Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

Roasting is a great way to bring flavor to any vegetable.  Roasted broccoli becomes golden, crisp, and tender.  The nutty, salty bite from the Parmesan is the perfect accent to this amazing dish.  Make sure to blanch the broccoli (as described) to set the vibrant green color and ensure a tender-roasted broccoli.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

*3 large heads of broccoli, chopped (try to keep florets intact)

*3/4 cup chopped red onion

*3 cloves garlic, crushed

*~4 Tbs. olive oil

*Salt and Pepper to taste

*~3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Boil a large pot of salted water.

2.  When water comes to a boil, quickly drop chopped broccoli in the water and stir.  This process is called blanching.  Cook broccoli in the boiling water for about 1 minutes and pour immediately into a colander to strain.  This will set the color and allow for a more tender-roasted broccoli.

3.  Toss the blanched broccoli, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper together and spread on a baking sheet.

4.  Roast broccoli for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden and florets begin to brown.

5.  Remove from oven and toss warm broccoli with Parmesan cheese.

Serving Suggestions:

*Serve as an accompaniment to any dish (e.g., pasta, chicken, fish, poached eggs etc.)

*Top with toasted, slivered almonds.

51 Porter Factor: Sometimes simple is best, as with this in-season winter crop broccoli. The bright green of the broccoli is counter-acted with the slightly brown florets from the roasting process, making this appear a little more developed than your average steamed broccoli. Top it with some grated Parmesan and presto! A well deserved side dish.