roasted broccoli, ad infinitum

here's what i've had for dinner the past few nights:

1. roasted lemon and parmesan broccoli with a fried egg and toast.
2. leeks vinaigrette with a soft-boiled egg and rice.
3. braised cabbage with a poached egg and wheat berries.
4. roasted lemon and parmesan broccoli, this time with tofu, thank the lord.

i seem to be in a bit of a culinary rut, but i also haven't minded at all. these one-woman meals of a green vegetable, an egg and something starchy are all i've been wanting to eat recently*. honestly, it's a small miracle that i haven't done the sautéed kale + egg thing in, oh, at least six days. but i know that i should start branching out since it's only a matter of time until i lose all interest in that glorious trio of food groups, and then where will i be? must begin thinking about squash come next week. no, it's too soon.

so--about that broccoli, the one which merited being eaten twice in four days. it's based on an ina garten recipe, and it's wonderful. i've long since abandoned the recipe and kind of just eyeball everything depending on what i have on hand. the technique isn't terribly different from melissa clark's spectacular roasted broccoli with shrimp. i've tweaked ina's version by adding the lemon juice before roasting, because i've noticed that tossing broccoli in juice after it's been cooked leaves you with some slightly soggy veggies.

which is a crying shame, because the texture is half the beauty of cooking broccoli this way--the edges get caramelized in some spots, and while the stalks are definitely cooked they still retain some of their bite to remind you that you are, in fact, eating a vegetable and not boiled mush.
and of course i'm a big fan of anything doused in citrus, both the zest and the juice. i've swapped in different nuts for pine nuts, recently pecans and walnuts, but that's totally up to you as well. ina's recipe also includes basil, which i've done both with and without, and either way is delicious. and best of all, it's ridiculously easy and can be on the table in roughly half an hour, with the roasting time giving you a window in which to poach an egg fry some tofu throw together something really brilliant to serve alongside it.

*(with the exception of midway through my broccoli last night when a conversation with connor about the health benefits of eating raw garlic and the necessity of chewing it induced me to ingest a massive clove of garlic [screaming all the while], swallow it triumphantly, and promptly vomit, after which i had very little appetite for anything. no fault of the broccoli whatsoever.)

roasted broccoli with garlic, parmesan & lemon
adapted from ina garten's back to basics
serves 6 as a side, i make smaller batches because i don't imagine this would reheat well

• 4 to 5 lbs broccoli
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp lemon zest, grated
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (i use more)
• 3 tbsp pine nuts, toasted (see note above about nut substitutions. i also use more than 3 tbsp, and i skip the toasting.)
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves), julienned (optional)

preheat the oven to 425°F. wash your broccoli and dry it very well, as leaving it wet will inhibit crispiness (a crime, in my opinion). 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. i like to peel and chop the stems and include them with the florets, but that's up to you.

place the broccoli on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer (you might need multiple pans). toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tbsp olive oil and the lemon juice. sprinkle with the salt and pepper. toss well with your hands. roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned (mine usually takes 10-15 minutes, so keep an eye on it).

remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil (i skip this, but it's up to you), lemon zest, pine nuts, parmesan, and basil. serve hot.