I’ve made a broccoli pesto from thekitchn.com a few times this year. And while we enjoy it, it relies heavily on feta for a flavor boost. Many of the other broccoli pesto recipes I found online call for chicken stock (who needs it), and most some kind of dairy. While I’m usually not opposed to a handful of Parmesan, I wanted to make a dish that stood alone in its vegetable goodness.
To achieve more complex flavors without my dairy vice, I roasted the broccoli along with red onions and garlic cloves, rather than blanching or sauteeing the vegetables. I love roasted broccoli. Period. And I assumed that it would make a solid foundation for the pesto. The other characters in the recipe are none too surprising: olive oil, lemon juice and zest, red pepper flakes, and pine nuts. (I added chopped tomato for garnish, but it’s not necessary.)
If the pesto lacked umph, I mentally reserved the right to add some cheese at the end of the preparation, but it wasn’t necessary. We have a new standard.
Roasted Broccoli Pesto
3 medium broccoli crowns with stems
1/2 red onion, cut into thick crescents
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
8 ounces pasta
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup water (preferably pasta cooking water)
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°. Remove the broccoli stems from the crowns. Cut off the tough end of the stems, slice away the thick skin, and chop stems into 1/2-inch chunks. Cut the broccoli crowns into hefty spears. Combine broccoli, onion, and garlic in a large bowl, and toss to coat with 1/3 cup olive oil. Spread vegetables onto a greased baking sheet, add a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper, and roast for 30 to 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Cook pasta according to package directions, and drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid.
Remove broccoli from the oven. Transfer all of the onion and 3/4 of the broccoli to a food processor, reserving remaining broccoli. Remove skin from roasted garlic, and add garlic to the processor along with red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and reserved pasta water. Pulse until mixture is smooth and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Chop remaining broccoli into bite-size pieces, and combine with pasta and broccoli pesto. Top with toasted pine nuts. Serve immediately.
Serves 4