Stop throwing out your broccoli stems! Sure, the florets are pretty, but the stems are just as and tasty, but don’t neglect the rest. We love to use sliced or shaved broccoli stems in place of lettuce for a hearty salad.

A day or two before or after, enjoy the florets. This recipe needs only the stalks.

> There are additional uses for the stems below.

> Also below: the difference in nutrition between the florets and the stems.

> The history of broccoli.

> The history of broccolini.

> The difference between broccoli, broccolini, and broccoli rabe.

National Broccoli Day is March 22nd. (Some call it National We Love Broccoli Day.) We offer you a recipe for the part of the stalk people tend to like least: the stem.
 
 
Why it isn’t as beloved as the florets, we don’t know. Perhaps it’s because older heads can develop tough, fibrous skins. There are easy solutions to that, though:

 
 
RECIPE: BROCCOLI STEM SALAD

Thanks to Farm To People for this recipe.

Prep time is 20 minutes.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PEEL the stems as necessary. If the broccoli is young and tender, you don’t need to peel the stems. For more mature broccoli, it’s a good idea to peel them as the skin can be a bit woody and tough.

2. SHAVE the stems into paper-thin slices using a mandolin. If you don’t have a mandolin, use a sharp chef’s knife to cut slices as thinly as you can get them.

3. MAKE the dressing. Mix together the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and chili flakes. Season with sea salt and pepper, to taste. Toss shaved broccoli stems and herbs with enough dressing to coat and serve.
 
 
MORE USES FOR BROCCOLI STEMS

 
 
STEMS VS. FLORETS: WHICH ARE MORE NUTRITIOUS?

Both are nutritious, with slight differences: The florets are richer in vitamins and antioxidants, while the stems provide more fiber and potassium, with fewer calories to boot.

 
[6] Chart created by Chat GPT, 2025-03-22.

[1] Close up on the recipe below (photos #1 and #2 © Farm To People).

[2] This may have been the photo stylist’s idea, but if you have leftover herbs, why not scatter them on the tabletop?

[3] Broccoli stems have quite a few uses. See them below (photo © According To Elle).

[4] A beautiful head of broccoli ready to be enjoyed (photo © Good Eggs).

[5] So why slice off the florets and toss the rest? See ways to use them below (photo © Hello Fresh).

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[1] Pistachio Tiramisu: Trade the coffee for pistachio nuts (photo © Chef Stefano Carniato | Piola | Miami).

[2] Start with the freshest pistachios you can find. If you want to buy in bulk, Middle Eastern grocers often have the best options (photos #2 and #3 © Setton Farms).

[3] See the branch? The nuts grow inside the pink pods (a.k.a. the fruits of the pistachio tree).

[4] If you can’t find mascarpone, you can make your own with this recipe (photo © Vermont Creamery).

[5] Ladyfingers. You can buy them or bake them. It’s easy: Here’s a recipe (photo © Jirkaejc | Panthermedia).

[6] It’s pretty easy to find pistachio cream, a trending bread spread, at specialty food stores and online (photo © Aroma Sicilia).

[7] Make your own pistachio cream. The recipe is below (photo © Nerds With Knives).

[8] A charlotte uses a ring of ladyfingers to enclose its filling. Here’s the recipe for this Strawberry Charlotte (photo © Teak & Thyme).

We’re celebrating National Tiramisu Day, March 21st, with a creative flavor twist: switching the “pick me up” of coffee for the protein and crunch of pistachio nuts.

The recipe was created by Chef Stefano Carniato of Piola restaurant in Miami. He has every right to play with the recipe, as a native of Treviso, Italy, where tiramisu was invented (here’s the story).

The recipe is very popular at Piola—it’s been on the menu for more than two decades! Chef Carniato shared the recipe with us in honor of National Tiramisu Day.

“Tiramisu” literally translates to “pick me up,” so called because a zabaglione spiked with espresso gave energy to the restaurateur who thought to port the idea to another dessert.

So here’s the question: If the recipe replaces the coffee ingredient with caffeine-free pistachio nuts, no matter how delicious, is it still a tiramisu pick-me-up (we’re ignoring the theory that any food that makes you happy is a mood elevator)?

Please discuss!

This pistachio variation was created by Treviso native Stefano Carniato, chef/owner of the Miami restaurant Piola.

“Our recipe calls on crema al pistacchio (pistachio cream, photo #6), a silky, nutty bread spread that is similar to Nutella,” notes Chef Carniato.

“While we are very familiar with this ingredient back home in Italy, crema al pistacchio seems to suddenly be gaining popularity amongst an American audience.”

That is true: We’ve been seeing it everywhere. But it’s pricey, so if you want to make your own, here’s a recipe.

> The history of tiramisu.

> The recipe for homemade pistachio cream, if you’d rather make it than buy it, is below.

> So are more tiramisu recipes are below.

> So is the history of ladyfingers.
 
 
RECIPE #1: TIRAMISU AL PISTACCHIO (PISTACHIO TIRAMISU)

A note about the pistachio cream: It’s pretty expensive. It’s also easy to make your own.

Pistachio cream is a blend of white chocolate and pistachios, a cousin to Nutella (milk chocolate and hazelnuts).

It’s delicious on so many things (see the recipe below).

Prep time 20 minutes.
 
Ingredients For 8 Servings

 
Preparation
 
1. SEPARATE the egg yolks from the whites in two separate bowls. Blend the yolks with the sugar at high speed for 8 minutes or until sugar is no longer visible. Add the mascarpone, 2/3 cup (60g) ground pistachio and the pistachio cream to the mixture and blend until smooth. Place the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate.

2. WHISK the egg whites until foamy. Gently fold them into to the mascarpone mixture with a spatula.

3. MIX the milk in a saucepan with 3 tablespoons (50g) pistachio cream and 3 drops of almond or vanilla extract. Heat to between 80°-100°F (before it begins to simmer). Pour it into a square baking tray or dish.

4. DIP the ladyfingers one by one into the milk mix. They should soften but not fall apart.

4. APPLY a thin layer of the mascarpone mix to the bottom of an 8″x8″ baking dish. Flatten the layer and place a layer of ladyfingers on top. Add a layer of mascarpone cream on top, followed by another layer of ladyfingers. Top with a final layer of mascarpone cream.

5. PLACE the dish in the freezer for 30 minutes. If you’ll won’t be serving it until later, you can refrigerate for 4 hours and up to overnight.

6. CUT in 8 slices. Garnish with ground pistachios. (We preferred the texture of roughly chopped pistachios.)
 
 
RECIPE #2: PISTACHIO CREAM

Thanks to Nerds With Knives for this recipe [photo #7] and advice.

Since they’re made by a variety of small companies, you’ll find that no two brands of store-bought pistachio creams are alike. Some might contain pistachios along with sugar and milk powder, while others might add almond extract to bump up the flavor, or olive oil to smooth out the texture.

 
Check the label ingredients carefully.

Ingredients

 
Preparation
 
1. BRING a medium sized pot of water to a boil and add the shelled pistachios. Boil for 3 minutes, then drain and place on a clean kitchen towel.

2. FOLD the towel over the pistachios and rub them in the towel to loosen the skins. Separate the pistachios, discard the skins, and place the pistachios in a blender.

3. ADD the butter and 1/4 cup milk to a small microwave safe bowl. Heat in 20 second bursts, just until the butter is melted and the milk is hot. Add the white chocolate and stir until melted.

If the chocolate needs more melting, heat for another 10-15 seconds and stir (you can also do this on the stovetop in a small saucepan on low heat).

4. ADD to the pistachios in the blender, the remaining 1/2 cup milk, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Scrape in the melted white chocolate/butter mixture. Pulse on medium speed until the pistachios turn into a paste. You’ll need to stop the blender 3-4 times to scrape down the sides.

5. BLEND on high power for 30 seconds to a minute, until the texture turns smooth and creamy. Transfer the pistachio cream to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep well for 2 weeks.
 
 
MORE TIRAMISU RECIPES

 
 
THE HISTORY OF LADYFINGERS

Ladyfingers, known in Italian as savoiardi, are delicate, sponge-like cookies, long and slightly oval (photo #5). They date to the Duchy of Savoy in the late 15th century (hence the name savoiardi).

While exact records of a specific visit tied to the creation of ladyfingers are scarce, the historical context suggests that the visit might have taken place during King Charles’ military campaigns in Italy (1494–1495), or earlier in the course of diplomatic relations.

The House of Savoy maintained close ties with France, as the duchy bordered French territory and often acted as a strategic ally or battleground in European conflicts.

At the time, Carlo I, Duca di Savoia (reigned 1482–1490) or Filippo II, Duca di Savoia (reigned 1496–1497) would have been ruling the region.

The Duke’s pastry chefs developed the light, airy sponge cookies to impress the French guests. The recipe was brought back to France, and became popular across Europe.

In France, the cookies were known as biscuits à la cuillère (spoon biscuits*) because they were traditionally shaped using a spoon.

The exact origin of the word “ladyfingers” is unclear, but it appears in English cookbooks by the 18th or 19th century.

Instead of referring to a foreign entity that was dissolved in 1861, English-speaking bakers likely chose a name that was more appealing to their customers. The cookies’ long, slender shape resembled a refined lady’s fingers, and the delicate texture enhanced the association.

From the beginning, savoiardi/ladyfingers were served with—and often dipped in—coffee, tea, wine, or liqueur.

They were also crafted into elaborate desserts including (over time):

 
In addition to these popular recipes, ladyfingers have also found a place in American specialties such as icebox cake and strawberry shortcake.

They can be substituted anywhere a cake base is needed, from Baked Alaska to Tiramisu Cheesecake.

And of course, serve them with ice cream, coffee, and dessert wine [source: ChatGPT 2025-03-21].

________________
 
*Note that most of Europe, including England, uses the word biscuit to describe what Americans call cookies. We got the word cookie from the Dutch, who first came to the American colonies in the 17th century. Dutch word koekje (pronounced COOK-yeh) literally meaning “little cake,” was used to describe small baked treats. Over time, English speakers in America adapted koekje to cookie and it became the standard term.
 
 

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[1] Strips of pumpernickel toast surround a garden of crudites “planted” atop squash puree (photo © Il Ritorno | Miami).

[2] A closer look (photo © Dawn Stewart | Instagram).

[3] Black bean hummus. You can make it darker to resemble soil with the tips below (photo © Whole Foods Market).

[4] Easter egg radishes* substitute for spring flowers (photo © Jengod | Wikipedia).

[5] Or, use a slender radish like French breakfast radishes (photo © Amber Engle | Wesual | Unsplash).

[6] Rainbow baby carrots (photo © The Homegrown Collective).

[7] We added a layer of superseed mix to the top of the “soil.” The seeds are also delicious as a salad topping, on yogurt, rice and other grains, even ice cream (photo © GERB | Amazon).

[8] Small multicolor cherry tomatoes. We found some on stems of (photo © Love Food Art | Pexels).

[9] Red and white endive leaves are perfect for scooping up the hummus.

[10] We wanted to use Mestermacher pumpernickel, a widely-available dense bread cut into slices that are a good size for this project: 3.5″ (9 cm) wide x 5″ (13 cm) long x ¼” (.6 cm) thick. But the store was temporarily sold out (photo © Good Eggs).

[11] Instead, we used Finn Crisp crackers—a good substitute that doesn’t require toasting. The composed salad here consists of hard-boiled eggs plus traditional bagel garnishes: smoked salmon, tomato, red onion, and a creamy dressing (photo © Lantmännen).

There are garden salads, and then there’s The Garden Salad, an edible raised vegetable garden, the creation of Il Ritorno restaurant in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Il Ritorno is a fine-dining restaurant that marries modern cooking techniques with inspiration and flavor profiles from all over the world.

We’ve been wanting to make this composed salad for some time, since we saw it on the Instagram page of the restaurant.

The day is here: Happy Spring, dear reader.

Well, actually, it’s not a composed salad. You can see what that would look like in photo #11.

It’s actually a creative presentation for crudites, raw vegetables. The dip that usually accompanies them in a separate bowl is actually underneath the vegetables.

The recipe follows, but first a word about composed salads.

> A template to make your own composed salad recipes.

> The history of salad.

> Different composed salads worldwide, below.
 
 
COMPOSED SALAD

Composed salad (salade composée [sah-LOD com-poe-SAY] in French) is the opposite of a tossed salad. It’s neither tossed or otherwise mixed.

Rather, the dish is brought to the table with the ingredients arranged separately (and artistically) on individual serving plates, with a ramekin of dressing.

A large salad bowl can also be composed and served at the table, but that defeats the purpose of giving each person an attractive dish to admire.

Perhaps the most famous composed salad in the U.S. is a chef’s salad. Its origins are disputed, but the leading contenders are:

 
However, variations of meat sliced to top salad greens existed before then. It may have begun as a way to stretch a meal when there were more people to feed than portions of meat.

There are other well-known composed salads from the U.S., Europe, and Asia. See them below.
 
 
Should You Mix The Composed Salad On Your Plate?

At formal settings or restaurants, it’s common to eat the salad as served, using your fork to pick up a combination of ingredients.

At home or in a diner or other casual venue, you can mix it yourself if you prefer.
 

[12] A Cobb salad is perhaps the best-known composed salad in the U.S. Do you want to mix it up or eat it ingredient-by-ingredient? A strategy is to spear a top ingredient plus the greens underneath (photo © Kewpie USA).
 
INTRODUCTION TO THE RECIPE

This creation gives new meaning to the term “garden salad.”

It was created in the fall, so it uses butternut squash purée with fall spices as the base—and those flavors are delicious any time of year.

The other ingredients included carrot, radish, turnip, pickled ramps, turnip greens, and pumpernickel crisps for the border.

We chose somewhat different ingredients, starting with black bean hummus. To save time we purchased a tub of hummus, a can of black beans, puréed the latter and mixed it into the former.

We seasoned it with cumin, but you could use chipotle or chili powder, coriander, garam masala, smoked paprika, or za’atar.

Also because, much as we love pumpernickel, we couldn’t find the Mestemacher pumpernickel bread, which is dense and easy to cut into “slats.” Pumpernickel.

So we turned to a favorite cracker, Finn Crisp rye crisps, which are made in Caraway, Multigrain, and Original (whole grain rye).
 
 
RECIPE: SALAD GARDEN or GARDEN OF CRUDITÉS

You can make your garden as large as you wish. We made it a size for three of us to dig in as a first course.

Use whatever looks best in the produce aisle. To us, that means color! The ingredients we used follow. You should follow your palate, of course.

We used Finn Crisp for the rectangular border around to the hummus base.

Ingredients

 
For Serving

 
Preparation

We’re certain that the Il Ritorno’s technique is far superior to ours, but here’s what we did to create our copycat recipe.

For starters, choose:

 
1. MAKE the toast: If using Mestermacher pumpernickel, slice and toast the pieces to serve as a wall around the garden.

2. SPREAD the hummus in a rectangle on the plate or parchment. It should be the size that you seek in your finished product. First lay down just enough hummus to prop up the pumpernickel slices. Then fill the rectangle 3/4 of the way with the rest of the hummus.

3. SCATTER the seeds on top of the hummus (see photo #2). You’re now ready to plant your garden.
 

[13] If you buy cherry tomatoes on the branch, you can use the stems to hold them while you dip (photo #13). Otherwise, stick a colorful toothpick into each top. These are particularly festive (photo © Helen Thomas | Unsplashz).
 
How To Make Hummus The Color Of Soil

These ingredients work, but alter the flavor of the hummus. This is not bad, just different.

 
 
DIFFERENT COMPOSED SALADS WORLDWIDE
 
American Composed Salads

 
 
European Composed Salads

 
 
Asian Composed Salads

 
Have we overlooked your favorite? Let us know!
 
 
ABOUT IL RITORNO RESTAURANT

At Il Ritorno in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, the culinary team is led by owner and Executive Chef David Benstock and Chef de Cuisine Sheridan Scott.

Chef Benstock, a St. Petersburg native, honed his craft globally before returning home to establish Il Ritorno, where he offers moderns twist on traditional Italian cuisine.

In 2021, Chef Benstock showcased his culinary prowess by winning against celebrity chef Bobby Flay on the Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay.” He did—only 38% of chefs do!

Chef Benstock won with his signature Short Rib Mezzaluna, a half-moon-shaped pasta dish filled with braised short rib and served with a charred shishito pepper fonduta, a rich, creamy cheese sauce traditionally made with Fontina cheese, egg yolks, milk, and butter.

> Follow Il Ritorno on Instagram.
 
________________
 
*Easter Egg radishes aren’t a special variety, but a mix of seeds of different colors (pink, red, purple, and white) that are grown together.

†French breakfast radishes, despite the name, are not traditionally eaten for breakfast in France. They are a popular snack often served with butter and salt on a baguette, or on a plate of crudités.
 
 

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