Dinner Tonight: Shaved Broccoli Stalk Salad with Soft Feta & Golden Raisins

Broccoli, like many of us, isn't quite ready for winter yet. It's wary of heavy cream and being roasted to oblivion. "Let's resist soup for just a little bit longer!" it says. And we agree.

Instead, make this Shaved Broccoli Stalk Salad with Soft Feta & Golden Raisins. Crisp, fresh, and clinging to thoughts of the warmer early fall days, this salad makes use of the often-scrapped broccoli stalks, which soften just enough when they're shaved thin and a slicked with olive oil and lemon juice.

It's a little sweet (thanks to raisins), salty (thanks to feta), and nutty (literally, thanks to Marcona almonds). But like any weeknight recipe worth its weight, it's adaptable: You can use any nut, cheese, or vinaigrette you like.

We think soup will understand if choose to hold off for a week—or two or three.

Grocery List
Organized by area of the market

• 2 bunches broccoli with leaves, washed
• Zest from 1 lemon plus the juice from half
• 1 cup French feta (or regular crumbled feta)
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1/3 cup Marcona almonds

We're assuming you already have salt, freshly ground black pepper, and 2 tablespoons olive oil, but if not, add them to your list too!

The Game Plan

About 20 minutes before dinner, clean and cut the broccoli into florets, reserving the leaves and stems. To create the ribbons, remove the outer skin of the stalks and shave thin stripes along the sides with a sharp vegetable peeler. Gently pat to get rid of any excess moisture. If you're not crazy about raw broccoli, heat a pan over very high heat, prepare for some smoke, and blister the florets until they've blackened and charred in spots.

Just before sitting down, combine the florets, ribbons, and leaves in a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon zest, juice, raisins, feta, and almonds and season with salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Enjoy right away—or chill and eat a little later. This salad's happy either way.

See the full recipe here.