Really? Broccoli? In the Plan to Eat top 100(ish)? Hey, I don’t pick them. I just cook them.
At #99 with 130 imports, I bring you: The Best Broccoli of Your Life.
It probably had a catchier name in its original form. The blog author credits Ina Garten with the original recipe and I imagine Ina would give it some sort of simple, but charming name. But on The Amateur Gourmet, where all 130 of you imported the recipe to your Plan to Eat accounts, it’s simply called “The Best Broccoli of Your Life”.
So, what makes it the best?
Well, first it’s roasted. (Don’t tell me you’re still boiling broccoli?? Ick!) Roasting brings out a subtle sweetness, and adds a delightful smokiness. And it softens the florets, but not too much, so that they stay nice and toothsome. Then, you add a generous amount of fat and garlic. And finally, top it off with a tangy lemon juice, nutty Parmesan, and a sprinkling of pungent basil. Basically, you’ve created something like a Caesar salad, with broccoli. And you can’t go wrong with that.
I was a little confused by the part of the recipe that called for 4-5 pounds of broccoli, since that seemed like a LOT of broccoli. I used about 2 pounds and ended up just eyeballing the rest of the ingredients. This made about 6 side-dish servings.
We served it up with roasted sweet potatoes and a garlic pork loin. And the verdict? It was certainly delicious, but not delicious enough to tempt the Pickle who is our staunch broccoli opponent. The rest of us enjoyed it though, and the leftovers the next day went into my lunch salad. Broccoli in the Top 100(ish)? Why not.
You can find the recipe for The Best Broccoli of Your Life here.
