Roasting vegetables is such a simple technique: cut the veggies, pour on a bit of olive oil and seasonings, stir, and throw it in the oven on a baking sheet. And the taste is phenomenal! Roasting brings out the vegetable’s natural sweetness and flavor, the natural sugars caramelize, and flavors intensify as moisture evaporates in the oven. Think Brussels sprouts are repulsive? Try roasting them. My one year old gobbled down about twenty sprouts in five minutes. Carrots, cauliflower, and asparagus are also delicious.
Broccoli presents a bit of a challenge with its round, non-pan-touching shape, and its delicate florets, but I found a recipe in Cook’s Illustrated that had some great suggestions for overcoming these challenges. I have further simplified their recipe and it turns out some great tasting broccoli, even making that hitherto useless stalk taste delicious. Enjoy!
Time from start to dinner: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
1 head broccoli
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
salt
pepper
Preheat oven to 500 degrees and adjust rack to the lowest position. Cut off the broccoli’s large stalk, remove the outer peel (use a vegetable peeler if it’s smooth, or just chop it off with a chef’s knife if it’s knobby), and cut stalk into 1/2″ thick slices. Cut the crowns into roughly 2” wedges. In a large bowl, coat broccoli with olive oil, and sprinkle in remaining ingredients. Stir again to combine. Arrange broccoli into a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet, and roast in oven until brown and tender, about 10 minutes.
