Did anyone else ever grow up with the absolutely terrible school cafeteria broccoli that, in my opinion, has single-handedly given this yummy veggie a bad name?
You know the deal – it was mushy, mealy and sour. This, you guys, is NOT what broccoli tastes like. Broccoli should taste crisp, salty, bitter and otherwise all manner of delicious.
My typical way of getting the above flavors is by roasting it. I take a pair of kitchen shears to a few broccoli crowns, remove all of the florets, toss ’em with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 for about 20 minutes. Let’s talk delicious, shall we?
The other day I got a little crazy though and I steamed my florets. STEAMED?! I didn’t even realize that was in my broccoli vocabulary! Now I feel like I should say this little warning a couple times in this post – there’s a squeeze of lemon in this little method and should you choose to make it and have leftovers you should only save the lemon for the last minute. If you squeeze lemon juice all over it and then stick it in the fridge for leftovers you can bet you’ll be eating broccoli reminiscent of the school cafeteria variety.
No bueno.
I think the key to this is a heavy hand with the black pepper, a nice sprinkling of parmesan, and that bite from the lemon at the end. While I’ll never stop roasting my broccoli, this is certainly a more subtly flavored and equally as delicious version!
THE BEST BROCCOLI
- 3 large broccoli crowns, cut into small florets
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
- 1-1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
- juice from 1 lemon
In a large pan fitted with a lid place the broccoli and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover with a lid and allow to steam/boil for about 5-7 minutes. Remove lid, sprinkle with salt and pepper. When ready to serve sprinkle each dish with some of the parmesan and a bit of lemon juice. Serve hot!
This looks like quite a treat! I might add some red pepper flakes to give it a kick 🙂
I think the red pepper flakes are genius – yum!
wow!! Nice combination… broccoli and cheese are my favorites!!! For sure this is so healthy and delicious!!! 😀
Broccoli is seriously one of my favorite foods. I eat it all (even the mushy cafeteria type haha). I usually roast it or steam with it a little bit of butter, but your version looks like a must try. When I got married, my husband hated broccoli, but I make it so often, he acquired a taste for it. I need a broccoli intervention! 🙂
Mmm! I love adding cheese to my broccoli! So yummy! I never ate the school lunch, always browned bagged it. But I can imagine the broccoli at school was probably not good. However I have always love broccoli, so I’ll pretty much eat it in any form!