The Best Broccoli

I was a pretty picky eater as a child, but I always ate my vegetables. Unless, of course, those vegetables were onions, cabbage, or chunky tomatoes. Broccoli though, broccoli I ate. It was a regular fixture at our dinner table, usually steamed or in stir fry or chicken soup. But since I've moved out I can count on one hand the number of times I've cooked broccoli for myself.

These days I roast most of my veggies. Roasted cabbage with jasmine rice is a weeknight standby, and springtime always means panfuls of garlic roasted asparagus. I had been considering roast broccoli for a while, but always fell back on the familiarity of other vegetables. But no more.  I think this recipe, which is just slightly adapted from this one by Ina Garten, will quickly make it into my regular meal rotation. I love the bite of the cheese and the creamy toasted nuts with the broccoli but, for simplicity's sake, they probably won't always make it into the dish. The garlic and lemon, however, are required.

Ina's recipe lists a cooking time of 20-25 minutes, but my broccoli was ready in just around 15, already plenty brown but still a little crisp. So keep an eye on your oven. Her recipe also says to discard the stems, why? My mom always cut the stems up and cooked them with the rest of the florets. Sure they're a little stinky to peel and cut, but they roast up deliciously sweet and tender.

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Spicy Garlic Roasted Broccoli with Lemon, Pine Nuts, and Grana Padano

by Aubrey Dunnuck May-21-2011

Roasting turns broccoli crispy and sweet. Chili flakes add heat, Grana Padano cheese lends a salty bite, while lemon freshens it all up. Adapted from this recipe by Ina Garten.

Ingredients

2 Broccoli bunches 3 tablespoons Olive Oil 4 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt 1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper 1 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes Half of a Lemon 1/3 cup Parmesan or Grana Padano Cheese 2-3 tablespoons Pine Nuts, toasted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim broccoli into florets, peel stem and slice into thick chunks. Spread broccoli on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Toss with olive oil, chili flakes, garlic, salt and pepper.

Roast until crisp tender, around 15 minutes. Move broccoli to a serving bowl. Squeeze lemon over the top, scatter pine nuts, and shave or grate cheese onto the broccoli. Serve hot!

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 4 servings