preheat the oven to 425.
Take 4 to 5 pounds of broccoli (I just got two large bunches), cut
into florets (but relatively big ones.) Here’s the key that she doesn’t
mention in the recipe: dry them THOROUGHLY. That is, if you wash them. I
saw an episode of Julia Child cooking with Jacques Pepin once when
Pepin revealed he doesn’t wash a chicken before putting it in a hot
oven: “The heat kills all the germs,” he said in his French accent. “If
bacteria could survive that oven, it deserves to kill me.” By that
logic, then, I didn’t wash my broccoli; I wanted it to get crispy and
brown. If you’re nervous, though, just wash and dry it obsessively.
Now, it’s easy. Put the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Toss with olive
oil, salt and pepper. (She says 5 Tbs olive oil, 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt,
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, but I just eyeballed it.) Now add 4 garlic
cloves that are peeled and sliced and toss them in too.
Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until “crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.”
I shook the pan around a bit as it went, but not sure that’s necessary.
When it’s done, take it out of the oven–and here’s where it gets
really good–zest a lemon over the broccoli, squeeze the lemon juice over
the broccoli, add 1.5 Tbs more olive oil, 3 Tbs toasted pine nuts (I
left those out), and 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. She also
has you add 2 Tbs julienned fresh basil, but I left that out too.
You won’t miss it: the magic combo of the crispy broccoli, the
garlic, the lemon and the cheese will make this the best broccoli of
your life. I guarantee it; you will go ga-ga over it. I’m so ga-ga over
it that I would seriously consider a trip right now to the store just so
I could make this for lunch. Broccoli for lunch? After trying this,
you’ll never want to eat anything else for breakfast, lunch or dinner
ever again.
http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2008/11/the_best_brocco.html
