Broccolini with Grilled Lemon, Pine Nuts and Aleppo Chile

Photograph by Matt Lien

From Yahoo Food’s Cookbook of the Week: The New Mediterranean Table by Sameh Wadi

Broccolini with Grilled Lemon, Pine Nuts and Aleppo Chile
6-8 servings

I love broccolini. The entire vegetable is edible, but my favorite part is the stalk. To me, the flavor is less bitter than broccoli and with a sweetness that is closer to asparagus without the astringency. These flavors are balanced with some heat from the Aleppo chile and a good amount of acid from the grilled lemons. It may seem that grilling lemons is too much work, but, trust me, it’s not. 

Sea salt 
1 lb broccolini 
3 lemons, seeded, 1 thinly sliced crosswise, 2 halved 
Canola oil, for brushing 
1 small shallot, finely minced 
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 
1 tbsp unsalted butter 
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
¼ cup pine nuts 
1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 
1 tbsp finely minced chives 
Ground Aleppo chile, to garnish

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to high heat.

Fill a large bowl with salted ice water. In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the broccolini until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Drain immediately and immerse in the ice water to cool completely. Drain and pat dry with a paper towel.

Brush the lemon slices and halves with oil and grill over high heat. Turn the slices and cook until lightly charred, 2–3 minutes total. Grill the halves on the cut side until heavily charred, around 5–7 minutes, and let cool. Transfer the slices to a cutting board and let cool. Finely dice and reserve in a mixing bowl. Squeeze the grilled halves to extract the juice. Strain the juice and combine with the diced grilled lemon. Add the shallot, fresh lemon juice and season with salt. Let marinate for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over moderate heat, add the butter and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the olive oil. Once the butter starts to bubble, add the pine nuts and stir continually until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove the pine nuts from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the broccolini and toss to warm up for about 5 minutes, adding a small amount of olive oil if necessary.

Combine the rest of the olive oil with the grilled lemon and shallot mixture; add the parsley and chives and whisk to combine. Divide the broccolini among individual serving plates. Spoon some of the grilled lemon mixture over it, and garnish with the pine nuts and a sprinkling of Aleppo chile.

Chef’s Tip: Alternatively, you could grill the broccolini after blanching for a smoky charred flavor.

Roasted Radishes With Brown Butter Reprinted with permission from The New Mediterranean Table by Sameh Wadi (Page Street Publishing).

Looking for more vegetable dishes to try this summer?

Roasted Radishes With Brown Butter 

Grilled Zucchini and Green Onions

Spicy Horseradish Beet Salad