Basically they are suggesting to bake/roast broccoli & cauliflower and kick up the flavor quotient with aromatic and umami ingredients.
There is no need to settle for plain steamed cauliflower or broccoli, however. There isn’t a cruciferous vegetable that couldn’t be made more compelling with garlic, red pepper and lemon, more delectable with a bit of oil, butter or cheese.
Here are the recipes found in the article.
Baked Romanesco Broccoli With Mozzarella and Olives
Sicilian cooks make a traditional cauliflower dish, using a pale-green variety that is baked with soft mild sheep’s milk cheese and studded with meaty black olives. It can also be made with Romanesco broccoli (confusingly called Roman cauliflower in English), the very bright chartreuse-colored cauliflower with pointy spiral florets you find at farmer’s markets. But regular white cauliflower is fine, and will give delicious results too.
INGREDIENTS
Salt and pepper
2 or 3 medium heads romanesco broccoli (about 3 pounds)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling baking dish
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
1 cup grated pecorino or Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
1 dozen soft black oil-cured olives, or another type of black olive, pitted
1 teaspoon roughly chopped capers
4 roughly chopped anchovy fillets
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
Pinch of dried oregano
Nutritional Information
PREPARATION
Put a large pot of well-salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut broccoli into quarters and trim away the core and any tough bits. Chop quarters into rough 2-inch cubes. Transfer to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water.
Lightly oil an earthenware baking dish. Arrange blanched broccoli in one layer. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Tear mozzarella slices and scatter over the top, then sprinkle with pecorino. Arrange olives here and there. In a small bowl, stir together capers, anchovy, garlic, red pepper and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Drizzle mixture evenly over the top.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until cheese has browned a bit and broccoli is tender when pierced with a fork. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with a good pinch of dried oregano.
Pan-Roasted Cauliflower With Garlic, Parsley and Rosemary
Nearly any vegetable tastes good browned in olive oil and showered with garlic, parsley and rosemary, but cauliflower is an especially good candidate for this technique. The inherent sweetness of cauliflower begs for a hit of lemon and hot pepper too. Serve hot or at room temperature.
NGREDIENTS
2 medium cauliflower heads (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon grated or finely minced garlic
½ teaspoon freshly chopped rosemary
½ cup roughly chopped parsley
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
¼ cup roasted salted almonds (homemade or store bought), roughly chopped
1 red fresno chile, thinly sliced, for garnish (optional)
Lemon wedges, for serving
Nutritional Information
PREPARATION
Cut each cauliflower in quarters and remove the core. Cut quarters into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Chop down wider slices so all are approximately the same jagged size.
Heat olive oil in a heavy wide skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add cauliflower and toss to coat using a metal spatula or flat wooden spoon. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Keeping heat brisk, repeatedly turn the cauliflower, letting the slices brown as they cook. Adjust heat as necessary to keep them sizzling nicely but not scorching. Continue to stir and flip the cauliflower until it is tender when pierced with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add crushed red pepper, garlic, rosemary, parsley and lemon zest. Stir well to coat and cook 1 minute more. Check seasoning, then transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with almonds and fresno chile, if using, and serve with lemon wedges.
Butter-Steamed Broccoli With Peppery Bread Crumbsere is an easy, elegant broccoli dish. If you wish, make the crumbs by pulsing cubes of day-old French bread in a food processor, but really any type of bread crumbs will do.
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cups coarse bread crumbs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Salt
1 large head or 2 medium heads broccoli (1/2 to 2 pounds)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, for shaving
Nutritional Information
PREPARATION
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread bread crumbs on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes, turning pan and stirring crumbs occasionally to ensure even browning. Remove from oven and transfer crumbs to a bowl. Stir in black pepper and salt to taste. Set aside at room temperature.
Cut off thick stems of broccoli and save for another purpose, such as soup. Cut broccoli tops into 3-inch-long spears of approximately equal size.
Put a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt butter, add broccoli spears and season with salt. Add 1 cup water, turn heat to high and cover skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Cook rapidly until firm-tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes. The broccoli should absorb all the butter and water. (If there is any buttery liquid left, spoon over broccoli just before serving.)
Transfer broccoli to a serving platter or a large wide shallow bowl. Sprinkle generously with peppery crumbs. Using a vegetable peeler, shave Parmesan into rough shards and scatter over the top.
