Broccoli the best way
Fair warning: this broccoli may change your life.
I was first turned on to this delicious way of preparing broccoli by one of my very favorite food bloggers, Adam at Amateur Gourmet. It wasn’t until after I took down a brief outline of the recipe that I realized I already had it — it’s in Ina’s “Back to Basics,” the very cookbook I’ve been using for the past few weeks.
The method is simple. Chop your broccoli into big florets, toss with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast it for about 25 minutes. Add a little more oil, zest a little lemon, toss in a bit of lemon juice and fresh parmigiano and top with toasted pine nuts and fresh basil. It’s bowl-scraping delicious.
I consider all of these measurements to be approximations, and substitutions are encouraged. I didn’t have garlic (I have NO IDEA how that happened, I ALWAYS have garlic — sheesh) so I used shallots, and I happened to have a Meyer lemon so I zested that bad boy.
Serves 6.
- 4-5 lbs broccoli
- 4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 6 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (easy: stick them in the oven with the broccoli about 5 minutes before it’s done)
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons finely sliced fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)
Directions: Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks.
Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer (cover the pan with aluminum foil for easy clean-up).
Toss the garlic over the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned. Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 11/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.
