Thursday, August 19, 2010

Roasted Broccoli or Cauliflower

I’ve been having a love affair this summer. This is no secret; my husband knows all about it. In fact, he’s completely on board with it, and even encourages me to indulge frequently.

If you’re wondering who I’m having this affair with, and the answer may surprise you: It’s with roasted vegetables.


Lately, I just can’t get enough of roasted vegetables of all kinds. Give me a vegetable, and I’ll roast it. Asparagus, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, potatoes...No vegetable is safe. I realize that summer seems like an odd time of year to roast things, since it requires a hot oven and hot ovens don’t go so well with steamy summer days, but let me tell you this: I’ll heat up my kitchen to any temperature just to get that nutty, deep, rich flavor out of my vegetables.

My favorite thing to roast is broccoli, and cauliflower is an extremely close second. Since I use the same simple method for both vegetables, I thought I’d share them here in one post. This really is nothing fancy, and it couldn’t be easier. Just cut the broccoli or cauliflower into florets, toss the florets in olive oil and butter, and give them a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. You can add minced garlic if you want, or parmesan cheese or lemon zest or hot pepper flakes. I like to keep it simple, though, and let the vegetables speak for themselves. You won’t believe how delicious roasted broccoli and cauliflower are if you’ve never tried them: The texture gets slightly crispy, and the flavor intensifies into something nutty and magnificent. If you’ve never tried cooking broccoli and cauliflower this way, you really need to.

Roasted Broccoli or Cauliflower

1 head broccoli or cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon melted butter
Salt and pepper to taste (be generous)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle broccoli or cauliflower with salt and pepper, then toss it with the olive oil and butter until it’s evenly coated. Spread in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet.

2. Bake in the preheated oven, 15 to 20 minutes, until partially browned.

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7 comments:

Keri said...

Oh my gosh, we roast broccoli all the time, too! It's my favorite right now:-)!!

Desi said...

you could submit this to Side Dish Saturdays on Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice's blog! The theme for this week is cauliflower :) Check it out! I would participate but I don't like cauliflower.

http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/2010/08/side-dish-saturdays-crustless.html

Larissa said...

I love roasted cauliflower too. I coat mine in cumin before I roast it!

Julie said...

I'm not a big cauliflower fan, but this look a great way to try it!

Cara said...

I love roasted broccoli, but I've always used olive oil....DEFINITELY going to have to try it with butter. Why didn't I think of that? Duh!

Also, I don't really care for cauliflower, but given how much I enjoy roasted broccoli, I think it may be worth trying cauliflower using the same method.

Pam said...

Your veggies look delicious! I'm new here and it's great to meet another Midwesterner! Lots of good things here to look at!

Jessi said...

We LOVE roasted Broccoli!!!