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Over the course of our lives, we all fall victim in one way or
another to a good sale. I recently fell victim to a broccoli sale. Yes, you
read that right, broccoli. What can I tell you? It was a great deal. Little did
I realize how far that 2-pound bag of broccoli florets would take me. You are
the winners here because I did end up with some unique and wonderful recipes
that I would encourage you to try, although unlike me, not in four days of
succession. We won’t even go there.
The first that I’m going to share makes use of fresh seasonal basil as well as
broccoli. This is so good that I was, quite literally, eating it with a spoon.
Who needs pasta when you have something this tasty? Aside from a quick blanch
of your florets, this goes together in a flash.
Broccoli and Basil Pesto
1½ c. broccoli florets*
1 c. packed fresh basil leaves
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 t. lemon zest
2 large garlic cloves
¼ c. Parmesan cheese
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
Freshly grated black pepper, be generous
Bring a rather large pot of boiling water
of water to a boil and add florets. Allow water to return to the boil, and boil
for 30 seconds. Immediately empty into a strainer
to drain, and then flip into a waiting pan of ice water to chill in order to
stop further cooking. Drain and place in a food
processor. Add remaining ingredients, and process until smooth. If it’s too
thick for your liking, add a little more olive oil, if it’s too thin, add a
little more Parmesan cheese.
*These don’t have to be small, mine were large. Don’t trouble yourself to break
them down into tiny bits.
