I’m falling behind in my food blogs, because I just haven’t had the time to sit down and write recently. Some of my drafts don’t have pictures, while others need a background story. And then, there are the ones that I wrote a long time ago, never used, and are in need of a refresh. This is one that lacked a story. Unfortunately, broccoli’s not very exciting. It doesn’t have a great story to tell, like some other vegetables. Think “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “The Princess and the Pea.” Perhaps broccoli is just waiting for its tale to be told, so that the entire world can appreciate it better.
By now you’ve realized that it’s late at night, and perhaps not the best time for me to decide to write a food blog post, because funny things happen in my brain when it’s after 11:00. I’m also stuck with Brenna howling her head off in the background, begging for me to play with her, not understanding that it’s late and time for bed, as well as B.O.B. Bob snoring beside me, as I attempt to quietly type. Just in case you were wondering, I am the world’s noisiest typist; I’ve had tons of complaints. So enough of the crazy talk, it’s time for me to go to sleep. I’ll just leave you with this recipe, and you can decide what you think broccoli’s tale should be.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 Pounds Broccoli Crowns
- 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Zest of One Lemon
- 1 Teaspoon Maldon Sea Salt Flakes
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Rinse broccoli crowns well under cold water, drain, chop off florets, and then cut the stalks into small chunks.
- Place chopped broccoli florets and stalks onto a large baking sheet, and then drizzle with vinegar and olive oil. Use your hands to mix the vinegar and olive oil into the broccoli.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the oven-roasted broccoli with the lemon zest and Maldon sea salt; mix well, and then serve.
Suggestions:
- Two broccoli crowns will usually weigh approximately 1.5 pounds.
- In this recipe I used Fig Balsamic Vinegar from Taste Oil Vinegar Spice in Culpeper, Virginia, but any balsamic vinegar will do.
- If you prefer your broccoli softer, increase the baking time by 5 to 10 minutes.
- If you do not have Maldon, try using freshly grated sea salt, or just sprinkle the roasted broccoli with kosher salt.
- Ignore the noise that the cat is making, while playing with a brown paper bag from the market; eventually she will lose all interest.
Improvements:
- Sprinkle finished broccoli with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
- To add a bit of heat, sprinkle finished broccoli with red pepper flakes.
Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck
-Colleen
