I like broccoli. No, its not crazy. I just know how to appreciate something that’s gonna help me look svelte. Ooh… so NOW I have your attention. The last time I did broccoli, was with penne. (click here) It does taste fantastic but now I’m a convert and the only way to bring out all the awesome flavors is to roast it!! Maybe we should make that a commandment. ‘Thou shall roast your broccoli before thou savors it!’ And while we’re at it, let’s also add ‘Thou shall not obsess about thy weight!’ That will help when you reach the last line of the ingredients – I recommend generous shavings of Parmesan. Oh come on, isn’t the broccoli working overtime to burn calories??
Roasted Broccoli
Cooking time: 25 mins
Prep time: 5 mins
Serves: 4 as side, 2 as main course
What you need:
2 heads of Broccoli (cut into florets and dried thoroughly)
4 Tbsp Olive oil
1 ½ tsp Rock Salt
½ tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
8 Garlic cloves. sliced
1 Lemon (zest and juice)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
What to do:
Preheat oven to 200°C. Cut the broccoli into small florets. Dry thoroughly. Obsessively. It roasts beautifully when dried. Put the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Toss with 3 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss in garlic and roast for 20-25 mins. This is when it gets nice and tender but crispy and browned around the edges.
When done pull out of the oven. Zest a lemon over it and squeeze the juice. (If a whole lemon is too tangy you could do half). Add the remaining tbsp of oil, Mix well. Now sprinkle the parmesan cheese. The heat will cause it to go all melty on the broccoli. Enjoy as a side to a meat dish or as a great vegetarian main course.
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