Roasting broccoli whole is a more enchanting way to eat your trees
BROCCOLI looks like a tree - or trees, depending on how you cut it.
That’s a delightful fact that plenty of people surely noticed long before Mollie Katzen drew a group of them sticking out of the ground under a crescent moon, for the cover of “The Enchanted Broccoli Forest” in 1982. How many generations of parents have tried to get their kids to eat the green florets by making the comparison? Probably as many as have used the old “Open the hangar, here comes the airplane!” trick.
In 2006’s “Breakfast, Lunch, Tea,” Rose Carrarini published a recipe for a savory cake that hid broccoli florets under the batter, making for painterly slices. Just this year, Hetty Lui McKinnon riffed on the same idea in “Tenderheart,” but for her Broccoli Forest Loaf she let the crowns peek out from the top of the cake, too.
Get the recipe: Whole Roasted Broccoli With Muhammara
This favorite of the crucifer family can certainly be broken down - I’ve enjoyed it finely chopped in tabbouleh, and of course pureed into soups but if you can cook it in a way that showcases its lines, why wouldn’t you?
As Joni Mitchell wrote, now’s the season when we’re “coming on Christmas, cutting down trees, putting up reindeer, singing songs of joy and peace.” I’m behind on all of the above, but I have managed to cut down a few broccoli trees in my efforts to design a holiday dish worthy of centerpiece status.
The approach might remind you of a whole roasted cauliflower, but broccoli’s lessdense flesh makes the path to tenderness much shorter. You don’t have to cover it, boil it or steam it in advance, the way some roasted-cauliflower recipes require. I like to pair this with a creamy base, which can turn into a dip for swiping forkfuls of the broccoli through as you and your guests eat it. Hummus is my go-to when I roast a whole cauliflower, but for this I wanted something brighter, punchier and, well, prettier.
I found the answer in my take on muhammara, the Middle Eastern spread that traditionally includes red bell pepper, walnuts, bread and pomegranate molasses. I streamline the process by roasting everything - broccoli included - on the same sheet pan. When it comes out of the oven, everything but the broccoli gets pureed, and the color combination on the platter will remind you of nothing more than Christmas.
Unlike with cauliflower, I prefer to leave on as much of the broccoli’s stem as possible, meaning it won’t necessarily stand up straight on the platter, even when nestled in that hedge of muhammara. But that’s okay. This broccoli forest might be leaning, but it’s as enchanting as ever.
Whole Roasted Broccoli With Muhammara
(4 to 6 servings) Roasting a whole head of broccoli gives it centerpieceworthy status, especially when you nestle it on muhammara, the Middle Eastern redpepper-and-walnut spread. In this recipe, you roast all the ingredients on the same sheet pan, then puree everything but the broccoli to make the dip. Pomegranate molasses adds a traditional sweet-and-sour touch. Serve with flatbread or couscous.
Where to buy: No Aleppostyle chile flakes? >> Use Urfa, Marash, crushed red pepper flakes, or a combination of mostly sweet paprika with a pinch of cayenne.
Active time: 20 mins; Total time: 4 mins
From Food and dining editor Joe Yonan.
Ingredients
1 large head or 2 smaller heads broccoli (1 ½ to 2 pounds total)
3 red bell peppers (1 ½ pounds total), cored and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 plum tomatoes (8 ounces total), cut into 2-inch chunks
1 cup (3 ½ ounces) raw, unsalted walnuts, plus additional chopped walnuts for
garnish
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 ¼ teaspoons fine salt, divided, plus more to taste
1 cup (2 ounces) lightly packed bread cubes (from 2 to 3 small slices)
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
2 teaspoons Aleppo-style chile flakes
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
Steps
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 475 degrees.
Trim the bottom of the broccoli stem(s), then use a vegetable peeler to peel the tough part of the stem without removing any of the florets. Set on a large sheet pan. (Don’t worry about making it stand up like you would a cauliflower.) Scatter the bell peppers, tomatoes, walnuts and garlic around the broccoli; drizzle everything with the oil and sprinkle with the salt.
Roast, stirring or tossing all the ingredients except the broccoli once or twice, for 5 minutes, then add the bread and continue roasting for about 15 minutes, or until the mixture deeply browns in spots and the broccoli is crisptender. Transfer the broccoli to a platter and let the remaining ingredients cool slightly.
Peel the garlic, discard the skin, and add the cloves, along with the rest of the mixture still on the sheet pan, to a food processor. Add the molasses, lemon juice, chile flakes and cumin and process until mostly smooth but with a little chunky texture, scraping down the sides of the bowl part-way through if needed. Taste, and season with more salt, pomegranate molasses and/or lemon juice if needed.
To serve, spread the muhammara on a large serving platter and top with the roasted broccoli. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts, and drizzle with olive oil and pomegranate molasses. — The Washington Post