Friday, December 18, 2009

broccoli popcorn



I have been wanting to try this out since season 6 Top Chef winner, Michael Voltaggio, made it on the season finale a couple of weeks ago. The remaining 3 contestants were tasked with a challenge to make something inspired by their favorite childhood dish. Michael did a play on broccoli, which he said he hated as a child.

Broccoli popcorn.

Intriguing.

When a head of broccoli showed up in the CSA delivery last week, I knew it was time to give it a go.

A search on the internet for broccoli popcorn doesn't yield much. But it did lead me to discover a new blog - Fatal Foodies (a group of mystery writers and food lovers!) - and a post on broccoli popcorn. Rather than fried, as Michael has prepared it, the Fatal Foodies' version is baked in a super hot oven. It turned out just as I was imagining.

Broccoli Popcorn
Serves 2

2 heads broccoli, cut into small florets
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
sea salt & freshly ground pepper
a couple pinches of red pepper flakes

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss the broccoli with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl until the oil and seasonings are well distributed. Bake broccoli in a glass baking dish, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until crisp and beginning to brown.

Warning: highly addictive. By the time I finished photographing this dish, I'd eaten the whole plate!

2 comments:

  1. Roasted broccoli is THE BEST THING EVER. Try cauliflower too!

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  2. After seeing the Top Chef espisode, my 10 year old son asked me to make popcorn broccoli. Voltaggio's recipe seemed too complicated so I just dipped the florets in butter and baked them to death. He loves it but I think I'll try this recipe instead!
    Thanks for posting it.

    ReplyDelete

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