Charred Broccoli with Onion and Parmesan
Inspired by techniques from Bon Appétit.
Broccoli is seared hard in a hot frying pan until bright green and lightly charred, then finished in the oven with softened onion, garlic and melted-down anchovies before a last scatter of Parmesan. The quick char builds flavour fast, while the oven time turns the stems browned and fully tender.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Prep the broccoli. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Trim just the woody base from the broccoli stems, then peel the tough outer layer from the stems, working from the florets down to the stalk's end. Starting at the stem end, cut the broccoli on a 45° angle into 2 cm-thick slices until you reach the florets, then break the florets apart by hand into bite-size pieces.
- 2
Char the broccoli. Heat 45 ml of the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the broccoli, season with the salt, and cook, tossing occasionally, until bright green and lightly charred in spots, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and wipe out the frying pan.
- 3
Cook the onion and anchovies. Heat the remaining 30 ml of olive oil in the same frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic, stirring often, until the onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the anchovies and cook, breaking them apart with the spoon, until they've broken down and the garlic is just turning golden at the edges, about 2 minutes.
- 4
Roast. Return the broccoli to the frying pan and toss to coat in the oil. Transfer the frying pan to the oven and roast, tossing once, until the broccoli is browned and tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Wrap the handle in a towel as soon as it comes out, as it stays very hot.
- 5
Finish. Scatter the Parmesan over the hot broccoli, divide among plates, and serve with the lemon wedges alongside.
Storage
Best eaten hot, straight from the pan. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and reheat in a hot oven until piping hot. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Source of protein: 3.2 g protein per 100 kcal, about 13% of energy (needs ≥ 12%)
- Low sugars: 2.5 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 118 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0.1 g per serving
0.2 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0.4 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- large ovenproof frying pan
- chef's knife
- chopping board
- vegetable peeler
- fine grater
- wooden spoon
- oven mitt or thick towel
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 245 kcal |
| Protein | 7.9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 11 g |
| of which sugars | 3 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.1 g |
| Fat | 20 g |
| of which saturates | 3.7 g |
| Fibre | 3.4 g |
| Salt | 1.58 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
3.2 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
