Broccoli Aligot 

By Ham El-Waylly

Published Oct. 31, 2022

Broccoli Aligot 
Joe Lingeman for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(678)
Comments
Read comments

Traditional pommes aligot, from Aubrac, France, add enough cheese to mashed potatoes until they stretch like fondue. If you aggressively stir mozzarella cheese into a luxuriously creamy broccoli purée, you can get the same effect. This decadent side is a great accompaniment to a fancy steak dinner or your next holiday spread, and makes an indulgent filling to a baked potato. For best results, be sure to use only the deep-green tops of the broccoli florets. Using too much of the watery, light-green stem yields a purée that’s loose and lacks lusciousness. The rest of the broccoli can be used in an entire other dish: seared into steaks, shaved into a salad, chopped and tossed into stir fries, or employed in almost any recipe that calls for a head of broccoli.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings 
  • 4large broccoli heads (about 3 pounds)
  • 4tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1cup heavy cream, plus more as needed
  • 6ounces low-moisture, whole-milk mozzarella, grated
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

550 calories; 44 grams fat; 27 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 21 grams protein; 1065 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut the thick stems off the broccoli and reserve for another use. Place the broccoli crown cut-side down. Using a sharp knife and following the shape of the crown, shave off only the dark green tops of the florets, avoiding any stems which can affect the creaminess of the purée. (You’ll need 5 to 6 cups shaved broccoli.) Reserve the naked florets for another use.

  2. Step 2

    Melt the butter in a medium, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the shaved broccoli and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until bright green and softened, 6 to 8 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until most of the cream is absorbed by the broccoli, 3 to 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer broccoli mixture to a blender and purée on high until completely smooth, adding a tablespoon or two of cream to get it moving if necessary, and periodically stopping to stir the mixture with a spatula.

  5. Step 5

    Transfer the broccoli purée back to the same pot and place over medium heat. Add a handful of cheese and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or stiff silicone spatula until thoroughly melted. Repeat with the remaining cheese, waiting until the first addition has integrated before adding the next handful. Keep stirring vigorously until the mixture is stretchy. (Do not let the mixture come to a simmer, but be sure it’s hot enough for the cheese to melt or it won’t stretch.)

  6. Step 6

    Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
678 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Emily

I'm not sure that cheddar would work in this application – in traditional pommes aligot, you can get away with using a mixture of melty and non-melty cheeses, because all of the starch from the potatoes is doing some of the work of keeping the puree at a nice consistency. It seems like in this case, the melty, stretchy texture of the mozzarella itself is doing nearly all of the work of creating a gooey final dish.

Autumn

What is the rationale behind using bland dry Mozzarella rather than the traditional Comté or Gruyère? Both pair very well with the flavor of Brocolli, and have wonderful stretch.

monika vail

Happened to have oven on so roasted broccoli to keep it dry together w some garlic tossed in olive oil, then proceeded w recipe.

Susan H

I made this to take to a friend’s house for St. Patrick’s Day. My husband is enamored and anyone who likes broccoli will definitely like it. I feel it’s possibly one of the weirder things I’ve ever cooked - not for any of the ingredients or steps, although the first shaving-the-broccoli-head step was an interesting exercise - but for the result: A green stretchy somewhat glossy mass that reminds me of soft putty. Definitely a conversation starter! Note that many of the steps require steady attention and some, for example pureeing in a blender until smooth, are likely to take longer than one might expect. I’m not sure I’ll make this again, but I am glad I made it!

Joan

I just made this “cake,” as it looked delicious. I’m glad I read the comments. I prepped beforehand, used a 9 x 12 Pyrex dish, made a peach simple syrup (Southern Living recipe), and used 1/4 tsp almond extract. I had too many peaches, so maybe I can find an easy recipe for peach jam. And, I should have only used 1/2 the amount of whipped cream (per another’s comment). Thanks to all who posted comments; these are really appreciated.

Joan

This seems like a delicious custard type sauce. I wonder how this will taste if one added tofu.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.