Roast Broccoli with Carrot Persillade

Here, the nutty earthy flavor of roasted broccoli is countered with a slightly sweet carrot inflected persillade-the classic parsley garlic mixture used to top many a bistro dish. The persillade has the crunch of toasted bread crumbs as well as carrots-and if you like, pistachios-to play off the slightly chewy broccoli. Serve as a side with steak, duck, tuna, or other items with a deep dark flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch broccoli (4-5 cups cut up), cut into large florets, stems peeled and cut into chunks a little smaller than the florets

2 ounces orange juice

2-4 tablespoons light flavored olive oil, or grapeseed or avocado oil, as needed

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup, or to taste, Carrot Persillade (see recipe)

METHOD:

Toss broccoli with orange juice and a little salt, toss to coat and allow to marinate 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375°F. While oven comes up to temperature, drizzle with oil and toss to coat well. Season with salt and pepper to taste, remembering you salted it a little earlier. Toss to coat evenly and place on sturdy sheet pan, lined with foil or parchment, or not. (I base this on how well the pan I am using is seasoned. As in, will everything stick? And how bad the water situation is where I am cooking. Which is worse? Recycling the foil or paper, or using more water to clean the sheet pan?) When transferring to the sheet pan, allow any excess juice or oil to remain in the bowl. Place the sheet pan in the center of the oven and bake for around 15-20 minutes. At this point the broccoli should be a little crisp on the outside of the florets and the thicker parts should be a little chewy. If not, cook a little longer to brown the broccoli and get it chewy (sort of a de-hydration). When cooked through, crispy and chewy, without a lot of the swamp stink, scatter the broccoli with the Carrot Persillade, and serve.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen