Tell Tenderstem® what you think of their recipes and add your own - £250 voucher prize draw NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

The team at Tenderstem® have asked us to find out what Mumsnetters think of their latest collection of family-friendly, time-saving recipes.

In case you don't know it (yet) Tenderstem® is a long-stemmed broccoli – and tender from floret to stem so the whole vegetable can be eaten.

Here's what the team at Tenderstem® have to say, "Tenderstem® is a wonder vegetable for family cooking as, not only is it ready to eat after just 3 minutes of steaming, it is packed full of nutrients and leaves no costly waste behind making it one of the most versatile vegetables around."

They go on to say, "we know from first-hand experience how challenging it can be to keep the whole family happy and healthy when we're all so busy, which is what has inspired us to create our latest collection of recipes. With prepare-ahead dishes, to those mild in flavour, and adaptable to please a range of tastes and all quick and simple to prepare, Tenderstem® has it covered!"

They also have teamed up with family food expert and author Fiona Faulkner to give you these top ten tips to save time and money in the kitchen.

Please have a look through Tenderstem®'s specially designed Facebook album for Mumsnetters here, you could even 'like' your favourite recipe . Then come back to this thread and let us know what you think.

They'd also love to know whether you already cook with Tenderstem®, or whether it has yet to make it into your fridge. If you have cooked with it before, tell us what you loved about it! Feel free to share any other recipes from your repertoire which use Tenderstem®. Or any tips you have on how to prepare it/ use it in established recipes.

Everyone who joins in with the discussion on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £250 voucher for House of Fraser.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

Recipe idea - treat it like asparagus. Griddle then dip in a runny boiled egg. Might have to be a duck egg to get the fluffy bits in. :o

I like the recipes. I dislike the patronising marketing spiel.

Also agree that tenderstem is delicious but seems expensive. I've only bought it when it's on offer.

I like the idea of using it on pizza. My favourite way to have brocolli as a side is to roast it along with olive oil, garlic and shallots. I sprinkle chilli over the top and add soy sauce depending on what I'm having it with. It's yummy and so quick and easy.

Trills - that's the word I couldn't remember. We treat it like asparagus.
I like it plain, kids like it covered it melted grated cheese, dh avoids all vegetables not called peas or sweet corn or carrots.

All the recipes look nice.
I've never cooked with tender stem before, but I often put normal broccoli, or sometimes purple sprouting broccoli in meals - I make my own frittata with brie, potatoes, red peppers and broccoli, and I like to cook pasta with chillies, tomatoes,bacon and broccoli, topped with soft goats cheese and herbs.

Sounds like tender stem would be a better alternative to use in both meals. Depends on the price though, I wouldn't bother if it cost loads.

Have they changed the page? Thankfully I can't see any 'busy mum's' nonsense. Could you not think of as single vegetarian recipe? I chuck it in a pasta bake with onions and mushrooms.

I do love tenderstem brocoli though, especially when it is covered in sauce from the fine establishment that is Nandos.

I don't really buy Tenderstem but have tried it before and enjoyed it but the price puts me off a bit as surely just using normal broccoli is cheaper and can be used in the recipes just the same.

I love all the Brassicas and both grow and eat them. Tenderstem is especially great for children because anything in miniature appeals and looks less 'daunting' on the plate. Younger, smaller broccoli also has less sulphurous compounds so tastes better to younger palates.

Here are my recipes-

Trees with Dippy Egg

Steam three Tenderstem branches per egg (I rinse it in water making sure a little clings to the stems, wrap securely in microwavable clingfilm and microwave until tender.
Soft boil one egg per child. Serve the branches next to the egg in the egg cup with a tiny dab of butter on the Tenderstem. Salt and pepper as required. I have yet to meet a baby/ toddler who doesn't enjoy clutching a 'tree' in his hand and dipping it in egg.

Tenderstem with Sesame, Mirin and Spring Onion

Heat some Sesame Oil in a non stick pan and stir fry the Tenderstem and sliced Spring Onion quickly, adding a dash of Mirin to flavour. Scatter over the Sesame seeds just before serving, allowing them to lightly toast in the pan. This is great w/ oily fish such as Salmon, Tuna or slices of Chicken or Pork.

Tenderstem Salad w/ Mushrooms

1/ Lb Tenderstem. 2 tbsp olive oil or other salad oil. 1/4 inch fresh ginger, slivered. 1/16 chilli powder. 1 tsp crushed mustard seed. 3 small minced garlic clove. 1-1 1/2 tbs lemon juice. 1/8 Lb cherry tomatoes. 3/4 tsp honey. 1/2 Lb button mushrooms

Trim and wash the tenderstem, then either simmer or steam until cooked to a light crunch. Heat oil in a skillet and lightly fry ginger and mushrooms for 2-3 mins. Add tenderstem, chile and mustard seeds and stir fry over moderate heat for one more minute. Remove from skillet and cool. In a large serving bowl mix the garlic, lemon juice, tomatoes and honey. Add the tenderstem and mushrooms and stir. Chill for thirty minutes prior to serving.

Blood Oranges and Tenderstem (adapted from Nigel Slater)

4 large handfuls of steamed Tenderstem. 3 egg yolks. 200g melted butter. lemon juice. Fine grated zest of a blood orange or other orange. 3 tbsp double cream or creme fraiche

Put pan of water onto boil and find glass bowl to use as a bain marie. Drop the yolks into the bowl w/ an added slash of water then whisk pouring in the melted butter slowly at first as if making mayo then faster as the sauce thickens. Keep the water in the saucepan simmering, not boiling and you must not stop whisking or the sauce will fail (although adding another dash of water to it can rescue it). When it is creamy and thick add a squeeze of lemon juice and some salt to season.
Place the already steamed Tenderstem on a plate. Whisk the orange zest and creme fraiche/cream into the sauce and then pour over the tenderstem. Serve w/ bread of your choice and also good w/ any grilled meat. Serves 6 as a side.

Pasta with Tenderstem, Anchovy and Blue Cheese

250g Tenderstem. 250g small pasta such as Orrechiette. 30g butter. 2 thin sliced garlic cloves. 4 rinsed and chopped anchovy. 250g creme fraiche. 170g crumbled Blue cheese such as Cashel Blue or Gorgonzola.

Place two deep pans of water on to boil. Salt one of them, trim the Tenderstem and add the pasta to the salted water. Lightly salt the water in the other pan and add the Tenderstem. When it is tender (3 mins or so) drain it and wipe out the pan returning it to the heat w/ the butter, anchovies and garlic. Cook these slowly for a min or two letting the anchovies almost melt. Spoon in the cheese and creme fraiche and bring to a gentle boil, stirring and turning down immediately to a simmer. Rough chop the tenderstem, add to the sauce then season w/ salt and pepper as needed. Drain the pasta and add a couple of spoons of the pasta water to the sauce to improve the texture. Dress the pasta w/ the sauce. Enough for two.

Tenderstem, Asparagus and Courgette Antipasti

250g Tenderstem, trimmed and sliced lengthways. 250g Courgette sliced into ribbons w/ skin on. 250g trimmed Asparagus sliced lengthways. 250g petit pois. Olive Oil, a teaspoon of Pesto.

Steam the Sliced Asparagus, Courgette, peas and Tenderstem until tender. Place into a shallow bowl and marinade in a mixture of the Olive Oil, salt, pepper and a small teaspoon of Pesto. Let stand for an hour to allow the flavours to mingle. Serves 6 as a side. This is also great served over Pasta, warm w/ grated Pecorino or Fiore Sardo over the top.

mignonette Lovely recipes!

I just love it stir fried with fresh red hot chilli and split almonds or pine nuts with a dash of soy.

I eat masses of it and buy huge packs from Costco!

We use Tenderstem Broccoli occasionally but DS still bites the heads off and leaves the stems!

The recipes look easy enough but, as mentioned above, I'm not convinced by the prep time! We're very simple in our tastes (especially fussy-eater DS) though and would rather just have it steamed to avoid any meltdowns that the broccoli "tastes funny".

Minding You can of course use any Brassica w/ most of those. Ordinary Broccoli or Sprouting.

The almonds sound lovely. Very Spanish and they could have a dash of Sherry or Sherry vinegar instead of the soy as another option.

My kids always loved Broccoli stems chopped into rounds, parboiled, brushed with either olive oil or chilli oil and then roasted w/ the roast potatoes. I never chuck away the stems. They can be added to cauliflower cheese to bulk it out. Just freeze them until needed but blanch them first. I'm with Nigella on freezing all kinds of leftovers.

Posted too soon- Another thing I do w/ Broccoli is make A Wisconsin style Broccoli, cheese and potato soup. You just boil or steam all the vegetables, drain then add them to made up vegetable stock (I use Marigold) or chicken bouillon. Puree it all up to make a thick soup, season then stir in some grated hard cheese-I like Fontina, Raclet or Cheddar. Or you can make cheese on toast w/ a baguette and serve rounds of it w/ this soup.

Some of those recipes look good (Indonesian chicken and the roasted sesame chicken - I'll try both of those). Don't see the point of using tenderstem in chicken pie or worse in bubble and squeak. It's so expensive. Bubble is a way of using up cheap left over veg such as cabbage,. spinach or normal broccoli!

We do eat it - not often, because it's expensive and because DC only eat the florets so rather misses the point of the stems. We have it for dinner parties, birthdays, special adult dinners when DC are out rather than as a family staple although it does sometimes make its way onto the Sunday roast table, especially if grandparents are around as my dad loves it.

My two best tenderstem recipes are very simple and rely on it as a key flavour.

Linguine with garlic, chilli and tenderstem:

Cook linguine as per packet instructions. Two minutes before it's ready plunge freshly washed tenderstem in with it
Chop and fry garlic in plenty of olive oil for a minute and add chilli for a further minute. Drain pasta and tenderstem. Toss in chilli garlic oil and add grated zest of fresh lemon and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Stir fry.
Stir it up with sesame oil, oyster mushrooms, slivered yellow peppers, baby corns and soy, with a bit of grated ginger and garlic. Serve with sticky rice.

Having been inspired by all the mouthwatering recipes on the Facebook page, I just tried to add tenderstem to my online tesco shop and they don't seem to have it! Is it not widely available then?

Having said that, the recipes look great and well defintely try some out. Unforutaetnely the site doesnt give a nice user experience.

I have eaten tenderstem before bit don't buy it regularly as its considerably more expensive than regular broccoli....but then again there's less waste.

I've never heard of Tenderstem before.. But then I never do the shopping!! I like broccoli but have it as a side dish rather than adding it to receipes.

I like the look of all the dishes but my very fussy children wouldn't eat anything if green was showing..

I would consider adding it to pies and pizzas to see if I could encourage the children to eat veg.. I'm always looking for ways..

love tenderstem although my partner cannot have green vegetables because of his medication, however he does have a spoonful of the tenderstem cheese i make... just like cauliflower cheese but with gorgeous broccoli, it's a treat he has now and again when i make it..... everyone else loves it too :)

Where's the 'hungry dads' bit? I can't believe they wrote that. Also they put a greengrocers' apostrophe in busy mum's (sic) which I suppose, as broccoli sellers they are entitled to do.

I'm interested in the sterile seed issue. If that's the case, I wouldn't buy it again, and as for trademarking a veg - that's off putting. I'd never really noticed it until now.

I think the tenderstem is a bit less bitter, but I'll only buy it if it's reduced and I need it for that night.

My children love broccoli. One of their favourites is a basic stir fry:

Fry onions, mushrooms and garlic for 5 mins.
Put noodles on to boil for 3 mins or so.
Then add peppers and broccoli. (I chop them lengthways and use a fair bit of stem)
Add noodles and soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, chilli or whatever you fancy.

I also add broccoli to cauliflower cheese, leek and ham bake and have it on the side.

One of Fiona's tips is a good one: turning the oven off before the timer goes. Our oven retains lots of heat and I often turn it off and let things finish cooking whilst the oven is cooling down.

I haven't tried Tenderstem yet but I have had a look at the recipes and want to try it now. I especially like the Tenderstem and chorizo pizza recipe.

never tried it, but looks like purple sprouting, if more expensive would make it the star of the plate, not really put in an omelette, would lightly steam, or add to stir fry, if watching my weight, have with some fish.

good luck

minidipper hungry dads was in the description of the Indonesian chicken recipe - it's now changed to "Easy to make, mild and sweet curry that introduces new flavours to children, and keeps to suit hectic daily routines"

Much better. Why couldn't they have written that in the first place?

Trademarking a vegetable?!

Sterile seeds?

Sexist advertising?

Hadn't heard of Tenderstem (TM!!!!) broccoli before, but thanks to this thread I now know to avoid it

Maybe MN should start a campaign. Vegetables Belong To No One! Poor old broccoli kidnappers, maybe they'll get more than they bargained for from this thread.

'BUY GOOD OLD FASHIONED BROCCOLI NOT TENDERSTEM (TM!!) - UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR FARMERS SLOWLY STEAMED'

I have to say, this whole thing has totally put me off even considering buying Tenderstem broccoli.

I've just come back from the supermarket and had bought some tenderstem! I am planning to use it in a stir fry.

Usually I just cook it as a side dish but I do occasionally put it in things too. The Salmon recipe would be my favourite from the facebook page.

I love tenderstem broccoli, but it's so expensive compared to normal broccoli that it's rare that I buy it.

I had a look at the money saving tips and I have to say that if I ever reach a point in my life where money is so tight I need to consider turning off my oven ten minutes before the end of any cooking time, then I doubt I'll be buying tender stem broccoli!

I did have a look at the recipes and liked the look of the one pot roast thingy. That's also one of the recipes that possibly wouldn't work quite so well with standard broccoli, as I imagine the stems are good roasted. The pasta dishes, however, can probably have normal broccoli as a substitute without much noticeable difference.