The Best Broccoli of Your Life!

When I first saw a picture of this recipe with the caption “The Best Broccoli of Your Life” on Pinterest I thought: “Yeah, well it is probably pretty good. Let’s give it a shot.” Now I’m a big fan of broccoli already. In fact broccoli is one of the few green vegetables (or vegetables in general) that I really like. I love it raw and I love it cooked (as long as it is not too mushy). But I am pretty lazy so I usually just steam it in the microwave and sprinkle some Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning or lemon pepper over it. And then I discovered this recipe. O-M-G! I have to one-up the The Amateur Gourmet who called it “The Best Broccoli of Your Life” and say that it may quite possibly be one of the best things I’ve ever put into my mouth! Top Ten at least! My husband savored it and even my 3-year-old, who usually says broccoli is “yucky” wanted more after he tasted his one small requisite bite. It was so good I wanted to cook up another batch right away.

As The Amateur Gournmet mentions, the key to getting the crispiness of the broccoli is to make sure that it is completely dry. Following this advice I opted to skip washing the broccoli. Might kill me – but it was SO worth it! I just guessed at the amount of olive oil, salt and pepper, but I did check out the measuring spoons to get an idea what that amount would look like. After neglecting to buy garlic (thought I had some already, which turned out to be scallions – oops!) I used jarred crushed garlic, 4 tsp to replace the 4 cloves. For the cheese I used KRAFT Shredded Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheese – I can’t be bothered to grate cheese! I didn’t use the pine nuts or basil (which I bought in preparation for the recipe, but sort of forgot to put in at the last minute) but I think the pine nuts would add a great crunch to the dish.

Photo from The Amateur Gourmet

The Best Broccoli of Your Life

Ingredients
4-5 pounds of broccoli, cut into florets and dried
6-1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 lemon
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 Tbsp julienned fresh basil

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 425°.

2. Put broccoli florets on a cookie sheet. Toss with 5 Tbsp olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Toss in sliced garlic.

3. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until “crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.”

4. Zest the lemon over the broccoli. Squeeze the lemon juice over the broccoli. Add 1-1/2 Tbsp olive oil, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and basil. Toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Source: The Amateur Gourmet