Roasted Broccoli

                                                                              Photo by Sarah Shatz

My Roasted Broccoli with Smoked Paprika Vinaigrette and Marcona Almonds is a finalist for the broccoli contest on Food52.  Please stop by and vote for me if you have a minute!

If you haven't roasted broccoli before, hold onto your hat.  It is wild and delicious fun.  Honestly, I really wasn't that into broccoli until trying the roasted broccoli recipe in Ina Garten's newest cookbook. The roasting makes the broccoli intensely flavorful and yet much lighter, because it's not water-logged from boiling or steaming.  So fun!

My recipe roasts the broccoli according to Ina's method, and then douses it in a Spanish vinaigrette.  If you're in Central Texas, you can buy smoked paprika (get the sweet kind, not the hot kind!) in bulk at Central Market for about 20 cents.  Also, you really must try Marcona almonds if you haven't before.  They are fattier, and therefore more delicious versions of the almonds you know and love. This dish would be wonderful served as a small bite along with a few other tapas.

Roasted Broccoli with Smoked Paprika Vinaigrette and Marcona Almonds

• 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• kosher salt, for sprinkling
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 1/4 cup marcona almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the broccoli florets on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and a hefty sprinkling of kosher salt. Roast for 20 minutes.
2. While the broccoli is roasting, prepare the vinaigrette. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat until quite warm (about 2 minutes). Stir in the minced garlic and the smoked paprika and remove the pan from the heat. Let stand 10 minutes.
3. Put the sherry vinegar and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the paprika oil. Try to leave most of the solids (paprika and garlic) in the skillet, if possible.
4. After 20 minutes, remove the broccoli from the oven and toss the marcona almonds on top. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette, toss, and serve immediately.