This grilled broccoli recipe, made of broccoli florets or broccolini and olive oil, takes on a smoky flavor. Swell on its own or, since you already have the grill going, with grilled meats.
Although author Tamasin Day-Lewis teams her grilled broccoli or broccolini with a robust romesco sauce, we actually omitted that part of the equation, so woo’d were we by the sheer and simple genius of grilling crucifers with a little olive oil, chile, and garlic. If you don’t have a grill, you can come close by blasting the blanched broccoli in a hot oven. You won’t achieve quite the same smokey flavor, you can come close. Bear in mind, with so few ingredients, each one contributes in a big way. You may want to reach for a sturdy bunch of in-season broccoli, preferably one that’s incomparably fresh from the farmers’ market, rather than try to resurrect the wilted bunch that’s withering in the bottom of your vegetable bin.–David Leite
☞ Contents
Grilled Broccoli or Broccolini
Ingredients
- 2 heads of broccoli broken into florets, or 3/4 to 1 pound (340 to 455 g) broccolini, ends trimmed
- 3 to 4 tablespoons good, fruity olive oil
- 1 green chile minced, or 1 teaspoon dried red chile flakes
- 1 garlic clove peeled and thinly sliced
- Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Throw the florets or broccolini into a large pan of rapidly boiling, salted water and blanch for 2 minutes. Immediately drain in a colander and refresh with cold water to arrest the cooking process and retain the color. Drain well.
- Heat up the grill. Dry the florets with paper towels, then put them in a bowl. Pour over 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss with your hands to coat the florets. Sprinkle with the chile.
- When the grill is really hot, lay the vegetables on it, leaving room in between them to grasp them with tongs. Cook until they have scorch marks, then turn them and repeat. Spear the grilled broccoli with a skewer to check when they are tender. Remove from the heat.
- Meanwhile, heat another 1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil very slowly in a small pan with the garlic and remove from the heat the moment it is hot. Place the grilled broccoli in a serving bowl, pour the warm garlicky oil over the top, and season with salt and pepper.
Show Nutrition
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Originally published June 09, 2018
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Brenda Carleton
The broccoli remained lovely and crisp and became slightly charred on the grill. That char gets me every time! This recipe isn’t exactly special or extraordinary – just plain simple and good. Both the chile and garlic oil were sufficient for rounding out the flavour. It is a pleasure to add this to my “make again” list!