Getting a cold? Try broccoli

I feel a cold coming on so I did an online search to see which fruits provide the most vitamin C.

Of course there is no proof whatsoever that vitamin C can either prevent you from getting a cold, or reduce the severity of a cold once you’ve got it.

But it can’t hurt. Vitamin C might make you feel better; and it’s an antioxidant and is generally good for your body. So why not have some?

Oranges and orange juice are a popular choice, and certainly it helps to drink lots of juice when you’re sick.

But, curiously, oranges are not at the top of the list of vitamin C foods; red peppers, surprisingly, are. The green ones, although less expensive, are not as high on the list. (Red peppers have 190 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of pepper; green peppers have 86 mg/100 grams of pepper.)

Parsley is one of the super-power sources of C. Throw some in a salad; it’s delicious, especially if you use the flat-leaf variety. It’s also good on pasta, and it provides 130 mg of C per 100 grams of parsley.

This one surprised me: Next on the list is broccoli, which provides 90 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of broccoli (as opposed to the 60 mg you’ll find in 100 grams of an orange).

The tricky thing with broccoli is that you have to cook it very carefully or all the vitamin C disappears into the cooking liquid.

Studies have shown that the key is to use as little water as possible (just cover the broccoli); and let the water boil for a full minute before you add the broccoli to the pot.

Cook for just 2 or 3 minutes; the spears and florets should  still be a bit crunchy. Microwaving in a minimal amount of water is also supposed to help retain significant amounts of C and other nutrients.

Of course, broccoli is delicious raw, too. And if you’ve got cold symptoms, you’re probably not in the mood to do a lot of cooking.

Try adding raw broccoli florets to this cold Japanese noodle soup, made with buckwheat pasta. After all the refined carbs of the holiday season, your body will be glad to eat some whole grains.

You can also try multi-grain or whole wheat pasta. In an unscientific survey of cooks at The Lakeville Journal, it was agreed that Barilla has a particularly tasty assortment of whole-grain products.

Buckwheat noodle basket

Serves 4

Adapted from “The Japanese Cooking Class Cookbook�

2 quarts water; 12 ounces dried soba (buckwheat) noodles; 1 1/2 cups dashi (fish stock —  you can use chicken broth instead); 5 tablespoons soy sauce; 3 tablespoons mirin (or rice vinegar); 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 piece toasted nori (seaweed); 1/4 cup chopped scallions; 1/4 cup broccoli florets, broken into small pieces; 4 teaspoons wasabi powder

Heat two quarts of water to boiling in a large kettle over high heat. Add the noodles, a few at a time, stirring gently to separate.

Cook the noodles at a full rolling boil until firm-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in colander, rinse well and cool under cold running water. Drain again and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Cool completely.

Heat the dashi, soy sauce, mirin and sugar to boiling in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat; stir to dissolve the sugar. Cool the dipping sauce completely (you can refrigerate it).

Using scissors, cut the nori  into 1/8-inch wide strips. Chop the scallions into thin slices. Mix the wasabi powder with just enough warm water to make a thick paste. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Divide the noodles into four serving bowls. Garnish with the nori, scallions and raw broccoli.

Divide the dipping sauce into four separate bowls.