Roasted Broccoli

   

Broccoli happens to be my favorite vegetable, but sadly Erik does not share my appreciation for this wonderful veg, so I've had to do without for quite a while now.  However, a few weeks ago my sister and her boyfriend came to visit, and we made Mongolian Beef with Broccoli (another recipe for another post), and we had an extra head of broccoli kicking around the fridge.  I don't know where I initially saw the recipe, but rumor had it that Ina Garten's Roasted Broccoli was to die for, so I figured I had nothing to lose.  

What I love about this recipe is that it's so fast and easy, and it truly does make broccoli irresistible.  Upon serving it to Erik for the first time I was practically apologetic, because I knew he wasn't too excited, but I kid you not, his exact word were "Did you do something special to this broccoli?  It tastes like french fries."  And there you have it: even a broccoli un-enthusiast thinks this is one tasty recipe!  Plus it's so quick to prepare, adaptable for any amount of people, and can go along side just about anything (as long as you don't mind letting it steal the show!)  Ina has you toss the roasted broccoli with lemon juice, cheese and pine nuts, but so far I've only tried it with lemon juice, which does add something special, so I wouldn't skip that step.  I'm sure the cheese and pine nuts taste great, too, but the broccoli is so good on its own that they're hardly essential.

Roasted Broccoli (Adapted from Ina Garten's Back To Basics cookbook)

* Enough broccoli

* A few cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

* Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

* Kosher salt and pepper, a sprinkle of each

* Wedge of lemon for squeezing, and zest from the lemon

* Toasted pine nuts (optional)

* Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and adjust rack to the middle of the oven.  Cut the broccoli into florets and trim off any long stems.

2.  Put the broccoli and the garlic on a sheet pan (lined with tin foil for easy clean up, if you want), and drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss the broccoli and garlic around on the sheet pan to coat everything lightly with oil.

                              

3. Roast the broccoli for 20-25 minutes.  It's okay if the tips start to look a little charred--trust me, they will taste delicious!  

4. After the broccoli is done cooking, toss it with lemon juice and zest.  Add toasted pine nuts and a few shavings of parmesan if you so desire.