The path to a delicious vegetable side is easier than it seems. For me, half the work is just washing the vegetables and giving them time to dry before I start cooking. These days, I take a second as soon as I’m home to rinse my produce and set it out to dry while I think of what to make. In the winter, roasting is the obvious choice. But now that it’s spring, I’ve had enough of hot ovens and scrubbing roasting pans. And anyway, a good sauté takes about 10 minutes and can be just as flavorful.
In this case, slender broccolini is seared in a hot pan until a little char develops on both sides, then it gets a quick steam. The broccolini cooks up to a vibrant hue. It’s tender, suffused with olive oil and salt, and has a perfect amount of snap.
The broccolini are drizzled with a lemony tahini sauce that’s forgiving, versatile, and delicious. The tahini sauce recipe will leave you with plenty extra, so make a plan to drizzle it on everything with abandon. Add as much spicy heat to the broccolini or sauce as you like.
I like the dish best served hot, but it’s also great at room temp or as cold leftovers. Alongside the main elements, add a pan-seared protein – fish, chicken, or tofu – and a grain to make the side into a full meal.
About Broccolini
Broccolini is a variety of broccoli with more long, tender green stems. It looks a lot like broccoli rabe, but doesn’t have the same bitterness (meaning my kids will eat it). Swap in broccoli or cauliflower cut into long, stemmy florets, or use broccoli rabe or rapini (rabe’s leafy cousin). Later in the season, a similar approach can be applied to leafy spring greens.
Sautéed Broccolini with Lemony Tahini Sauce
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