Barefoot Bloggers: Sautéed Broccolini

This is my first bonus recipe.  Every month the Barefoot bloggers has a bonus recipe that you are not required to make - and this month they have two bonus recipes to make up for not having on last month.  This month I am not going to be able to make the other required recipe.  Actually it is not that I am not able - it is just that I know my wife will not eat it and I am not actually sure I would even like it.  The recipe was Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts chosen by Anne of Anne Strawberry (Sorry Anne).  My wife doesn't like tomato and I am not a big fan of goat cheese.  To make up for this I will make both of the bonus recipes.  It isn't really that much of a chore since both look good to me.

The first bonus recipe I made was the Sautéed Broccolini.  There wasn't really much too the recipe.  It did call for a quick blanch which is a little different - I think it is mostly just to help the broccolini keep the nice bright color and makes the saute time very quick.  

The reviews on this were mixed.  My wife was not very thrilled with it.  I can't say I was surprised because when I make her eat broccoli, she only eats the flower part and not the stem - broccolini is pretty much all stem.  I liked the recipe.  The garlic and lemon were nice.  I did serve this at the same meal as the Chicken Piccata which might not have been the best choice since the lemon got to be a bit much.  For the tie-break my 20 month old son loved the broccolini - which is pretty impressive since he only has front teeth to chew it with - it had to be a little difficult for him to eat.

Thanks to Mary of Meet me in the kitchen for this bonus pick.  It looks like she has some good kid stuff on her blog that I will have to check out.

Sautéed Broccolini

(Source: Barefoot Contessa Thanksgiving Episode)

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 bunch broccolini

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 lemon, zested

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Blanch the broccolini in a large pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain immediately and immerse in a bowl of ice water.
2. Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the lemon zest and garlic and stir. Drain the broccolini and add it to the garlic mixture and heat for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper, and toss well before serving.