Do you want to know my secret to perfectly cooked green vegetables?
I’ll give you a hint…it has to do with a certain cooking technique. If you guessed blanching, then you’re correct! Blanching is when you cook food, usually vegetables, in boiling water for a brief period of time and then submerge them in an ice water bath until chilled through. Many use this technique to par-cook the vegetables before grilling or sautéing, as it stops the cooking process and helps keep their color more vibrant.
I use this technique for Broccolini before I sauté it as you’ll see in the recipe below.
I love broccolini because it’s slightly sweeter than broccoli and looks like asparagus. I think it’s an elegant choice for a vegetable and great for weeknight meals as well as dinner parties.
In this recipe you’ll get the creaminess from the Parmesan, the crunchiness from the almonds, and a hint of acidity from the lemon. It’s a perfect trifecta!
Ingredients
- 2 bunches broccolini about 8 total, ½ inch trimmed off the stem
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 4 cups water
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic sliced lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
- Wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Instructions
- Bring water, 4 tablespoons of salt, and ½ of the lemon juice to a boil in a deep skillet. Add in the broccolini and cook for 3 minutes, until just tender. Immediately place the broccolini into an ice water bath until chilled through, then drain. Discard the lemon water. At this point you can keep the broccolini one day ahead of time in the refrigerator.
- Heat the oil in the same skillet that you used to blanch the broccolini over medium heat. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add in the broccolini in an even layer. Cover and cook for 1 ½ minutes. Uncover, flip the broccolini to allow them to brown on the other side, and add in the almonds. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a plate, sprinkling the almonds on top. Using a microplane, grate the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese evenly over the broccolini, using as much as you’d like. Serve and enjoy!
