Dec 21, 2021

Simple Side Dish in 30 Minutes - Oven Roasted Broccoli

There's one reason that might stop me from cooking broccoli or cauliflower - the worms. Because there are so many stems, sometimes you'll find little creatures in between, especially when the entire broccoli or cauliflower has been soaked under water, they'll float to the surface instead. I was frightened when making this recipe to be honest. Thanks to Mister at home, he picked out couple little ones and also helped me to rinse down the boss.


I try to think the positive way. Finding worms sometimes means that there were no or little pesticides involved. Back then, I can be too scared to keep working with these veggies, ended up tossing away a chunk of the vegetables. This time around, I've grown brave enough to put on the gloves and just keep rinsing and soaking the broccoli. Until I can no longer find any living things in between those stems. And now, let's continue with the cooking steps.


Oven roasted broccoli - 


Oven roasted broccoli


Ingredients?

  • 1 head of broccoli
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 to 2 lemon wedges
  • Some cayenne pepper
  • Some salt


How?

Preheat the oven to high heat. Line a baking sheet with foil.


Halved broccoli florets

Rinse, soak, then trim the broccoli to longer halved florets. Pat dry with kitchen towel and transfer to the baking sheet. Toss with some salt and olive oil. When ready, try to arrange the stem side up first. We'll flip to the "floret" side half way through the baking time.


Broccoli florets cut stem side up

Into the oven for around 10 to 12 minutes. 


Half way through roasting broccoli florets

Take out the baking sheet and flip the broccoli to the other side.


Back to the oven and continue to roast till the surface turns slightly charred, about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your oven heat. So keep a close watch during the second half of baking time, at least check on it every couple minutes.


Roasting broccoli with florets side up

When the broccoli is done roasting, remove the backing sheet from heat and toss with some cayenne pepper and freshly squeezed lemon juice. 


Oven roasted broccoli

I used 1 lemon wedge first. Give it a taste and see if you need more of that acidity touch.


Oven roasted broccoli

Slight tangy, a wee bit spicy, and the most attractive part is the browned or even tiny bit burnt ends of the broccoli. Not just serving it alongside a full-on western meal. In fact, utilizing oven roasted vegetable as one of the sides for Chinese food actually works great too. It's been proven, because that's what I did, this recipe can get along with both the fancy steak dinner or even steamed rice. 


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