Name: Broccoli Salad with Raisins and Walnuts
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: ½ cup golden raisins; 1½ pounds broccoli , florets cut into 1‑inch pieces, stalks peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick; ½ cup mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; ½ teaspoon table salt; ¼ teaspoon pepper; ½ cup walnuts , toasted and chopped coarse; 1 large shallot , minced

Why This Recipe Works

Most recipes for this classic fall short right from the start by using raw broccoli, which gives the salad an unappealing bitter, woody taste. By quickly blanching the broccoli and then dunking it in an ice bath, we were able to eliminate its raw taste while retaining the broccoli’s crisp crunch. We found that the stalks needed a bit longer to cook than the florets, so we added the stalks to the pot first to give them a head start. To make sure our creamy dressing coated every piece and didn’t slide off, we gave the blanched broccoli a quick spin in a salad spinner to remove any water remaining on the surface. For the perfect balance of crunchy and chewy textures, we added earthy toasted walnuts and sweet golden raisins, which we softened and plumped by letting them sit for a few minutes in boiling water to rehydrate.

Before You Begin

When prepping the broccoli, keep the stalks and florets separate. If you don’t own a salad spinner, lay the broccoli on a clean dish towel to dry in step 2.

Instructions

Bring 3 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Fill large bowl halfway with ice and water. Combine ½ cup of boiling water and raisins in small bowl, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes; drain and set aside.

Add broccoli stalks to pot of boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Add florets and cook until slightly tender, about 1 minute. Drain broccoli, then transfer to bowl of ice water and let sit until chilled, about 5 minutes. Drain again, transfer broccoli to salad spinner, and spin dry.

Whisk mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, and pepper together in large bowl. Add broccoli, raisins, walnuts, and shallot and toss to combine. (Dressed salad can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours.) Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.