Brocoli question

[akila001]

Hi! I ended up cooking some Italian brocoli last night, and the farmer had told me to put it in a oven pan, pour some olive oil, salt and pepper on top of the brocoli and let it cook until ready. Well beside getting more and more burnt, it never really cooked. Maybe I should have pre-cooked it in boiling water. I was curious to see if one of you had done it this way before.

[Austin_]

There's nothing wrong with oven-roasted broccoli. Can I see the recipe? A combination of overly high heat and cooking vegetables too long can be a disaster. Or perheaps you added way to much olive oil to the dish which cooked the broccoli a little bit too much. I'm also confused a little bit- you said it was both burnt and undercooked? If you want I could just give you an oven roasted broccoli recipe from T.V. chef Tyler florence or maybe I or another fellow member on cheftalk can solve the problem.

[siduri]

Some vegetables roast well, and others don;t. personally, i would never roast broccoli - too dry, and so it will do just what yours did, burn outside and stay undercooked inside. If you want to roast it, it would have to be covered, so the little liquid in the vegetable would steam it.
I'd say, roast zucchini, peppers, potatoes, carrots, fennel, eggplant, probably even cauliflower, but not broccoli.

[even stephen]

I like blanching it first in boiling salted water, then shocking
it in ice and water. Drain it. Saute it with garlic. For a more
substantial dish saute bulk or rope italian sausage, add spicey
chilis, then add garlic and rapini or wild broccoli. One meal, one
pan. I love rapini.

[panini]

"For a more
substantial dish saute bulk or rope italian sausage, add spicey
chilis, then add garlic and rapini or wild broccoli. One meal, one
pan. I love rapini."

Sorry, no post. I thought I read someone loved panini, sorry

[even stephen]

Although I am sure Panini is very attractive, without actually
seeing him, and considering I'm married, I will have to stick with,
"I love rapini"

[Suzanne]

Panini is married, too. And yes, he's cute (and you should see his fudge!!!).

Back on topic: Roasting broccoli is indeed difficult -- the florets tend to burn before the stalks are cooked. Used to make it at work, and fortunately no customers much minded. But at home, I separate the florets from the stalks, so that I can remove the florets and leave the stalks in the oven to caramelize more.

And I never expect roasting to make it soft, the way steaming or boiling does. But I like crunchy veg.