Broccoli and Parmesan, Unite!

Even when plagued with guilt by my own frugal leanings, there are a few foods I absolutely refuse to cut corners on. They’re the ones with really lame substitutes, whose existence consistently bring joy and elation to my mouth. Ice cream is one. Pickles are another. Parmesan is the biggest.

Whereas real parm is akin to ambrosia, the synthetic stuff is a sin, like littering or hovering over the toilet so you pee on the seat and not in the bowl (LADIES). Bum parm tastes as if a manufacturer rounded up his Styrofoam surplus, ran it through a grinder, and shat it out into cans. Needless to say, ew.

This side dish, courtesy of Tyler Florence, is boosted greatly by the presence of real, honest-to-god parm. It creates a lovely, caramel-colored crust that not only provides some satisfying crunch, but compliments the hell out of the roasted veggie its paired with. The addition of the lemon makes it citrus-y fresh and somewhat bitter (but in a good way). For my purposes, I added a tad more cheese and cut the number of servings down, since we only had one head of broccoli.

Broccoli, Parmesan and Lemon
2 servings
1 small head broccoli (about 8 oz)
½ Tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
¼ lemon, juiced

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2) Trim about 1 inch off the ends of the broccoli stalks and cut the broccoli lengthwise into spears. Arrange the broccoli on a nonstick cookie sheet (lined with aluminum foil for easier cleanup – Kris), drizzle with some olive oil (or use your handy-dandy olive oil spray bottle – Kris) and season with a little bit of salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat evenly. Transfer to the oven and roast for 10 minutes.

3) Remove the broccoli from the oven and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and bake until the cheese melt and forms a crisp shell over the broccoli, about 10 minutes. Lift the broccoli out onto a platter with a spatula and drizzle with fresh lemon.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
100.5 calories, 7 g. fat, $0.72

Calculations
1 small head broccoli (about 8-10 oz): 25 calories, 0 g. fat, $0.80
½ Tbsp olive oil: 60 calories, 7 g fat, $0.04
Salt and freshly ground black pepper: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano: 110 calories, 7 g. fat, $0.48
¼ lemon, juiced: 6 calories, 0 g fat, $0.10
TOTAL: 201 calories, 14 g. fat, $1.44
PER SERVING (TOTAL/2): 100.5 calories, 7 g. fat, $0.72

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