Roasted Broccolini with Feta and Almonds

Broccolini is a bit more subtle than broccoli on the flavor front and has delicious, tender stems. You can usually find broccolini in stores year round, but it reaches its peak from about November to April. This recipe can be easily adapted a number of ways. For a vegan option, simply omit the feta cheese. If you want to keep it extra simple, just a light squeeze of lemon after roasting will add just a touch of acid to brighten up the veg.

Yield: about 4 side servings

Ingredients

• 1 bunch broccolini (about 8 oz.)

• Extra virgin olive oil (for drizzling)

• Kosher Salt

• Fresh ground black pepper

• Red pepper flake (optional)

• 1 lemon (for zest and juice)

• 1 to 2 oz. feta cheese (preferably a high quality, Greek feta), crumbled

• 1/4 cup almonds*

• Microplane grater

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Give the broccolini a quick wash and gently pat dry. Trim off about an inch from end of the stems. Arrange the broccolini onto a baking sheet in a single layer - you want the vegetables to roast, not steam.

Drizzle the broccolini with about a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. If you enjoy a bit of spice, season with a pinch of red pepper flake as well.

Broccolini on baking sheet, before roasting

Roast for about 15 minutes, turning once. The broccolini is done roasting when lightly browned and the stems are fork tender. If you’re using convection, cut the roasting time down to about 11-12 minutes.

While the broccolini is in the oven, crumble the feta cheese. Lightly chop the almonds and toast in a dry skillet until fragrant and very lightly browned. Set aside.

Broccolini on baking sheet, after roasting

Transfer the roasted broccolini from the baking sheet to a serving platter. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds and crumbled feta cheese. Using the Microplane grater, zest about half of the lemon over the top of the broccolini. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the broccolini. Finish with a very light drizzle of olive oil over the top (this is optional, but I found it brought everything together a bit more). Season as needed with salt and pepper (careful on the salt addition until after you taste it, since the feta will add a salty note as well).

Notes

*We recommend using raw almonds over any salted versions in order to control the salt in this recipe. You could also use blanched, sliced almonds or slivered almonds as well.