Caramelized Broccoli Food

CARAMELIZED BROCCOLI

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the oil.
• Add the broccoli and stir well to coat with the oil. Season to taste with s/p.
• Fry until the broccoli turns brown from the sugars caramelizing. Just leave it alone until it starts to brown on the bottom before turning it.
• The result is crispy, sweet, almost candy-like.
• No, it's not burnt - it's CARAMELIZED. LOL.

CARAMELIZED BROCCOLI WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
• Add the broccoli, cut side down, cover and cook over moderate heat until richly browned on the bottom, about 8 minutes.
• Add the water, cover and cook until the broccoli is just tender and the water has evaporated, about 7 minutes.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil along with the garlic and the crushed red pepper and cook uncovered until the garlic is golden brown, about 3 minutes.
• Season the broccoli with salt and black pepper, drizzle with the lemon juice, toasted cashews and serve.

PASTA WITH BROCCOLI AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Peel the onions and cut into thin slices. Place the oil and onion in a large skillet and cook over medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the onions are golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• While the onions are cooking, cut the florets from the broccoli and discard the stems. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until al dente. After the pasta has been cooking for 4 minutes, add the broccoli florets to the pasta water for the remainder of the cooking time. Drain the pasta and broccoli in the colander.
• Add the drained pasta and broccoli, almonds, and balsamic vinegar to the pan of onions and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
• Balsamic vinegar is made from grapes that have been cooked down to a syrup and then aged. The aging time-anywhere between three and 150 years-is what determines the price. The three-year-old stuff works fine for a college budget (and frankly, we may never in our lives be able to afford the oldest balsamic-it goes for hundreds of dollars an ounce). Cheap but decent balsamic vinegar is nice to have in your pantry-it makes very nice salad dressing when mixed with oil and salt and pepper. Just check the ingredients list to make sure they haven't added caramel or brown sugar to sweeten up an inferior product.

CARAMELIZED BROCCOLI WITH SCALLIONS AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• For the broccoli: Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare the broccoli by cutting away and discarding the bottom of the stalk, then slicing lengthwise into "steak" pieces. Cut the pieces in half, then lengthwise again. Place in a large bowl and toss with salt, pepper, and grapeseed oil. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven, 15 minutes.
• For the vinaigrette: In a small skillet, heat 1/2 tsp grapeseed oil and toast the pine nuts until lightly brown and aromatic, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add the peppercorns. Toss and set aside. In a food processor, blend the remaining grapeseed oil, shallots, ginger, and orange zest. While the motor is running, add the vinegar in a steady stream to combine; then taste to adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Scrape mixture into a bowl, and stir in sesame seeds, pine nuts, peppercorns, and scallions. Vinaigrette will be chunky.
• Remove the caramelized broccoli from the oven to a mixing bowl and add the vinaigrette. Toss to coat and serve.