here's to the little guys

              

Oh broccoli, how I love you.  When I was little (more little than I am now that is) I used to call broccoli "little trees." Well, here we have the amazing union of "little trees" and "little ears", which in Italian is orecchiette.  Go ahead, impress your friends at a party with your knowledge of Italian.  "My what orecchiette you have!"  For some reason I can't fathom, recipes involving broccoli and pasta almost always call for using orecchiette pasta.  Whatever the reason, it's tasty.  Here, I'm going a wee bit traditional: just pasta, parmesan, broccoli, garlic and red pepper flakes. 

You'll need 2 smallish heads of broccoli or 1 large one.  Cut the florets into bite-sized pieces (and I also do the same with about 1'' of the stalk).  

Toss on a baking sheet with 2 cloves of roughly chopped (so it doesn't burn) garlic and about 1/4 c of evoo (you need a bit more than you think because you don't want those precious little trees to dry out roasting -- like every tree in Texas is right now).  Also add about 1 T of salt, 1 tsp of pepper and maybe 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes (see pic).  You can add more of this if you like a little extra heat.

Roast at 400ºF/204ºC for about 20 minutes, until tender and a bit caramelized, giving it a little mix halfway through.  While your little trees are all happy in the oven, get workin' on those little ears.  Add about 12 ounces of pasta (3/4 of the package) into salted boiling water, stirring to prevent sticking and cook until very al dentre (firm to the bite), about 10 minutes.  Before you drain it, be sure and reserve about a cup of the starchy cooking water. You'll be amazed what it'll do in making an easy sauce.

Now comes the fun part!  Toss your pasta, roasted broccoli and garlic together with about 1/3 c parmesan cheese (it's okay, you can grate it this time).  When adding the cooking water, add about 1/2 c first and then more if it needs it to form a light sauce.  And for a bit of decadence...

 ...throw in 2 T of butter.  Taste and season with more s&p and pepper flakes as needed.  I definitely needed a bit more salt & red pepper flakes (but I like a little kick).  Because my pasta was so al dente, I was able to keep it cooking with the broccoli, cheese and butter for about 5 minutes, which just intensified the flavor.

 That's it!  You can have it as a nice simple supper with some extra parm shaved on top or...

 ...you can have it with quick pan-seared tilapia like I did.  Either way, it's fantastic.

Bon appetit!
lilrevchef

i ♥ b. s.

The power of this innocuous teeny vegetable to strike fear into the hearts of grown adults (and of course, children) astounds me. They're often named alongside such villains as lima beans and spinach and used by parents to torture their children into healthy eating. But fear not, foodie friends, for this little guy is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, he's quite tasty if you treat him well. But heed my warning: beware of the boil! Boiling veggies is just wrong. I don't care how much the cool kids pressure you to do it, don't. Be strong. Your brussels will thank you. Instead, roast them.

Roasting veggies is the absolute best way to bring out their natural flavor, add interesting texture and turn what could be scary into a delightful dish. (I'm thankful for this, because when I lived in Belfast, my "cooker" as they call them - oven/stove combo - was pretty old and pathetic. The only reliable heat came from sauteing or roasting...baking was a nightmare in it. I roasted everything: cauliflower, red peppers, zucchini, carrots mmm.) I'll walk you through the easy peasy steps of roasting brussels sprouts. The Barefoot Contessa's recipe here is pretty much the same.

First: apologize to your sprouts for years of misunderstanding and judgment: for feeding them to the dog when your parents weren't looking, for that disgusted face you make when you hear their name, for making a large arc in the produce section of your grocery store just so you can avoid them. Don't worry, brussels sprouts are forgiving little things. Reconciliation's always possible. Okay, moving on...

I used one package of brussels sprouts: about a pound. This makes enough for 4 skeptics or 2 adoring fans of brussels sprouts (you'll all wind up being adoring fans, I promise). Trim up your sprouts: cut off the very bottom and remove any dodgy-looking outer leaves. If you have larger sprouts, half them. Put them in a bowl with 3 tablespoons evoo (extra-virgin olive oil), 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper. Toss together. Then let those brussels spread out on a sheet pan. Roast them at 375 degrees F/190 degrees C for 35-45 minutes, giving them a little shake every 10 minutes or so to help them brown evenly. They're going to get pretty caramelized: don't worry, you're not burning them. They're meant to get a good amount of color on the outside.

Once out of the oven, give them another little light sprinkle of salt (unless you need to go light on this) and get ready to have your world rocked.

Crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside. You'll never look at a brussels sprout the same way again.

Bon appetit!

lilrevchef