 8oz of tomato sauce as well. Experiment and add your own ingredients. Most vegetables can be thrown in without steaming them first. I don't recommend carrots."
"Experiment with the meat-to-veggie ratio as well. Ground turkey also works. I prefer to use lean meat (16% fat) and drain off the fat. The 7% extra-lean is more difficult to brown evenly and the 22% fat and above creates too much fat to drain."
"Keep in mind when you first put in the broccoli it will appear to take a lot of space and need more liquid. After about 15 minutes, though, the broccoli shrinks down and soaks up some of the spices. That's why it tastes so good!"
"All chopped ingredients should be chopped course, not fine. The broccoli florets can be broken by hand."
"Cook up a double batch of this stuff and keep some in the freezer. Somehow it tastes even better reheated. Enjoy!"
Broccoli-Cheddar-Jalapeno Casserole!
Causes Geen Bean Casserole to run away screaming!
Note that I am still experimenting with quantity of each ingredient and I mostly do the 9x13 pan.
The soup chosen should not be a thin watery soup. "Cream of" soups work well. Cream of broccoli, potato, mushroom, etc.
The bread crumb amounts are maximums. I lower it each time to see how little I can get away with.
Experiment with the amount of jalapeno to the desired level of spice.
INGREDIENTS – 9 x 9 pan
• 24 oz soup of choice
• 12 oz broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 to 2/3 of a 3.5 oz bag Fresh Gourmet brand fried jalapenos (or equivalent - Trader Joe's brand is fine)
• less than 1/4 cup bread crumbs (regular or panko)
• 6 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
INGREDIENTS – 9 x 13 pan
Will be slightly thicker than the 9x9 version due to doubling soup and broccoli
• 2 x 24 oz containers soup of choice
• 24 oz broccoli florets
• 1 3.5 oz bag Fresh Gourmet brand fried jalapenos (or equivalent - Trader Joe's brand is fine)
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs (regular or panko)
• 12 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
• Remove frozen broccoli from freezer an hour before prep.
• Heat soup in medium pot (allow space for broccoli).
• Chop broccoli florets and add to pot.
• Cook pot on stove on medium heat until thick enough and broccoli has shrunk – approx. 45 (fresh) to 60 (frozen) mins.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pour soup/broccoli mixture into casserole tray and mix in HALF of cheese and all of bread crumbs.
• While still in the bag, gently crush the fried jalapenos so there are no large pieces (this part is the main reason I prefer the bagged over the canned ones from Trader Joe's).
• Evenly top casserole with remaining cheese, then fried jalapenos.
• Bake 30 minutes. If oven is uneven, bake 25 mins, turn, then 10 mins.
• Alternatively you could bake the casserole without the cheese and jalapenos on top, then add the cheese and jalapenos and bake another 10 mins, but I have found this matters less than I thought it would. That might be the way to go if you plan to reheat before serving.
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