Ep 4. Broccoli

Iron Chef America is a cooking competition show where talented chefs from around the country face off against Iron Chefs in a culinary battle that requires them to create several dishes using a secret ingredient. In season 6 episode 4, the secret ingredient is broccoli.

Leading off the episode, the Chairman announces the secret ingredient to the cheering audience as well as the Iron Chefs. The broccoli theme initially seems confusing and challenging for the chefs, but it doesn’t take long before they get down to business.

The first challenger, Chef Jeffery Buben, hails from the nation’s capital and owns a number of Washington, DC restaurants. He is known for his classic American cuisine but with a modern twist. He reveals the theme he has chosen is Italian and dives right in, grabbing a pasta roller and starting with fresh pasta. For his first dish, he makes ravioli stuffed with a broccoli puree. He then moves on to making a frittata with broccoli and ricotta cheese. Finally, he prepares a dish of seared ribeye steak with broccoli rabe.

The resident Iron Chef, Masaharu Morimoto, is familiar to the audience as a previous challenger and one of the most well-loved Iron Chefs. He creates a broccoli dish that is entirely new to the judges' culinary palates - broccoli grilled cheese. The dish is made with white bread, fontina cheese, garlic, and crisped broccoli florets. He then moves on to a broccoli bruschetta which the judges marvel over and praise him for pushing the broccoli flavor to the forefront.

Next up is the challenger, Chef Marco Canora, chef-owner of New York City’s Hearth and Brodo restaurants. He’s known for creating dishes influenced by traditional Roman cuisine. He presents the idea of creating a dish that is so balanced in taste that the broccoli is simply one element of the dish. He prepares a broccoli and potato soup, followed by a pan-roasted chicken with a broccoli-balsamic vinaigrette and finishing with a dish of blanched broccoli that appears incredibly simple but which is elevated by the mushroom and smoked paprika topped off with 63-degree egg.

The final Iron Chef in this broccoli battle is Bobby Flay, celebrated TV personality, and successful restaurateur. He starts off preparing a broccoli-potato soup with pancetta, horseradish cream, and crispy broccoli florets. He then creates a lamb dish with broccoli rabe pesto which receives high praise from the judges. Finally, Flay prepares a chorizo and broccoli salad, citing its smokiness makes this dish stand out. The bacon dressing was the judges’ favorite element.

The challengers’ judging time comes first with the three judges commenting on each dish before awarding scorecards for each of them. The dishes receive marks out of 20 recorded on an iPad and the winner will be the chef with the highest average score from the judges.

As the judges finish their scores, the regular “tasting time is over” announcement comes and the competitors must stop cooking immediately. The judges move on to the Iron Chefs' dishes, and Chef Morimoto scores points with his unique and delicious broccoli grilled cheese sandwich. His broccoli bruschetta is also a hit, scoring high scores from all three judges. Chef Flay’s lamb dish wins high praise from the judges, scoring near perfect with its creative flavors and presentation.

When the scores are tallied, the winner of this Iron Chef America - Broccoli Battle is announced. The triumphant victor turns out to be a shock to everyone involved, with the judges picking the challenger Chef Jeffery Buben. The broccoli dishes he created were an elegant and classic interpretation that elevated the secret ingredient to the forefront.

Overall, this episode of Iron Chef America was another fascinating culinary event that showcased the cooking chops and creativity of some of the country’s best. With broccoli as the theme, the chefs had to come up with creative ways of preparing the vegetable masterfully, giving it the status of a main dish instead of a mere side. They delivered amazing dishes that were all unique, beautiful to look at, and delicious!