a great way to eat broccolli

This is one of my favorite veggie dishes. It's an Ina Garten recipe, so there's no surprise that it's made with fresh ingredients, as well as an extra yummy twist. It's delicious.

I'd probably never think of pairing broccoli, lemon and basil together, but it's an awesome combo. And the added crunch provided by the pine nuts and roasted Parmesan, mixed in with the garlic and salt, creates a salty/crispy crust that's an amazing conrast with the soft vegetables.

I've made this both in the summer and the winter, and it's been perfect each time. Oh, and an easy (lazy) way to do the broccoli is to just buy a bag of fresh florets --I get mine from Costco. And you can't beat Costco's price for pine nuts as well (just make sure you freeze the left-overs -- pine nuts are loaded with oil and will go rancid very quickly).

Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 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)

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. (Yield: 6 servings)