Grilled Broccoli

Okay, so it might sound weird, but it tastes good. This was one of those “I wonder what would happen if…” dishes I do when I already have a couple other vegetables going to the table. I was tired of the way I had been doing broccoli, and I had stuff heading to the grill already, so I thought, “Why not?”.  This works best if you have broccoli that has longer stemmed florets with stems ¼ to ½ inch thick. You need a barbecue with closely spaced grill bars or one of the accessories for grills that allows you cook smaller items so they do not fall through the grating.

INGREDIENTS:

METHOD:

Heat the grill very hot. Bring a pot of salted water just large enough to hold the broccoli to the boil over high heat.

Make sure the stems of the florets are not more than ½ inch thick. If they are, split the floret.

When the water boils, dump in the broccoli. As soon as the broccoli changes to a deep bright green, drain it and rinse in cold water.

When the broccoli is well drained, put into a bowl and toss with olive oil to just coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Use your hands to toss the broccoli onto the grill on the hottest part, leaving behind excess oil to avoid flare-ups.

Spread the broccoli out so it chars a little rather than steams. Cook the broccoli so it picks up some grill marks and caramelizes. Turn it so it cooks all over. It will not need long on the grill,- this is just a way to flavor it and give it some texture-not more than 5 minutes.

Remove from the grill and put in a bowl. Pour the lemon juice over all, season with salt and pepper and toss. Add the mint and toss again, then serve.

Chef’s Tips and Notes:

You could use orange juice in lieu of lemon juice, and use basil with it. Toss with lightly oiled breadcrumbs after grilling. Be careful not to cook the broccoli too long.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen