Roasting broccoli is a great way to prepare this vegetable. It enhances the sweetness of broccoli and provides appealing textures. Depending on your preference, you can make it crispier or chewier as you choose by adjusting the size of the pieces and the cooking temperature and time. Another nice thing about roasting broccoli is the method mitigates the swampy smell broccoli sometimes gives off when wet cooked. This method will work really well for romanesco or cauliflower as well.
INGREDIENTS:
1 Bunch of broccoli (or whatever will feed your family) Orange juice or lemon juice, around 2 ounces 3-4 tablespoons olive oil, or Extra Virgin olive oil, or grapeseed oil Salt and pepper to taste A light sprinkling of garlic powder*
METHOD:
Pre-heat the oven to 400° F. Cut the florets from the stem as far up the stem as you can. Cut the florets into roughly uniform bite-sized bits, and transfer into a large bowl. Use a swivel bladed peeler to peel the stems, starting at the base and working up for ease. Cut the stems into bite-sized chunks around the same size as the florets. Transfer to the bowl with the florets.
Pour the juice over the broccoli and toss to evenly coat the broccoli. Drizzle the oil over evenly and toss to evenly distribute it over the broccoli. You can actually marinate the broccoli for a half-hour and the flavor will penetrate better.
Add salt and pepper to taste, a light sprinkling of the garlic over all, toss again for even distribution.
Place into a heavy sheet pan, or Pyrex dish, and place in the oven in the middle. Cook for around 15 minutes. The stems should be tender and the florets as well. There should be just a little crisping on the edges, and the broccoli should not be stinky or too soft. As soon as it is tender enough to eat and a little crisp (this is part of what kids like about this recipe) it is ready to serve.
Chef’s Notes and Tips:
* For garlic powder I am quite picky and only use McCormick Garlic Powder. All it is is dried garlic. Other brands taste metallic and are prone to burning and clumping. The nice thing about garlic powder in this situation is there no bits of garlic to burn and the powder covers more uniformly.
NOW-the important bit about this recipe. If it burns on you, turn down the heat until you are familiar with the recipe enough that you can turn the heat back up or get a really loud timer. I cook this at 400° degrees and it gets done pretty quickly. ALSO-if you vary the size of the pieces, making them larger or smaller, the results can be a little different. Smaller bits will get crispier, bigger bits are more tender and will cook more slowly. Oven temperatures vary and you may need to experiment a little. Usually, if something goes wrong, it overcooks and tastes swampy or singes to death.
Some variations: Use ginger and a touch of soy sauce with the OJ, and a drop or two of toasted sesame oil with a neutral flavored oil like grapeseed or plain olive. Use lemon juice and add some rosemary. For adults, add chili flakes and diced garlic with lemon. For a dinner recipe that does not require a lot of time watching the stove, stir this into pasta with some Italian sausage cooked in the pasta water. For romanesco or cauliflower, cut the head into florets, then split the florets so there is at least one flat surface. Marinate the florets a while as they will absorb the flavors well, then cook flat side down to start. Cook until the flat surfaces caramelize, then turn the vegetables and finish.
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