Roasted Broccolini

The secret to great broccolini – at least as far as I'm concerned – is blanching it first (cooking it briefly in boiling salted water), then roasting it till it's meltingly delicious. You can do this with any amount of broccolini – one bunch, two bunches, a pound, two pounds, whatever; just use a little more or less olive oil and salt accordingly. Sometimes I skip the black pepper and use a pinch of red pepper flakes, Aleppo pepper or Espelette pepper instead.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds broccolini, ends trimmed

Salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes (such as chile flakes, Aleppo pepper or Espelette)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is heating, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the water is boiling rapidly, add the broccolini, blanch for about 1 minute. Drain and run cold water over it to stop the cooking and keep the color bright. 

2. Shake all the water off the broccolini and transfer it to a baking sheet, lined with a Silpat mat, if you like (for easier clean-up), though it's not necessary. Distribute the broccolini on the pan so it's in one layer. Roast for 20 minutes, or until tender. Serve immediately or later at room temperature.