Broccoli can be eaten raw if it is chopped finely enough. We have been making this Mediterranean broccoli salad with the Thermomix® for years and have found the middle ground that works best for us: the florets spend a short time in the Varoma, keep their bite and become far more digestible than when eaten raw.
We make the salad during barbecue season, as a light lunch on hot summer days and whenever a whole head of broccoli needs using up before it turns yellow. With tomatoes, feta, sun-dried tomatoes and black olives, the broccoli becomes a complete dish that tastes almost even better cold the next day.
Mediterranean Broccoli Salad with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 12 ✓
- 1000 g broccoli
- 500 g water
- 3 spring onions
- 200 g tomatoes
- 150 g feta
- 60 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 20 g balsamic vinegar
- 40 g olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- black olives (pitted)
Instructions 0 / 5
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1
Prepare the ingredients.
Cut the florets from the broccoli, wash them and spread them out in the Varoma.
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2
Boil the water.
Pour the water into the mixing bowl, place the Varoma on top and steam for 15 min / Varoma / speed 1.
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3
Chop the ingredients.
Meanwhile, wash the spring onions and slice one into rings. Cut the other two into pieces. Wash the tomatoes, remove the stalks and cut into bite-sized pieces. Cut the feta into cubes.
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4
Steam and make the dressing.
Remove the Varoma, transfer the broccoli florets to a large bowl and reserve the cooking liquid. Add the spring onion pieces and the sun-dried tomatoes to the mixing bowl, chop for 5 sec / speed 5 and push down with the spatula.
Add 50 g of the cooking liquid, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and Dijon mustard and mix for 5 sec / speed 3.
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5
Combine.
Add the tomatoes, feta and olives to the broccoli, pour the dressing over and mix gently. Garnish with the spring onion rings and serve.
Tip: If you soak your broccoli florets in a bicarbonate of soda solution before steaming, they keep their fresh, vibrant colour. Dissolve 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda in 2 litres of water and briefly dip the broccoli in the solution.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why the broccoli belongs in the Varoma
Raw broccoli is technically edible, but many people find it hard to digest. The firm cell walls are full of glucosinolates that can cause bloating. On the other hand, cooking it until soft strips away everything that makes broccoli interesting as a salad ingredient: bite, colour and freshness.
We have tried all three approaches over the years. Finely chopped raw in the Thermomix® works in principle, but it is not ideal for anyone with a sensitive stomach. Fully cooked, it turns mushy and releases water. The middle ground is 15 minutes in the Varoma with 500 g of water in the mixing bowl. That sounds like a long time, but it is necessary given the 1000 g of broccoli. The florets become tender enough to eat comfortably, yet they still hold their structure and stay green.
What we like about the Thermomix® method
- Cooking and dressing in parallel. While the broccoli steams in the Varoma for 15 minutes, we chop the tomatoes, feta and spring onions. The water in the mixing bowl becomes the cooking liquid, which we use directly for the dressing.
- Sun-dried tomatoes and spring onions are chopped separately. 5 sec / speed 5 is all it takes, then push down with the spatula. Anyone who chops these by hand spends the next 10 minutes with oily fingers and uneven pieces.
- The dressing emulsifies in the mixing bowl. 50 g of the broccoli cooking liquid, 20 g balsamic vinegar, 40 g olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 5 sec / speed 3. The mustard binds the vinegar and oil into a creamy sauce rather than two separate layers.
The dressing is made in the very bowl where the water was just boiling. One pot, one machine, no extra vessel for whisking.
The most common pitfalls
Broccoli turns watery or mushy
This happens when the florets stay in the Varoma too long or are cut too small. Our fix: Keep the florets at around 3 cm in diameter and do not break them into smaller pieces. Remove the Varoma immediately after 15 minutes and transfer the broccoli to a cold bowl. If the broccoli stays in the heat, it carries on cooking.
The salad releases water overnight
Tomatoes release water, and feta does too. If you add the dressing too early, the salad is a soup by the next day. Our fix: The broccoli and dressing can be prepared in advance. Add the tomatoes, feta and olives only just before serving. If you are taking the salad somewhere, pack the dressing separately.
The dressing tastes too sharp or too oily
With Mediterranean dressings, the ratio of vinegar to oil is key. Our fix: We stick to 20 g balsamic to 40 g olive oil, that is 1:2. For a rounder flavour, go 1:3 (60 g oil). The Dijon mustard is not optional. It holds the emulsion together and adds a gentle heat that works well with broccoli.
How we vary the salad
- With Mozzarella instead of feta. Mozzarella di Bufala in bite-sized pieces, plus a little extra salt in the dressing. The flavour is milder, but it releases more water, so add it only just before serving.
- With pine nuts or almonds. Toast 30 g in a dry frying pan until fragrant and scatter over the finished salad. They add a crunch that plays well against the soft feta.
- With chickpeas for a complete lunch. One tin, drained (240 g), tossed briefly in warm olive oil with garlic and added on top. This turns a side dish into a main.
- Completely raw like our raw broccoli salad. Anyone who handles glucosinolates well can chop the broccoli for 4 sec / speed 5 in the mixing bowl instead. Maximum vitamin C content, but less of a Mediterranean character.
What goes well with the broccoli salad
We serve the salad classically alongside grilled food: lamb, chicken or simply grilled bread with herb butter. As a cold side it also works with pasta dishes and pairs well with other salads from our salad section. Anyone putting together a salad bar for a buffet can combine it with our classic Coleslaw from the Thermomix® for creaminess and a carrot broccoli salad for a sweeter note. The Mediterranean broccoli also makes a great contrast to cold pasta salads, as it brings less starch and more freshness.
How long it keeps in the fridge
The fully dressed salad keeps in the fridge for 1 day, after which the tomatoes soften and the dressing becomes watery. For longer storage, keep the broccoli, dressing, tomatoes and feta separately. The broccoli keeps for 3 days, the dressing in a screw-top jar for up to 5 days. Mix everything together only just before serving.
Freezing does not work. Broccoli loses its texture when thawed, tomatoes turn floury and feta crumbles. For a salad that relies on freshness, freezing is simply the wrong approach.
A practical tip
If you want to keep the broccoli a particularly vivid green, soak the florets for 1 minute in a bicarbonate of soda solution before steaming: 2 litres of water, 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, swirl briefly, then continue as normal. It sounds like a chemistry experiment, but it is an old restaurant trick and makes the difference between olive green and a deep emerald green in the finished salad.
- Basic Thermomix® Broccoli Salad
- How to cook broccoli perfectly in the Varoma
- Thermomix® Raw Broccoli Salad
- Carrot Broccoli Salad
