Description
Grilled broccoli is one of the most flavorful and easiest and ways to prepare broccoli. Grilling adds a smoky charred essence and helps avoid the all too common, overcooked and limp broccoli. A hot skillet delivers the pan vinaigrette of sizzling pancetta and blistered tomatoes made sweeter and extra juicy from the heat. Rounded out with the warm mellowness of sautéed shallots, garlic and garlic scapes, then brightened with Champagne vinegar and lemon.
Scale
Ingredients
- 5–7 slices pancetta, chopped
- 1 large bunch broccoli, trimmed and cut into large florets with stems attached (peel stems for presentation, helps with tougher stems)
- 20–25 cherry tomatoes
- 3–5 garlic scapes, rough chop into smaller pieces
- 1 clove garlic, cut crosswise into thin slices
- ½ large shallot, minced
- 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
- Olive oil, as needed
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1–1½ teaspoons champagne vinegar (we used O Citrus Champagne Vinegar)
- Parmesan cheese for grating
- salt and freshly ground pepper, season as you go
- balsamic vinegar for finishing
Instructions
- Preheat a grill and medium skillet to medium-high heat. Coat bottom of hot skillet with olive oil, add pancetta, and cook until fat renders and crisps up a bit, 5–6 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Coat broccoli in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until crisp-tender and lightly charred, rotating occasionally, 5–10 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish.
- Return skillet with pancetta to the heat, add tomatoes, toss and cook over medium-high heat for 1–1½ minutes, or until tomatoes begin to blister and juices release. Add garlic scapes and sliced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Toss in shallots, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook for another minute.
- Finish tomato vinaigrette by stirring in mustard, lemon zest and juice, and champagne vinegar. Slowly add about 2 tablespoons olive oil as you shake pan vigorously to emulsify vinaigrette.
- Spoon tomato vinaigrette over broccoli and finish with grated Parmesan and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately.
- Category: side dish
- Method: grill