There are some recipes that I need to take a couple of passes at before I post them here, but usually not something as simple as a side dish. However, my first run with this one had the kitchen smelling like I used a charcoal grill indoors. Not good. Thanks to a strong exhaust fan, I avoided triggering the smoke alarm.
Don’t let my little mishap scare you off. This recipe is quite easy to make now that I worked out the timing. Just don’t leave the kitchen unattended and you’ll be fine. Charring the broccoli in a lightly-oiled skillet gives the veg a nice smoky flavor, and the fried garlic and toasted pine nuts provide a good crunch. This recipe can easily be scaled up to serve a larger crowd.
Ingredients (serves 2)
4 ounces broccoli stalks – cut in half length-wise
2 garlic cloves – thinly sliced
1 tablespoon pine nuts
zest of one lemon
½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of chili pepper flakes
Directions
1. Place the pine nuts in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. When they begin to sweat and give off their scent, reduce the heat and stir the nuts constantly until they start to turn golden brown. Keep stirring them to prevent burning and cook until desired color and crispness. As soon as they are the cooked, immediately remove them from the pan or they will burn if left on the hot surface. Place in a cool dish and set aside.
2. Add the oil, chili flakes and sliced garlic to the skillet over medium heat. Center the skillet over the heat source and tilt the pan slightly so that all of the oil pools near the bottom edge of the pan and all of the garlic slices float. Let the oil come to a slow boil to fry the garlic, which will take about 1 – 2 minutes. Lift out the garlic and place on a paper towel to drain.
3. Place the broccoli stalks in the remaining garlic-infused oil in the skillet, cut side down, over medium heat. Gently swirl the pan around to ensure even distribution of oil under the broccoli. Cover the skillet with a tight-fitting lid and let cook for 4 minutes. Don’t move the pan. This will allow the cut side of the broccoli to char, while steaming the top.
4. After 4 minutes, remove the lid, place a splatter guard over the skillet, reduce the heat to low and cook another 1 – 2 minutes until broccoli achieves the desired amount of charring.
5. Arrange broccoli on a serving dish. Sprinkle pine nuts and garlic over the broccoli and top with lemon zest.
6. Serve hot immediately.
Ewelina says
This recipe looks very interesting, I haven’t pan-charred a broccoli before. Must try this!
Love your blog and recipes.
Ewelina
Ewelina recently posted…6 reasons to drink lemon water every morning
Amy says
Sometimes little kitchen mishaps turn into a good thing. Thanks for stopping by, Ewelina!