Recipe video above. I think that roasting is the best way to cook broccolini. It brings out the flavour and you get crunchy golden tips - the best part! It makes a wonderful side dish eaten plain, but if you drizzle it with a simple Tahini Sauce and sprinkle with nuts, it becomes company-worthy as an impressive side dish OR a main served with crusty bread or stuffed into flatbreads.Especially brilliant served with all things Middle Eastern.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Course: Light mains, Sides
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keyword: broccolini, tahini sauce
Servings: 4
Calories: 182cal
Author: Nagi
Ingredients
500g/1 lbbroccolini, ends trimmed (3 standard bunches in Australia)
1tbspextra virgin olive oil
1/4tspeach salt and pepper
1garlic clove, finely minced
Tahini Sauce:
1/4cuptahini
2.5tbspwater
1.5tsphoney
1tbsplemon juice
1/2garlic clove, pressed through garlic crusher or grated using microplan (to make sauce smooth)
1/4tspeach salt and pepper
Garnish:
1/4cupflaked almonds, pine nuts or pistachios, toasted (Note 2)
Sauce: Mix Tahini Sauce ingredients until combined. It should be loose enough so it can be drizzled, but not too runny. Set aside 15 minutes.
Toss broccolini: Pile broccolini on tray, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic.
Roast for 12 - 15 minutes until the broccolini floret ends are dark brown and crunchy (the best part!), and the broccolini stem is just tender. (But if you want it really soft, lower temp to 180C/350F and cook 20 min).
Plate up: Transfer to serving plate, allow to cool until warm. Drizzle over tahini sauce, sprinkle with almonds or pine nuts and serve! Excellent served warm OR at room temp.
Variations
The Tahini Sauce goes brilliantly with other roasted vegetables too, including: carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans and asparagus.
Notes
1. Broccolini preparation - rinse and trim the woody tips off, then it's ready to cook! Leaves and flowers can be eaten.2. Tahini - sesame sauce used in hummus. Use hulled, not unhulled (more bitter). Do not substitute with Chinese sesame paste or sauce which you might have (I always have it for Dan Dan Noodles, made that mistake once - flavour is way too intense).Tahini oil separates in the jar so give it a really good mix with a butter knife before using. If it's hard to mix together (some brands are better than others - I like Mayver's) you can also give it a quick zap in the microwave for 20 seconds to warm it up, makes it much easier to mix.3. How to serve this dish:
Plain roasted broccolini (ie without tahini sauce) - as a side dish for "anything" With sauce - as an impressive side dish, particularly great with anything Middle Eastern/Arabic/Turkish (like these Koftas)
As a meal - really great as part of a lunch spread of salad options which is how I've served it multiple times. See in post for ideas for other salads to add to the menu!
4. Source: This recipe comes to you via Yotam Ottolenghi - except I found I needed to adjust the salt way down and adjust the sauce quantities to make it drizzle-able (is that a word?).5. Nutrition per serving.