Yesterday, when I was reading through the Philly Inquirer food section, I noticed a recipe for roasted broccoli tucked in, down at the end of the article about the year's best cookbooks. I think roasting veggies is a great way to prepare them, as it allows all those natural sugars to caramelize and develop maximum flavor. However, I've always struggled when it comes to roasting broccoli, because by the time the stalks cook to tender, the flowers are burnt to a crisp.
The recipe (from the Best of America's Test Kitchen cookbook) is fairly basic (olive oil, salt, a pinch of sugar and pepper) except for one thing. It has you preheat the roasting pan in a 500 degree oven while you prep the broccoli, so that when it comes time to lay the broccoli out on the pan, it gets a cooking boost by the hot pan.
I tried it out last night and was a revelation. The broccoli came out perfectly crisp-tender, but without the acrid flavor that comes when the flower tips get too brown. This one is a winner and I think would be great for a variety of other vegetables. I can't wait to try it with asparagus come spring!
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