Purple Sprouting Broccoli Add Warmth in the Winter Season

Online, January 18, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Romans are likely to be the first ones who started cultivating purple sprouting broccoli which is the ancestor of the more vastly known and used green Italian broccoli. It is a sort of cabbage in which the flowers stopped growing while still in the bud forming separate groups called heads.
The Sprouting Broccoli is one of the three categories of broccoli along with the Romanesco, which matures later in the year and presents its heads formed by the buds in a yellowish green color; and the third and main category, the Calabrese, which is harvested in summer and its heads can be green or purple.
The purple sprouting broccoli season starts in February and it is a warm welcome addition to the winter vegetables. It is a much more delicate type of broccoli and is usually sold in specialty vegetable sections of the markets at a higher cost.
When selecting your purple sprouting broccoli be sure you choose the young and tender. Look for darkly colored ones with stalks no bigger than 0.4 inches or 1cm in diameter. Avoid bendy broccoli, stalks should snap cleanly when bent with sharp pressure.
Many recipes are available for purple sprouting broccoli and weather you like them simply steamed or boiled they will make a perfect side with almost any fish or meat dish.
In my cooking I like to split the thicker stalks in half to allow them to cook at the same time with the heads. I also use very little water to steam or boil them. You do not want to lose any Vitamin C and other water-soluble vitamins during the cooking process. Allow the water to reach boiling temperature before adding the sprouts, this will dramatically reduce the loss of vitamins, then just cook them only until tender: I like my vegetables a little crunchy. And remember, do not remove the leaves which are edible and tasty. Something to remember when cooking purple sprouting broccoli or any vegetables for that matter is to add salt into the water; this will preserve the crisp and bright color of the fresh vegetable.
Purple sprouting broccoli is a cruciferous vegetables and such as contains the phytochemical sulphoraphane (thought to help prevent cancer) and may provide resistance against heart disease, osteoporosis and diabetes. In addition Purple sprouting broccoli has, cup per cup, the same amount of vitamin C than oranges and the same amount of calcium than milk; furthermore, it is a good source of caretenoids, iron, folic acid, calcium, fiber and vitamin A.
Something to know: All cruciferous vegetables contain goitrin, thiocyanate, and isothiocyanate. These are chemicals known as goitrogens and they are responsible to inhibit the formation of thyroid hormones. This cause the thyroid to enlarge in an effort to produce more of these hormones. While this is not a hazardous situation for healthy people it could provoke a problem for people who have a thyroid condition or under thyroid treatment.