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
Adapted from Tyler Florence.

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 oven 400°F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with Pam.

2) Chop 1 inch off broccoli stalks and slice lengthwise into smaller stalks/spears. Place broccoli on cookie sheet. Drizzle or spray with a little olive oil. Season with salt and a little extra pepper to taste. Stir to coat broccoli evenly. Roast 10 minutes.

3) Take broccoli out of oven and douse evenly with cheese. Roast another 10 minutes or so, until cheese is melted and crisp. Place broccoli in serving bowl, squeeze lemon over it, and serve.

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

Posted in: Sides,Vegetarian