Author Notes: The discovery of this instant-hit dish was a late-night dinner on short supplies. Devoid of lettuce, I turned to the bag of gourmet brand but still mistrusted frozen broccoli in the freezer for a quick way to inject some green into the meal. The result was a delightful shock to me and the whole family.
I chose the name because I’ve never seen broccoli disappear so fast! The entire bag vanished off the baking tray in just a few minutes- the amount of time it takes to whip this delicious dish up. If you want to see an instant scattering of broccoli to every corner of the dinner table, this recipe is a sure bet. Everyone from meat-loving Dads to pasta-purist little sisters will be sold on this quick, easy, dish.
Perhaps the most miraculous thing about disappearing broccoli, however, is its versatility. For an asian flair, you can try mixing fresh ginger, soy, and cooking sake with the garlic. To bring some heat to the dish, sprinkle on cayenne (or your favorite hot pepper) just before baking with the salt and pepper. Any combination of herbs and seasonings that you and your family like will go wonderfully, and if there happens to be any broccoli left, it’s wonderful to add to any dish lacking in greens. I love adding it to shakshuka, or any baked egg dish, and it would probably go well in a red pasta sauce. If you’re not careful, you may find it creeping into all your favorite dishes in no time. —Danielle
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
-
5
cups frozen broccoli
-
2-3
medium/large garlic cloves
-
generous
splashes extra virgin olive oil
-
pinches salt and pepper
-
pinches other seasonings (optional)
Directions
- First, put your broccoli in a big glass (or other microwave safe) bowl, and fill with water until all of the broccoli is covered.
- Microwave for 3-4 minutes depending on the strength of your microwave. The broccoli should be cooked but not soft. If any is still frozen, put it in for another 20-30 seconds.
- Drain water off of broccoli, leaving in bowl.
- Put an oven rack in the top third of the oven and set to high broil and line a cookie tray with silver foil. Do NOT grease the tray, as you will be adding oil with the broccoli.
- Crush garlic through garlic press or mince as finely as possible, and add to the drained broccoli. Mix in the garlic, doing your best to coat it in the garlic. It isn’t going to stick very well, so don’t worry if it keeps falling off. If you want to add any liquid seasonings (such as soy sauce, etc.) you should add them now. I recommend using no more than 2-3 tablespoons.
- Dump the garlic and broccoli onto the cookie tray, spreading evenly. Make sure to scoop any loose garlic out of the bottom of the bowl and sprinkle it on the broccoli. You may need to hand-toss the broccoli a bit on the tray to make sure as much of the garlic as possible stays on the broccoli.
- Drizzle your olive oil over the broccoli, and sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, and any additional herbs or dry seasonings.
- Put the tray in the oven and broil for 10-15 minutes, or until the florets are brown and crisp looking around the edges and appear to be well roasted. Some parts will get more roasted and crisp than others, and since the broccoli is cooked all ready it’s up to you how long they roast for. If you like crisper, and darker broccoli, leave it longer. For a milder roast, reduce the time.
- Take out of oven, and serve hot. Make sure to scrape the loose garlic off the baking tray for maximum flavor.
