Excerpt from the Market Newsletter originally published on 6 July, 2011. View the full newsletter for all the photos and links.
In the belly
Having had the great good fortune to break a toe (instead of ending up a horrible mess for someone to clean up), I've been researching some of the nutritional aspects of bone healing this week. Obligatory disclaimer: I'm a librarian, not a doctor, so use this information at your own discretion (personally, I approach doctors' advice the same way, but I'm known to be a bit odd).
So, obviously it's important to get plenty of calcium, and vitamin C isn't too hard to guess, but I would have said protein was more for muscular healing. Seems it's good for bones, too. Zinc is important, and up to six weeks of a tiny amount of copper is also recommended by some sources. Copper is a pro-oxidant, so it should only be taken carefully and when needed. Glucosamine is also a good idea, because where a bone has broken there's likely to be some cartilage damage as well.
In the kitchen
While we've been watching anxiously for the more finicky vegetables to ripen, good ol' broccoli has quietly come into season. Here are some quick and easy things to do with it.
Broccoli with sesame oil
8 oz whole broccoli, cut into florets, or 4 oz florets
2 t Oriental sesame oil
Steam broccoli ca. 7 min. Drain and sprinkle with sesame oil.
From: 20-minute menus / Marian Burros. 1st Fireside ed. Simon & Schuster, 1995.
Pasta, broccoli, and pine nuts
3 qt water
1 c small shells or other small pasta (2 oz)
8 oz broccoli florets
4 T raisins or currants
3 T pine nuts
1 c plain low-fat yogurt
1 T rice vinegar
pepper to taste
Bring water to a boil and cook; 5 min. before it is done add broccoli. Combine raisins, pine nuts, yogurt, vinegar, pepper. When pasta and broccoli are done, drain and add to yogurt.
Also from: 20-minute menus / Marian Burros. 1st Fireside ed. Simon & Schuster, 1995.
Broccoli soup
2 T vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
ca. 2 c broccoli stalks and leaves, peeled if tough and diced
13.75 oz chicken broth
pepper
1/4 t thyme, crumbled
Heat oil and saute the onion and garlic until tender, ca. 3 min. Add broccoli stalks and leaves and cook, stirring, 3 min. more. Add broth, pepper, thyme and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 25 min. Puree in batches in a blender and reheat.
From: Cooking for two today / Jean Hewitt, Marjorie Page Blanchard. Little, Brown, c1985.
