Though grown in Italy for centuries, broccoli didn't become popular in the United States until the 1920's when it began appearing in the home gardens of Italian immigrants. This vegetable, a member of the cabbage family, has a thick, rigid green stalk topped with deep green or purple-green heads. The heads are made up of hundreds of buds, which if left to bloom, would open into yellow flowers. The majority of broccoli in the United States is grown in the Salinas Valley of California.

Fresh broccoli is available all year with its peak season between October and April. Broccoli florets and spears are also available frozen.

Choose firm broccoli stems with tightly packed dark green buds and crisp leaves. Avoid heads that are light green in color, have thick, tough stems or a strong odor. The buds should be tightly closed. Open buds or tiny yellow flowers indicate overmaturity. Some supermarkets also offer the broccoli heads without the stalks for a higher price. Since both the heads and stalks are edible, it is not necessary to spend the extra money unless the stalks are woody.

1 pound broccoli = 2 cups chopped. 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli = 1-1/2 cups cooked.

Fresh broccoli should be stored unwashed in a plastic bag. It will keep for four to five days in the refrigerator. Frozen broccoli can be kept up to one year.

Rinse broccoli thoroughly under cold running water. Broccoli from home gardens and farmers' markets should be soaked in salted water for 15 minutes to eliminate bugs. Trim off and discard the ends of the stalks and the leaves. If desired, the tough outer part of the stalk can be peeled away with a vegetable peeler before cooking.

To cut the broccoli into spears, cut the stalk and head lengthwise into halves or quarters.

To divide the broccoli head into florets, cut off the large stalk. Cut the broccoli head into individual florets to include a little stem with each floret. The stalks can be peeled and cut into crosswise slices. If the slices are more than 1/4 inch thick, they may take longer to cook than the florets, so give them a 2- or 3-minute head start.

Broccoli is most often steamed, boiled or stir-fried until crisp-tender. Overcooking results in mushy broccoli with a strong flavor. Steam florets 5 to 7 minutes and spears 7 to 9 minutes. Drop florets into a small amount of boiling water in a saucepan and boil 5 to 7 minutes; boil spears 7 to 9 minutes. Some cooks believe that broccoli should be boiled in a covered saucepan and others insist that covering results in an unpleasant flavor.