Roasted Bagna Cauda Broccoli
Breaking off the florets -- why are they called florets? Never liked that word.
Nice to see some green vegetables on this counter.
Merrill sprinkles the olive oil, while Amanda tosses the broccoli with her hands -- the cook's best tool.
For some reason, this photo reminded us of a shark coming up behind an innocent fish.
Meyer lemon making friends with the tablespoon.
And snubbing the anchovies.
Ingredients we love -- swoon!
The anchovies sink into the bubbling oil and butter and soon melt to pieces.
A splash of wine as mariaraynal says.
A big generous squeeze of the Meyer lemon is the way to go.
Assembly -- first spoon on some of the warm, fragrant sauce. Then sprinkle with toasted almonds. And finally, a light shower of grated Parmesan.
Author Notes: This dish reminds me of bagna cauda, with a twist. This rendering adds a few classic Caesar salad flavors, and toasted almonds, for fun. - mariaraynal —mariaraynal
Food52 Review: For a dish that's packed with assertive flavors -- garlic and anchovy -- it also contains a whole lot of subtlety. Roasting the broccoli caramelzes the tips, giving it both a little crispness and nuttiness. The nut flavor is echoed in the toasted almonds and a squeeze of Meyer lemon perks up the whole. This is a dish that's easy enough for a weeknight meal and impressive enough for a dinner party. - A&M —The Editors
Serves 4
- 1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 anchovy fillets
- a splash of white wine
- a big squeeze of lemon, preferably Meyer
- Parmesan cheese, for dusting
- 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat oven to 425. Arrange broccoli florets on a Silpat or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 20-25 minutes and remove.
- In a small skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and anchovy and saute for about three minutes. Add wine and lemon and allow to reduce for a minute or two. Season with black pepper if desired.
- Meantime, in another small skillet over medium heat, toast almonds until they are lightly browned, taking care not to burn them.
- Drizzle sauce and sprinkle almonds and parmesan cheese over broccoli, then serve. Or, dip the broccoli in the sauce at the table. Enjoy!
- Your Best Broccoli/Broccoli Rabe Dish Contest Winner!
More Great Recipes: Broccoli|Side Dishes|Vegetables|Olive Oil
7 months ago Linda
This is one of the most delicious roasted broccoli recipes I've ever made. I left out the anchovies and toasted almonds. It was fabulous without these two ingredients.
10 months ago Patricia Carr
I want to make this for Christmas dinner but my daughter is allergic to seafood. Do you think that the dish would be diminished by the lack of anchovies?
about 2 years ago NotTooSweet
Seriously delicious sauce! I love roasted broccoli and that sauce took it to a whole new level. The crunch of the almonds and dusting of cheese was also genius. Looking forward to using the sauce on lots of other roasted veggies. Thanks!
over 2 years ago bistrobistro
Delish!! I loved the sauce. Will make it again and again.
over 3 years ago hayley.marcus
After you make the sauce, what do you do with the anchovy filets - chop them up, remove them, or something else?
over 3 years ago mariaraynal
The anchovy fillets should melt into the sauce. You can also chops them up before adding them to the pan if you prefer.
over 3 years ago Sasutan
Yum. this is very good! its definitely a keeper!
over 4 years ago Eric W
Awesome. Subbed colatura for the anchovies, left out salt - cheese, colatura are enough.
over 4 years ago Westminstress
This was delicious! I subbed pinenuts for almonds and had no white wine, so used extra Meyer lemon for acidity. Served over polenta, and everybody loved it! Thanks for the great recipe.
over 4 years ago lschrive
This is delicious! My 21 month old daughter ate most of it before her Dad and I could get some! Thank you for this! Will try the dressing on other vegetables too!
over 5 years ago bottomupfood
This was incredible. I love the dressing on lots of other vegetables, too! Really good paired with a vegetable and a bit of polenta on the side.
over 5 years ago mariaraynal
You could even layer the broccoli atop the polenta and pour on some extra dressing... Bet that would be delicious too. Thanks for the idea!
over 5 years ago aussiefoodie
I was looking for a new way to cook broccoli, to perk up a weekend dinner at home. This was delicious! Roasting the broccoli gave it a whole new take, and the flavors of garlic, anchovies and lemon really gave the dish so much pizzaz! Thank you - so much better than boring steamed veg!
over 5 years ago mariaraynal
Thanks! One of the days I'm going to try the dressing over steamed veggies to shake things up.
over 5 years ago editrix
I thought I was a fan of roasted broccoli (and pretty much any other roasted veggie, especially those of the cruciferous sort) before . . . but your recipe has made me an evangelist! My mods: I used half and half proportions of butter and olive oil; I toasted a mixture of half almonds, half pine nuts since that was what I had on hand; and I grated some lemon zest into the bagna cauda for a little extra ooh-la-la. The anchovy umami blends with the nutty broccoli and toasted nuts in the most ingenious way, and I love the spark of citrus and wine to balance it out. Thank you for a recipe I'll go back to again and again (and again)!
over 5 years ago mariaraynal
Great edits to the recipe, and I love your user name! Thanks for making the recipe and posting about it!
over 5 years ago cookinginvictoria
I made this tonight, and it was devoured by my family. The flavors are so vibrant -- I loved the combination of anchovies, garlic and lemon in the sauce. No almonds in the house, so I substituted pine nuts. Such a yummy recipe -- I will definitely make this again. So nice to have another broccoli recipe in my arsenal. My five year old daughter loves eating broccoli so I am always looking for new ways to prepare it.
over 5 years ago mariaraynal
I'll bet the pine nuts were fantastic. I love to hear when kids enjoy eating broccoli and this recipe. Thank you for commenting!
over 5 years ago NuM NuM
This was INSANELY delicious! I could eat this all day everyday - what a pleasant surprise. Thanks for the recipe
over 5 years ago mariaraynal
Thank you so much for your comment -- loved reading it!
almost 6 years ago stinkycheese
This was delicious. I used cauliflower, and could imagine adapting this to many other roasted veggies. Thanks. It's the perfect way to "hide" anchovies, which my husband says he doesn't like. ;-)
over 5 years ago mariaraynal
I've found that so many people think they don't like anchovies until they taste them in a sauce or dressing like this. Cauliflower is a great idea. Thrilled that you enjoyed it!
almost 6 years ago ees
I made this tonight and it was amazing! I left out the anchovies and it still turned out perfectly. Thank you for the recipe!
almost 6 years ago mariaraynal
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
about 6 years ago ChefJune
June is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Looks delicious. I think I'd also like this treatment for Broccoli Rabe.
almost 6 years ago mariaraynal
What a great idea. Let me know if you ended up making it with rabe.
over 6 years ago Minimally Invasive
This was phenomenal. I made it last night without the almonds (we were out), added a BIG pinch of red pepper flakes and served it over pasta. I'm so glad I made enough for leftovers tonight. Great recipe!
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
I'm so glad you liked it, and I'm going to try it over pasta too. Smart thinking!
over 6 years ago Tribeca Mom
Just made it again. yummmy! My husband , kerry proposed to me on Valentines day 9 years ago, so I'm making a pre-Vday special dinner.
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
How sweet -- love it! Thanks.
over 6 years ago SallyM
This is the tastiest broccoli ever! Thank you for a great broccoli recipe!
almost 6 years ago mariaraynal
Really happy you liked it, thanks for commenting!
over 6 years ago jifferb
just made this - LOVED it! will make it again and again, thank you!
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Great to hear that you enjoyed it!
over 6 years ago melissav
We had this for dinner last and it was delicious!
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
I'm so happy to hear it, thanks for sharing. : )
over 6 years ago Savorykitchen
Making this tonight for dinner - can't wait!
over 6 years ago Savorykitchen
This was side for us last night with some grilled lamb - the anchovies were a really delicious counterpoint to the lamb. I mad ea few changes based on what I had at hand and the rest of menu: I used white anchovy fillets instead of canned or salt-packed, and I used crunchy breadcrumbs instead of nuts b/c I had them close to hand in the kitchen and I left out the cheese b/c the rest of the meal was already sort of rich.
Really delicious, thanks for sharing.
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Great edits to the recipe -- I definitely plan to try all the great adaptations.
over 6 years ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
I made this last night and our friend who was over for dinner said it was the best broccoli he has ever eaten!!!!
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Yay, great to hear!
over 6 years ago roryrabbitfield
I made this again tonight, using steamed lacinato kale instead of broccoli. I ate a huge bowlful, it is so yummy.
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Smart thinking. I bet cauliflower would be great, too. Thanks!
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Thanks again for all your wonderful comments and ideas!
over 6 years ago Maria Teresa Jorge
Congratulations, brilliant recipe.
almost 6 years ago mariaraynal
Thank you. High praise, coming from you!
over 6 years ago monkeymom
Wow was this totally amazing. Thanks so much for this...we eat so much broccoli in my house...it is great to have some options that make me look forward to eating it!
over 5 years ago mariaraynal
Always good to have options...
over 6 years ago teemee
Delicious! This is a keeper - Thank you!!!
over 5 years ago mariaraynal
Thank you!
over 6 years ago Lizthechef
OK, I finally have a reason to make me want to live in San Diego and NOT move back to NYC - our Meyer lemon trees...Hey, it has been over 30 years -
over 5 years ago mariaraynal
I am so envious of those Meyer lemon trees.
over 6 years ago roryrabbitfield
I made this last night, with my various substitutions (prefer to use what I have rather than buy new stuff). I used mostly caulliflower, but a few pieces of broccoli too. Roasted cauliflower is amazing, I think. I used walnuts instead of almonds, also very tasty. I increased the anchovies because I love them. Left out wine, didn't have any. Forgot to add cheese! Still, I think what I made was very close in spirit to the original recipe and I must say it was amazing! I will make this many times.
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
I'm loving all the variations you all are creating! Thanks for making the recipe and commenting!
over 6 years ago Littlepots
I make this dish fairly often in our house. I generally substitute breadcrumbs (panko works well here) for nuts, which I add in at the end to soak up any last bits of goodness from the sauce. Aleppo pepper adds a nice heat element to this as well.
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
More excellent ideas. I'm going to get into the kitchen and experiment.
over 6 years ago FreshLemonZest
So good, we all went back for 3rds!
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
That's so great to hear, thanks for posting!
over 6 years ago Tribeca Mom
This is the second time I've made this dish in less than a week...and I had to stop myself from making it last night. Love the anchovy/garlic flavor on a veggie that my whole family LOVES. Yes, even my 7 year old!
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
I love that your 7 year old will eat broccoli -- glad that you can add this to your repertoire!
over 6 years ago dinnerthyme
I made this dish last night but with pine nuts instead of almonds. It was delicious! My family loved it. I will make this again for friends.
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Great idea to add pine nuts. I'll try it myself! So glad you enjoyed it!
over 6 years ago AppleAnnie
I made this tonight, and even without some of the ingredients it was still the best broccoli I ever made. I used toasted sesame oil instead of the olive oil, and it helped pinch hit for the missing anchovies.
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Great, thanks! Toasted sesame oil sounds wonderful.
over 6 years ago sweet enough
this looks divine. I can't wait to try it.
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Let me know your thoughts, if you do.
over 6 years ago menumaniac
What a wonderful combination of flavours. I adore lemon, anchovies and garlic. And, I adore them even more on top of this broccoli. Fantastic recipe and one that I will make again and again. Mazel Tov Maria from FreshEats! Nice to see you as a finalist!
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Hope you like it! Thanks!
over 6 years ago Kelsey Banfield
Congrats Maria! This is awesome! I love the combination of the garlic and anchovy with the lemon butter and almonds. Yum!
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
I know -- it sort of makes you want to forget the broccoli and just go with the sauce. : )
over 6 years ago MrsWheelbarrow
Cathy is a trusted source on Pickling/Preserving.
YUM! What a bunch of good tastes! Congratulations, Maria!
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Aw, thanks, MrsWheelbarrow!
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Thanks so much for all your kind words!
over 6 years ago gabrielaskitchen
Toasted almonds and a squeeze of lemon make any good green veggie even better! I wouldn't have thought to add the anchovy, sounds delish.
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
The anchovy really adds a lot of great, nutty flavor. Thanks for commenting!
over 6 years ago Burp_blog
Gorgeous looking dish! I'm totally there!
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
So glad! : )
over 6 years ago WinnieAb
Lovely!
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Thank you!
over 6 years ago eatboutique
I like the almonds with the bagna cauda. Yum.
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Yes, they play off each other nicely.
over 6 years ago AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Love this! Definitely going to make it, soon.
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Let me know what you think!
over 6 years ago lastnightsdinner
Oh, YUM. I love bagna cauda, and this sounds like a great preparation for broccoli.
over 6 years ago mariaraynal
Roasted broccoli in any shape or form is terrific, isn't it.