Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Being Good. - Roasted Broccoli with Shallots


I was on a roll today. Focused and determined at work, knocking out restaurant partnerships and nailing down commitments from notoriously hard to reach restaurateurs. I was prepared for the challenge and hit the pavement , reasoning that it's much harder to say "no" in person than it is via phone or e-mail. Happily and unexpectedly, this method seemed to work, and I congratulated myself at the interns hastily arranged "happy hour bar" in the corner of the office. A fantastically horrible dessert wine, leftover from the annual fundraising gala. The only way to make it drinkable was to mix it with a bottle of pellegrino. Classy.

But with a renewed sense of accomplishment, I continued being *good* for the rest of the day. All flagged e-mails returned, an hour and a half at the gym, and a dinner of roasted broccoli. That might sound painful to some, but trust me, it's mouthwateringly delicious. I don't know how I ate broccoli before I discovered this recipe. Word to the wise though, be careful should you lose a bit of determination and focus as I did halfway through this recipe. I ended up accidentally grating my knuckle on the microplane while zesting the lemon. Daydreaming and zesting do not mix.

Roasted Broccoli with Shallots
Can easily be made vegan by ommiting Parmesan
2 cups broccoli
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup Parmesan
juice from 1/2 lemon
zest from 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 425 and cover a baking sheet with foil. Cut the broccoli into florets, and toss in a bowl with the shallots, 3 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Once the shallots have browned and the broccoli is tender, remove from the oven. Toss with the lemon juice, zest, cheese, the remaining tbsp of olive oil and the toasted pine nuts. Serve while hot.

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