Sunday, 1/9/2011

For tonight's dinner we finally finished off the pork chops I broiled last week.  I reheated them in the toaster oven, wrapped in foil in a baking pan.  I cooked them at 300 degrees for a half hour or so.  They turned out pretty good.  Much better than if they were just microwaved. 

For our side dish, I prepared broccoli.  This is the first time I have made a broccoli dish that I intended to eat...EVER.  I've steamed it for Katie before, but it is historically one of those foods that makes me gag.  A couple months ago, our friends Laura and David served baked broccoli for us, and both Ben and I liked it. I should point out that we were both very brave to try it:)  Since I knew we liked that preparation, I got the recipe from Laura to use tonight.  I followed the directions for adding garlic, and it was a success!  Here's the recipe from Cook's Illustrated.

ROASTED BROCCOLI

Trim away the outer peel from the broccoli stalk, otherwise it will turn tough when cooked. For Roasted Broccoli with Garlic, stir 1 tablespoon minced garlic into the olive oil before drizzling it over the broccoli.

Ingredients:
1 large head broccoli (about 1 3/4 pounds)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Ground black pepper
Lemon wedges for serving

Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place large rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Cut broccoli at juncture of florets and stems; remove outer peel from stalk. Cut stalk into 2- to 3-inch lengths and each length into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Cut crowns into 4 wedges if 3-4 inches in diameter or 6 wedges if 4-5 inches in diameter. Place broccoli in large bowl; drizzle with oil and toss well until evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt, sugar, and pepper to taste and toss to combine.
2. Working quickly, remove baking sheet from oven. Carefully transfer broccoli to baking sheet and spread into even layer, placing flat sides down. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until stalks are well browned and tender and florets are lightly browned, 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer to serving dish and serve immediately with lemon wedges.