what she was after...
Yep the bones for flavoring and broth for soup.
I do not know any one that uses broccoli stems. I have seen a couple recipes that do, however they do not say anything about peeling them first- I can guarantee whoever did the recipe did not try it first- at least any stems I have, if I miss a bit, I know it- it is like trying to eat wood.
I never throw out the pulp when making jelly-
I have been known to throw the woody stem ends of asparagus into the blender to throw in a soup kettle too. I do not peel apples unless it is a dish that I just have to for a funeral dinner or something. Nor potatoes and carrots- well the potatoes if they are store bought and too old not to-
Part of that is lazy- part of that is nutrition.
The thing out of my past I still remember was when a friend invited me over for dinner with her family- she threw the ham bone in the trash, with a fair amount of meat still on it- and the entire heart of the celery followed it. Can you say “no you can not pick it up to take home” over and over and over?
And over!
“I do not know any one that uses broccoli stems. I have seen a couple recipes that do, however they do not say anything about peeling them first- I can guarantee whoever did the recipe did not try it first- at least any stems I have, if I miss a bit, I know it- it is like trying to eat wood.”
Over a decade ago I watched a popular cooking show featuring an Asian chef. He was using broccoli in a recipe and admonished to save the stems. He was quite animated describing how his parents would chastise him if he threw them out. The outer part is peeled/cut off because that is the woody/ fibrous, hard to eat part. The center will soften up when cooked. It can be used in any dish not needing the florets for their appearance. Since then, I always save the stems.