It’s 5:30. You start to hear everyone’s stomachs grumbling… but there’s no dinner plan.
Well, actually, maybe there was a dinner plan BUT the energy required to pull off the dinner was not available 30 minutes ago.
You could order pizza. However, the fridge is full of beautiful ingredients from your weekly visit to Market Street (remember that well-planned menu created on Sunday?). And there is that bag of baby broccoli from last week’s menu that may (or may not) have one day left before it’s past the point of no return.
Then you hear it. The kitchen conscience.
Must.Make.Dinner.Must.Use.Broccoli.
Don’t worry. Let me be your kitchen confidence.
You CAN respond to this inner voice telling you to cook. Yes. You CAN make dinner. It’s time to roast that broccoli.
Let me be real with you…anytime that dinner or a side dish is looming roasting is always a quick, easy and dependable way to cook.
Roasting requires a simple equation that always yields good results:
extra virgin olive oil + item to be roasted + kosher salt + 400 degree oven
It’s that easy. Now, just add anything you want to roast.
Broccoli. Cauliflower. Potatoes. Chicken. Grapes. Your recent trip to Market Street has in fact filled your kitchen with a variety of roastable items (whether or not you’ve realized it). And that’s exciting.
As with anything there are always ways to modify the base equation to improve the final outcome. The more you experiment with this simple roasting equation the more roasting truths you’ll discover.
Such as:
1– some vegetables do better with higher roasting temperatures (brussels sprouts)
2– adding different oils and seasonings enhance the final outcome (find a variety of dried herb and spice mixes the next time your walking down the spice aisle at Market Street, you won’t be disappointed).
3– what appears to be “done” for some vegetables may be burnt for other vegetables. It really is up to the roaster
4—covering the vegetables for 10-15 minutes allows them to steam before roasting (this technique works great for broccoli)
5– a good shake or toss every 10-15 minutes is a good thing
6– if roasting meats, a thermometer is a must to gauge when the meat is finished cooking
Now. Roast whatever comes to mind— green beans! broccoli! tomatoes! grapes! oranges! nuts! The options are deliciously endless.
Then, when the said item is roasted eat it by itself or throw it into a salad, cooked pasta, ice cream, toast, soups or dips.
All things considered that bag of broccoli isn’t so scary after all. It’s actually inspiring, especially if you toss it with cooked gnocchi, grated fontina and olive oil.
Now, I have three words for you: roast. that. broccoli.
Gnocchi with Spicy Roasted Baby Broccoli
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 7 cups baby broccoli, about 7 cups
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- gnocchi, cooked
- shredded fontina
- extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine the oil, salt, garlic powder, cayenne and chili powder. Whisk well to combine.
- Place the broccoli florets into the olive oil mixture and coat the broccoli well.
- On a rimmed baking sheet, spread the baby broccoli in a single layer. Cover the baking sheet tightly with foil.
- Cook the broccoli for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and continue to roast, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes (until browned to your liking), stirring every 10 minutes.
- Place the broccoli into a medium bowl. Top the broccoli with a squeeze of lemon juice and toss.
- Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi. Place the cooked gnocchi into the bowl with the broccoli. Add a generous amount of fontina.
- Drizzle olive oil on top of the gnocchi and broccoli. Stir well. Serve warm with crusty bread.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Market Street. All opinions are my own.
