Zeitgeist if you will but food and recipe columns, as well as letter pages, are increasingly turning to recipes for left-overs and what we throw out which is good to eat. I am happy to pass on using banana skins but Calabrese broccoli stalks are another matter – they are the best bits.

Take off the flower heads and cut the peeled stalk into batons. Cook in boiling salted water for one minute before adding the florets and cooking for a few minutes more.

Other ideas for using the stems of ‘club’ like broccoli (which I always peel) are:

In a pasta bake.

As a separate vegetable.

In a remoulade.

In a gratin. Chop the peeled broccoli stem and use in a gratin with matchsticks of celeriac and potato. Add a beaten egg (optional), diced gherkins, a good amount of soured cream, Dijon mustard, dill and top with grated cheddar cheese or toasted breadcrumbs dotted with butter. Bake at 180°C for about 50 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the top golden brown. No measurements for ingredients are given as it’s all about using up what you have. It would be fine to use cream in place of the soured cream and any left over crème fraîche too.

Cauliflower centres could be used in place or together with broccoli stalks in any of these recipes.