WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS For vivid green broccoli florets with flavorful char, there’s no beating the grill. To avoid toughness, we peeled the stalks with a vegetable peeler and cut the head into spears small enough to cook quickly but large enough to grill easily. Since grilling alone would yield dry broccoli, we tossed the spears in olive oil and water and steamed them in sealed foil packets on the grill. As soon as the stalks and florets were evenly cooked, we placed them directly on the grill to give them plenty of char. A squeeze of grilled lemon and a sprinkling of Parmesan sealed the deal. To keep the packs from tearing, use heavy-duty aluminum foil. Use the large holes of a box grater to shred the Parmesan.
Serves 6 to 8
TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon water
- Salt and pepper
- 2 pounds broccoli
- 1 lemon, halved
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut two 26 by 12-inch sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Whisk oil, water, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl.
- Trim stalks so each entire head of broccoli measures 6 to 7 inches long. Trim tough outer peel from stalks, then cut heads in half lengthwise into spears (stems should be ½ to ¾ inch thick and florets 3 to 4 inches wide). Add broccoli to oil mixture and toss well to coat.
- Divide broccoli between sheets of foil, cut side down and alternating direction of florets and stalks. Bring short sides of foil together and crimp tightly. Crimp long ends to seal packs tightly. 4a. For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of the grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes. 4b. For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high. (Adjust burners as needed to maintain grill temperature around 400 degrees.)
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Arrange packets evenly on grill (over coals if using charcoal), cover, and cook for 8 minutes, flipping packets halfway through cooking.
- Transfer packets to a rimmed baking sheet and, using scissors, carefully cut open, allowing steam to escape away from you. (Broccoli should be bright green and fork inserted into stalks should meet some resistance.)
- Discard foil and place broccoli and lemon halves cut side down on the grill (over coals if using charcoal). Grill (covered if using gas), turning broccoli about every 2 minutes, until stalks are fork-tender and well charred on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer broccoli to now-empty sheet as it finishes cooking. Grill lemon halves until well charred on cut side, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer broccoli to a cutting board and cut into 2-inch pieces. Transfer to serving platter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze lemon over broccoli to taste, sprinkle with Parmesan, and drizzle with extra oil. Serve.
VARIATIONS
- GRILLED BROCCOLI WITH ANCHORY-GARLIC BUTTER:
Omit lemon and Parmesan cheese. Whisk 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, 3 rinsed and minced anchovy fillets, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Drizzle butter mixture over broccoli before serving.
- GRILLED BROCCOLI WITH SWEET CHILI SAUCE:
Omit lemon and Parmesan cheese. Whisk 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, 2½ teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons Asian chili-garlic sauce, 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon salt together in bowl. Drizzle oil
mixture over broccoli before serving.
