Broccoli to die for.

Okay, so that title is a bit dramatic. BUT if you like broccoli and are tired of the same old steamed stuff, then you will love this recipe.

But first, I have to share a cooking disaster from the weekend (just in case you thought we lived in a bubble of culinary bliss). Nicole and I decided to cook some dinner on saturday night.

Me: I have ground turkey in the freezer to use.

Nicole: Let's make Swedish Meatballs! (Nicole does not believe in making the same thing twice and likes to find new recipes).

Me: Uh, sure....I've never made that before.

Nicole: I'll look it up online!

She found a recipe that sounded good. Then we realized there were 3 sauce options to choose from according to Joan on the website (presumably Joan is the friendly Swede who shared this recipe....because Joan is a very Swedish name....that should have been a red light.)

We decided on the red wine sauce because we had all the ingredients.

So red wine sauce it was. Except that it wasn't. It was like creamy lavender buttery floury yuckiness. Nicole got concerned and told me I should try it. I was too scared, so she tried it and said it tasted like butter. She added more wine bringing it to a lovely shade of purple. Still tasted like butter. And the thought of pouring purple butter on meatballs was not our idea of a good time.

Here's a close up for you, just in case you weren't sure how unappetizing it was:

Thanks for nothing Joan the Swede.

So now we just have meatballs. I stopped stocking up on groceries in anticipation of moving, so there is no tomato sauce in the house. We decided to make meatball subs out of them and I run to the grocery store and grab provolone, a loaf of bakery bread, and some sauce. I slice the bread in half and stick it under the broiler to toast.......and then I get busy peeling a tangerine that Skylar won't eat because she only eats Clemtines and I thought the tangerine was a clementine. So then I peel a clemtine and by the time I was done I remembered and screamed "The bread!"

But it was too late.......
Ever the optimist, Nicole said it could be salvaged. By the time we cut all the burnt parts off, it was mangled and pitiful but at least it wasn't purple. So we threw those meatballs on there, added some tomato sauce, and then we all pretended it was AMAZING.
In the end, the only amazing part was that dinner finally made it to the table.....pathetic though it was.
Okay, now for the best broccoli you have ever tasted. I love roasted vegetables and never thought of roasting brocolli until I saw Barefoot Contessa do it on her show last year. (Did you know Ina and I are BFF's? Yeah, she doesn't know either.) It has since become one of my favorite side dishes.

Ingredients:

4 to 5 pounds broccoli
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)

(Let me just say that I frequently leave out the pine nuts or basil....but the lemon, parmesan and garlic are what makes the recipe and I wouldn't omit those!)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.
Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.