For as long as I can remember I've loved broccoli. It went with about everything...steak, chicken stir-fry, pasta, or even turkey and dressing. My mom didn't have to remind me to eat my veggies when broccoli was on the plate, and to this day, I'll eat right through a big bowl of it. Not everyone has a love affair with vegetables though. For those less enthused about nature's catch of the day, here's a quick stove-top method for turning almost any vegetable into a dynamite weeknight side dish.
My wife doesn't share my same enthusiasm for broccoli — she's one of those people who find the vegetable too bitter. But when blackened over high heat with some red chili pepper flakes, a pinch of kosher salt and a squeeze of lemon, even broccoli...or asparagus...or brussel sprouts (ok, maybe I'm pushing it with the sprouts) is something she'll enjoy. This is how to turn up the heat.
How To Pan-Sear Any Vegetable for a Quick Weeknight Side Dish
What You Need
Ingredients
1 lb veggie of choice — like broccoli, asparagus, brussel sprouts, or carrots
1-2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, olive oil, or other favorite cooking oil
Pinch red pepper flakes
Kosher salt (to taste)
1/2 lemon
Tools
Large skillet or wok
Spoon
Instructions
1. Rinse, dry, and chop the vegetables. Rinse the vegetables under cool water, dry them thoroughly, and then chop them into bite-sized pieces. You want a blackened, slightly charred exterior on these vegetables, so the drier the vegetable the better the crust.2. Add the oil to the stir-fry pan and heat over medium-high to high heat. Add just enough oil to film the bottom of the pan with a thin coating. Since this method requires cooking at high heat, using an oil that has a higher smoke point like grapeseed oil will be best; however, olive oil will also work fine if you don't have grapeseed on hand. Just watch the temperature more carefully so you don't smoke up the kitchen.
3. Add the vegetables to the hot pan. When the oil begins to shimmer and you see a slight wisp of smoke, add the vegetables to the pan. Sprinkle the red pepper flakes and salt over the vegetables. Lay the lemon cut-side down on the bottom of the pan.
4. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, undisturbed. Cover the pan with a lid and let the vegetables cook without stirring for two minutes, until they are blackened on the underside. I'm a guy who loves to flip and stir things, but for this I have to tell myself to wait and it'll be worth it. Now's a good time to pour a glass of wine or open a beer.
5. Remove lid and check on the doneness. Give the vegetables a quick toss and let the other side blacken for another 1-2 minutes.
6. Remove veggies from pan, and finish with the squeeze of lemon. Transfer the vegetables to a serving platter or individual plates. Squeeze the blackened lemon half over the vegetables, and enjoy.
Related: How to Roast Any Vegetable
(Images: Chris Perez)
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Love this - it's my favorite way to do broccoli.
I love broccoli! I definitely wanna try this recipe. It looks awesome! I betcha cauliflower would work really well too!
Maria Tadic
http://beanafoodie.com/blog
I did something similar with brussels sprouts and carrots, and my seven-year-old son loved it!! I added some cashews and tamari, so it's a little more complicated, but still super-easy!
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/12/16/isaacs-magic-brussels-sprouts/
I've become a huge fan of this cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Fresh-Green-Susie-Middleton/dp/0811865665, as she breaks down veggie cooking into 8 ways, roasting, braising, hands-on sauteing, walk walkaway sauteing, two stepping (par-boiling,then pan frying) no-cooking, stir frying, and grilling.
When kale is super cheap, I buy big bunches of it, and use her method to cook it quickly in lightly salted water, and then freeze it for later additions to stir fries, soups, and stews.
Per her instructions, peppers, broccoli and cauliflower can be pan-sauteed between 7 - 14 min.
We've definitely increased our vegetable consumption thanks to her book!
why have i never thought of putting a lemon wedge in the pan? that's brilliant!
I do something like this, and add a bit of sesame oil.
But I also have a question - any reason I can't use my salad spinner to get the water off the broccoli?
This will get me eating my broccoli! I use a cast iron skillet, which really needs very little oil, I like a bit of sesame oil, for flavor. I also use the skillet to cook southern greens like kale, turnip greens, etc and then add a bit of shredded asagio. Heaven!
The only thing I add is some freshly grated (quality) parmesan or gruyere cheese.
The kids love it!
I would boil the vegetables previously and barely chop them.
I followed this recipe exactly (using broccoli) and it turned out wonderfully. It couldn't have been easier or more delicious. The lemon adds terrific flavour. This will be a new staple for me!
This sounds easy enough! Cheers!
Yay! Great to hear. Thanks so much erincee.
The lemon in the pan idea is incredible producing the most delicious results. We had two heads of broccoli as a side dish and I could have eaten another head all by myself.