Simple Roasted Broccoli with Olive Oil

We have heard that a lot of people don’t like broccoli.

  But Why? 

Broccoli is a beautiful green color that has a very flower looking head.  We love broccoli at Our Southern Odyssey, so much so, that we have broccoli as a side dish 4 to 5 times a week.  Broccoli is such a versatile vegetable, it can be eaten raw, by itself or on a salad, steamed, baked in a casserole, sauté with other vegetables, made into a soup, or roasted in the oven.  As you might imagine we love broccoli any way it is prepared, from raw to roasted.

I (Valancie) have never had a problem with broccoli.  Even as a child I loved to eat it, my parents never had to bribe me to eat what was on my plate.  Even when we would go to a restaurant  and the waitress or waiter would ask what side dishes I wanted, broccoli was my go to side dish.  I can remember them looking very strangely at me.  Then asking if I wanted it topped with cheese.  I must confess I have never been a huge cheese eater.  Other than for pizza, I did not want cheese on my food.  I most definitely could not eat cheese by itself.  But I digress.  So needless to say I told them no cheese on my broccoli.  For breakfast I like to have steamed broccoli with my scrambled eggs.  For dinner I love having roasted broccoli as a side dish.  

On those days when mom and I are having a bad day.  And we did not time dinner so everything, we are cooking, would be done at the same time.  Which by the way, mom is really good about timing everything perfectly.  But, on those bad days, sometimes our side dishes get done before the meat.  When that happens and the roasted broccoli is finished and we have the baking pan sitting on the stove top, staying warm, waiting until the meat is ready so that we can have dinner.  I will notice how some of the roasted broccoli will come up missing from the baking pan.  Mom likes to sample the food before it is served.  Or, at least that is what she tells me.  I think that the roasted broccoli was just to tempting for her and she had to eat it.   I am not like that, even though I love roasted broccoli I wait until the food is served before I eat anything.  And I am like that no matter what I am cooking, in the kitchen.  I don’t eat it until I sit down at the dinner table.  

But today we will be talking about roasted broccoli.  And we would ask that you just try roasted broccoli even if broccoli is not your favorite vegetable.  Roasted broccoli is so delicious we think it will turn a person that does not care for broccoli into a broccoli lover.  I never knew until I tried roasted broccoli that roasting the broccoli could really bring out the flavors of the broccoli.  

The recipe is really simple with only four ingredients and only takes 30 to 40 minutes in a 400 degree oven to roast.  So the next time you are in the grocery store or at a farmers’ market be sure to pick up some broccoli and try this recipe.  We hope you will love the roasted broccoli as much as we do.

Instructions:

For this recipe we will be using two bunches of organic broccoli that we purchased in the grocery store.  Usually the bunches are held together with a rubber band and wrapped together.  Each bunch contains anywhere from two to three individual broccoli stalks.  So if purchasing broccoli individually make sure to get somewhere between four and six individual stalks for the recipe.

Go ahead and preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  While the oven is preheating take a large bowl and fill the bowl halfway with water.  As we cut the broccoli from the stem we will add the broccoli to the bowl with the water, the water will rise as the broccoli is added.  If too much water is added to the bowl, then when the broccoli is added the water will spill out over the side of the bowl.  

Using a cutting board and a knife take and cut the florets off the broccoli from the stem.  Use the step-by-step guide as a visual.  Normally the florets will stay together creating one large floret.  If the florets are left as one large floret it will take longer for the broccoli to cook.  It is better to cut the single floret into smaller sections.  The size can vary to a certain extent but try to keep the size as consistent as possible.

After the florets have been cut to the correct size add the florets to the bowl with the water.  Keep taking the broccoli and cutting the florets from the stem and adding them to the bowl with the water.  Do not throw away the stems of the broccoli.  We will, also, be using them as well.  

When using the broccoli stalk we will need to peel the stalk and remove the tough outer skin that protect the tender internal stalk.  We have already removed the florets from the top of the stem.  We now need to make a new cut from the other end of the stalk.  Take and stand the stalk up on the cutting board.  With the knife take and peel the stalk from the top to the bottom, until all the tough outer skin is removed.  Then take and slice the stalk in half.  Use the step-by-step guide as a visual to complete this step.  Also, add the peeled stalks to the bowl of water.  

Using your hand jiggle the broccoli in the water.  On a plate take and either place paper towels or a clean dish towel to absorb the water.  When we use paper towels we make sure to purchase paper towels that are chlorine free.  After all the broccoli has been placed on the plate we are now ready to get our baking pan ready to cook the broccoli.  

One can use either a stainless steel baking pan lined with unbleached parchment paper or a cast iron pizza pan.  Both options work great so it is more of a personal preference.  

Using a stainless steel baking pan with unbleached parchment paper:

We like to use two pieces of parchment paper.  Because we are covering the broccoli with olive oil, using two pieces of parchment helps with clean up.

Using a cast iron pizza tray:

We will not be using parchment paper; therefore, take and add a little olive oil to the pizza pan before we add the broccoli to the pan.  Remember a little bit of olive oil goes along way.

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Take and lay the broccoli on the pan in a single layer.  Alternating the small stem and the florets part on the tray helps to get more broccoli on the tray.  As the broccoli cooks it will shrink; thus, creating more room on the tray.  After the broccoli has all been placed on the tray take and drizzle organic olive oil over the broccoli.  Remember not to drown the broccoli in oil.  We just need enough for a light coating.  Next sprinkle the broccoli with Himalayan pink salt and black pepper.  Now the broccoli is ready to be placed into the oven that should be preheated by now.  Place the broccoli in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for twenty minutes.

After the twenty minutes are up remove the broccoli from the oven and flip the broccoli over.  If the broccoli seems dry add additional olive oil to the broccoli.  Also, take the time to salt and pepper this side of the broccoli as well.  Place the broccoli back into the oven for another ten to twenty minutes or until tender.  To tell if the broccoli is tender, stick a fork into the stalk part and if the fork can be inserted easily into the stem of the broccoli it is done.  After the broccoli is finished cooking remove the broccoli from the oven and allow to rest for about a minute.  Now the broccoli is ready to serve.