This is Tejal, filling in for Melissa Clark.
I’ve been out at restaurants so much lately that, when I’m cooking at home, I’m drawn to whatever feels like the complete opposite of restaurant food — dishes that don’t involve too much construction or finishing. Dishes that you don’t even have to plate, ideally, but can serve right out of the pot or roasting dish.
But by the time I’d read through Alexa Weibel’s recipe for roasted broccoli — a dish built in three distinct layers, a dish that goes against all of my current self-imposed rules — I knew I had to make it!
Featured Recipe
Roasted Broccoli With Whipped Tofu and Chile Crisp Crunch
Here are the three parts:
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A soft, creamy base of generously seasoned tofu whipped with cashew butter
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A big pile of tender but still sliiiightly crisp broccoli roasted with olive oil and soy sauce
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A shaggy, crunchy top of breadcrumbs and roughly chopped cashews shimmering with chile crisp
The brilliance of this recipe is that it presents like a “restaurant dish” — it’s so thoughtful about flavor and presentation and texture — but it’s strategized for a home cook who wants the maximum amount of beauty and deliciousness for the least amount of work (me!).
The dish came together in just under 30 minutes, and it’s officially a new protein-rich vegetarian recipe in my rotation. Alexa says the whipped tofu is optional, but it’s so fast to make in the mini food processor or blender, and it gives the broccoli a bit of unexpected but deserved opulence. Don’t skip it!
On the subject of broccoli: I’ve also been really into Sohla El-Waylly’s quinoa and broccoli spoon salad, often mixing up the cheese, nuts and dried fruit components. And I still turn to Meera Sodha’s malai broccoli as well as the old Alice Waters recipe for long-cooked broccoli, letting a few anchovies dissolve in the oil with the garlic and chile flakes.
How is there still a head of broccoli in the fridge? I couldn’t answer that. But you could use it to make Lidey Heuck’s sheet-pan salmon and broccoli with sesame and ginger or Kay Chun’s coconut-gochugang glazed chicken with broccoli. If extra-firm tofu — instead of soft and whipped — is more your speed, don’t miss Hetty Lui McKinnon’s lemongrass tofu and broccoli, which involves a simple, delicious lemongrass marinade that you can apply to other ingredients as well.
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Thanks for having me. You’ll see Melissa back here on Wednesday.
