While some traditional winter vegetables such as cabbage and brussels sprouts have a bitter aftertaste, Bellaverde® broccoli has been specially developed to have a clean, fresh sweet taste quite unlike any other broccoli. It’s hugely versatile - you can throw it into stir fries, toss in pasta, serve on the side with meat or fish, enjoy in a warm salad or whiz into a soup. It takes just three minutes to cook with nothing being wasted, it can all go into the pan. An 80g serving counts as one of your 5-a-day and contains just 26 kcals.
“I love broccoli,” says Gino, “but it was not always the case. As a young boy I did find the bitter taste quite off-putting and so I think Bellaverde® could be the answer to many parents’ dreams. My two young sons certainly like it.” Gino added: “But what’s great for me as a chef is its versatility. You can throw it into stir fries, toss it in pasta, serve it on the side with meat or fish, enjoy in a warm salad or just eat raw as a crudité with dips. The florets and stems cook to perfection to give a crisp al dente bite and nothing gets wasted.”
Gino says, “Bellaverde® doesn’t have the bitter after taste that other broccoli varieties suffer from, making them difficult to marry with a number of other ingredients. For instance broccoli doesn’t normally go with fish because the after taste overpowers the flavour, but this isn’t the case with Bellaverde®. Another fantastic attribute of Bellaverde® is that it stays a vibrant green colour after cooking and doesn’t discolour.”
It’s only fitting for an Italian chef to support the launch of this new broccoli, as broccoli originates from the Calabria region of Italy, which is why it is sometimes called calabrese.
Gino’s Top Tips for Bellaverde®
• Make sure you don’t overcook Bellaverde®, it’s best to keep it al dente.
• For a dinner party where you may have a few different elements to prepare, cook Bellaverde® in advance by boiling in water for 3 minutes, then chill straight away in ice water and drain. When you’re ready to serve up, simply toss in a splash of hot olive oil or even better a hollandaise sauce and serve as a vegetable accompaniment.
Bellaverde® is a true pure broccoli, rather than a cross with another vegetable, and therefore has all the health boosting superfood qualities of a traditional broccoli. This means it’s high in Vitamin C, an antioxidant which helps to protect against free radicals, fight infection, boost iron absorption, and maintain healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and gums; packed with fibre, which helps to keep the digestive system healthy and balance your blood glucose (sugar) levels; high in the B vitamin folate, which is necessary for the formation of blood cells; and a source of potassium, an essential mineral which helps regulate our blood pressure and nerve muscle functions.
Recipes and serving suggestions can be found at www.bellaverde.co.uk. Bellaverde® broccoli is currently stocked at selected Sainsbury’s and Waitrose stores.
