Hello, my husband and I are just nuts about roasted veggies. I rarely steam or boil anything anymore. My latest favorite is Roasted Broccoli, now I have to admit that I got the idea from, wait for it, Rachel Ray, but I have been roasting my brussells and carrots and cauliflower for sometime now so there, I would have come to broccoli sooner or later! Sshe did her's with chili powder which sounded overpowering to me, and I am not crazy about chili powder on its own,so I changed it a bit with flavors I love and it will go with most anything.! I have to say that this has become our favorite roasted veggie. It came to mind as I was reading the other thread about roasting asparagus which is wonderful as well...
Roasted Broccoli Try to find broccoli that has longer stems, not just flowerettes. Slice these into spears with one or two heads on each and put in glass pan or cookie sheet Douse with EVOO, be generous! Lemon Juice one whole one, I love lemon! 6-12 cloves of garlic, whole unpeeled Red pepper flakes, as much as you like. salt and pepper to taste Toss it all together and arrange on cookie sheet or pan flat side down. Pre-heat oven to 425 Roast for 15 -20 minutes depending on the doneness you like. I find about 18 muntes gives you medium crunchy texture. Honestly it is sooo good!
Posts: 1397 | Location: Seattle - next is Isla Mujeres,MX in December, then its Paris in March, then hopefully England! | Registered: 02 May 2005
I have done something similar with cauliflower, but rather than having flowerettes, I slice the cauliflower into thick slices through the stem (resembles small trees), place on greased pan, and then season and bake at high heat as above. I usually just brush on olive oil, maybe garlic pepper and garlic salt. Halfway through (maybe 10 minutes), I turn the pieces carefully - they should be a light caramel color and continue baking until the other side is also light brown. The cauliflower ends up with a wonderful nutty, toasty taste - as in , is this really cauliflower?
Broccoli, here in Italy, are commonly blanched than tossed with olive oil, a garlic clove, a couple salted anchovies, and a pinch of chili. Nobody, or nearly so, eats them steamed or boiled. You can use the same preparation for pasta. Broccoli and spaghetti go in the same pot of water, and once ready get tossed toghther in the oil etc. Start preboiling the broccoli 10 minutes before adding the pasta.
I roast cauliflower a lot, usually at higher temperatures, to get that balance between a nicely caramelized exterior and a still-crisp interior. I've not had nearly as good a result with broccoli -- I just don't think the vegetable's structure takes roasting well.
Posts: 174 | Location: Cincinnati, OH, USA | Registered: 28 August 2003
Originally posted by scottgreenwood: I roast cauliflower a lot, usually at higher temperatures, to get that balance between a nicely caramelized exterior and a still-crisp interior. I've not had nearly as good a result with broccoli -- I just don't think the vegetable's structure takes roasting well.
The trick is to not roast it too long and a pre-heated oven along with the fabulous flavors of garlic, lemon and olive oil, its a hit everytime I make it for company.
Posts: 1397 | Location: Seattle - next is Isla Mujeres,MX in December, then its Paris in March, then hopefully England! | Registered: 02 May 2005
Broccoli and spaghetti go in the same pot of water, and once ready get tossed toghther in the oil etc. Start preboiling the broccoli 10 minutes before adding the pasta.
Alice, I'm not sure I understand your directions. Do you boil the broccoli for 10 minutes and then add the pasta? I'd be afraid that the broccoli would melt away in the water. I'm confused! (which is not unusual for me!)
We like our broccoli to be softer tha in the US, probably, but, yes, the top part must become very soft, so that while sauteing them in the pan they "disgregate" and coat the spaghetti. The total cooking time of the broccoli is kind of 18 minutes, plus a few moments in the pan, so that's not really too much. Obviosuly the recipe only works with fresh broccoli, frozen ones are softened by ice forming in their structure and cannot stand this kind of treatment.
Alice, Thanks for answering my question. I've printed out your recipe and will try it soon. True, we do like our broccoli crunchier here in the states, but I bet we'll like your version where the broccoli melts into tje spaghetti. Sharon
Originally posted by Alice Twain: Broccoli, ...Start preboiling the broccoli 10 minutes before adding the pasta.
Alice, I usually do just the opposite, adding my broccoli 2-3 minutes before the pasta is DONE. But I will give this a try just because it sounds so good the way you have described it. Thanks.
Adding the rboccoli eralier is not just crunchy vs soft. The broccoli give their taste to the water, and the pasta absorbs it. if you want to keep them crunchier, a better option would be to preboil them, fish them out, place them in the pain, add the pasta and boil it in the broccoley water.
>>We like our broccoli to be softer tha in the US, probably<<
That's an understatement IMHO and not confined just to broccoli. It is all a matter of style but I like my vegetables--broccoli, asparagi, cavolfiori, fagiolini, etc. somewhat "al dente" and I find Italians tend to cook them all the way. However I am particularly fond of the Italian treatment of spinach and the other green leafy vegetables.....
But then often Tuscan beans are undercooked by usual American standards....
The trick is to not roast it too long and a pre-heated oven along with the fabulous flavors of garlic, lemon and olive oil, its a hit everytime I make it for company.
I love roasted cauliflower and roasted string beans but my attempt at your broccoli recipe was less than successful. Maybe my broccoli was too old--the florets got overcooked while the stalks came out pretty good.
I just happened to be reading Julia Child yesterday (the vegetable section in The Way to Cook), and she recommends peeling all broccoli stems so that the stem and flower require the same cooking time. She wasn't talking about roasting, but I think the same principle would apply.
The question is whether you want to take time to peel all the smaller stems. I always peel the main stem and slice it on the diagonal--my favorite part of the broccoli (I often eat it all before I get around to cooking).
The trick is to not roast it too long and a pre-heated oven along with the fabulous flavors of garlic, lemon and olive oil, its a hit everytime I make it for company.
I love roasted cauliflower and roasted string beans but my attempt at your broccoli recipe was less than successful. Maybe my broccoli was too old--the florets got overcooked while the stalks came out pretty good.
Any ideas about what might have gone wrong?
Well if your broccoli was old maybe that was the reason but the florets do get a little brown and get kind of crunchy which we think is fabulous and the stems are al dente, perfecto! All ovens are different as well. I wouldn't do this in a convection oven either, the florets would get too brown I think. Usually by the time (around 15-18 minutes) the florets are a little brown and its done just right. I have not roasted green beans, do you do anyhing special to them?
Posts: 1397 | Location: Seattle - next is Isla Mujeres,MX in December, then its Paris in March, then hopefully England! | Registered: 02 May 2005
This thread inpired me and the other night I roasted up a big pan of mixed vegetables - brocolli florets, cubed butternut squash, green beans and some onion. I just threw them all in at the same time and roasted them until they all looked done - stirring them around a couple times. I used plenty of salt, pepper and olive oil. I think this technique is very forgiving. Even if some get a little overcooked, the flavor is so good that it's fine. When done, I tossed the vegetables with some tortellini and some crumbled ricotta salata cheese and it tasted great.
-Krista
Posts: 1694 | Location: Santa Barbara, California | Registered: 21 May 2004
I also roast carrots. I slice on the diagonal, toss with oil, salt, pepper, a drop of balsamic; and throw onto a cookie sheet in a hot oven till softened and caramelized. Parsnips are also fabulous treated this way.
Originally posted by Amy: I also roast carrots. I slice on the diagonal, toss with oil, salt, pepper, a drop of balsamic; and throw onto a cookie sheet in a hot oven till softened and caramelized. Parsnips are also fabulous treated this way.
Yes I usually do carrots as well, and you are right parsnips are wonderful they get very sweet. My favorit3 by far though are roasted brussel sprouts.
Posts: 1397 | Location: Seattle - next is Isla Mujeres,MX in December, then its Paris in March, then hopefully England! | Registered: 02 May 2005
Asparagus are also delicious when roasted.....just be careful not to overcook.
I make a delicious, easy and quick appetizer where I wrap asparagus spears with prosciutto and oven roast them until the spears are tender and the prosciutto kind of crispy. Great finger food. No need for oil or any seasonings (the prosciutto has enough flavor).
Posts: 871 | Location: New York City | Registered: 28 May 2003
Originally posted by lesfaye: Hello, my husband and I are just nuts about roasted veggies. I rarely steam or boil anything anymore. My latest favorite is Roasted Broccoli, now I have to admit that I got the idea from, wait for it, Rachel Ray, but I have been roasting my brussells and carrots and cauliflower for sometime now so there, I would have come to broccoli sooner or later! Sshe did her's with chili powder which sounded overpowering to me, and I am not crazy about chili powder on its own,so I changed it a bit with flavors I love and it will go with most anything.! I have to say that this has become our favorite roasted veggie. It came to mind as I was reading the other thread about roasting asparagus which is wonderful as well...
Roasted Broccoli Try to find broccoli that has longer stems, not just flowerettes. Slice these into spears with one or two heads on each and put in glass pan or cookie sheet Douse with EVOO, be generous! Lemon Juice one whole one, I love lemon! 6-12 cloves of garlic, whole unpeeled Red pepper flakes, as much as you like. salt and pepper to taste Toss it all together and arrange on cookie sheet or pan flat side down. Pre-heat oven to 425 Roast for 15 -20 minutes depending on the doneness you like. I find about 18 muntes gives you medium crunchy texture. Honestly it is sooo good!
I thought I would revive my old thread on roasted broccoli as Tyler Florence just did a wonderful version of it on Tyler's Ulitmate this weekend.
Broccoli, Parmesan and Lemon Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence Ingredients 3 heads broccoli (about 3 pounds) 3 tablespoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 lemon, juiced
Instructions Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Trim about 1 inch off the ends of the broccoli stalks and cut the broccoli lengthwise into spears. Arrange the broccoli on a nonstick cookie sheet, drizzle with some olive oil and season with a little bit of salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat evenly. Transfer to the oven and roast for 10 minutes.
Remove the broccoli from the oven and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and bake until the
Enjoy!
Posts: 1397 | Location: Seattle - next is Isla Mujeres,MX in December, then its Paris in March, then hopefully England! | Registered: 02 May 2005
That looks fantastic and I am going to try this weekend. Thanks for the revival.
Though I roast carrots often, I have never thought of doing broccoli in the same manner - choosing instead to steam and then toss with a liberal splash of lemon infused olive oil.
Again, thanks, this looks like a wonderful dish for fall. Just the word "roast" means fall to me.
"I am a Southerner. I like the feel of these words. I could no more be otherwise than I could shed my outer skin or change the color of my eyes." Willie Morris
Posts: 1468 | Location: on the Alabama River | Registered: 22 July 2002
Originally posted by Bags packed: That looks fantastic and I am going to try this weekend. Thanks for the revival.
Though I roast carrots often, I have never thought of doing broccoli in the same manner - choosing instead to steam and then toss with a liberal splash of lemon infused olive oil.
Again, thanks, this looks like a wonderful dish for fall. Just the word "roast" means fall to me.
Bags Packed, I roast alot of my vegetables, my husband and I especially like roasted brussell sprouts, they get really sweet...
Posts: 1397 | Location: Seattle - next is Isla Mujeres,MX in December, then its Paris in March, then hopefully England! | Registered: 02 May 2005
Tomorrow to the green grocers for cauliflower--must try this roasting technique as it sounds oh, so good! I have roasted asparagus with parmesan cheese after parboiling for just a couple of minutes. Very good, too.
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