TL/DR – Lemony Garlicky Broccoli. Lemon zest, garlic, butter, salt and pepper make broccoli into a delicious and zippy side dish. –
Ah, yes. It’s my old friend, broccoli.
This recipe for Lemony Garlicky Broccoli is an attempt to make the mundane (and healthy) more exciting. When I was in my early 20’s, out on my own in the world, I had a belief that serving myself steamed broccoli several times a week with dinner would somehow protect me from illness and destruction. I’m pretty sure that notion is true, so I still serve broccoli frequently.
Lemon zest, finely grated garlic, and butter are compatible flavors. I also add course sea salt, which can be pricey but this is one of those dishes that totally justifies using the fancy salt.
Steam the broccoli to your desired firmness. (I’ve always been a 6 and a half minute broccoli steamer.) Then grate fresh garlic and lemon zest using a microplane grater into some butter as it melts and cook it on very low heat until the kick of the garlic has subsided. Add the broccoli back into the pot and toss, then serve with a bit of fancy coarse sea salt sprinkled on top.
Lemony Garlicky Broccoli
A tasty way to make broccoli more interesting.
Ingredients
- Florets from 1 large head of broccoli, cut in half or thirds
- 2T unsalted butter
- Zest of one lemon
- One small garlic clove, finely grated
- Course sea salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
- Step 1 1. Steam the broccoli florets to desired doneness. 6 – 7 minutes from the time the stove is turned on yields a crisp-tender texture.
- Step 2 2. Remove steamed broccoli from pot, set aside and empty the water from the pot.
- Step 3 3. Over low heat, add the butter to the pot and allow to melt.
- Step 4 4. Add the lemon zest and the garlic and cook over low heat for around 3 minutes or until garlic has lost its kick. Do not allow anything to brown.
- Step 5 5. Remove butter mixture from the heat and toss the broccoli florets, making sure to coat well.
- Step 6 6. Place broccoli in a serving dish and sprinkle with course sea salt and ground black pepper. Serve immediately.
