Roasted broccoli is good. Here’s how to make it great.I had no idea how deeply I’d fallen into a broccoli rut until Ali Slagle came along and dug me out of it. Forever now, I get a bunch at the farmers’ market, cut it up, toss it with oil and salt and stick it in the oven at high heat, adding grated Parmesan or a pinch of cumin seeds at the halfway point. A wedge of lemon squeezed on top at the end, and it’s showtime. No one has ever complained; savory, reliable and easy enough to make on autopilot, this broccoli is the go-to crucifer at Chez Clark. But, as Ali has recently reminded me, there’s so much more you can do with those gorgeously caramelized florets. She shares this expanded broccoli vista in her latest piece for New York Times Cooking. 7 Ways to Make Your Roasted Broccoli BetterMy first foray from her well-considered list might well be her roasted broccoli with vinegar-mustard glaze, which is simple enough to make right in the sheet pan after roasting. Just throw a few cubes of butter, a spoonful of mustard and a dash of vinegar into the hot pan, then toss everything together. Voilà, an extra-special broccoli banger that would be perfect next to some seared fish (like Vallery Lomas’s intensely spiced blackened fish with quick grits), or nestled on a mound of rice. Dinner is sorted, as our British friends would say. Broccoli, either roasted or perhaps steamed with lemon, would also be a wonderful accompaniment to Pierre Franey’s chicken breasts with tomatoes and capers. With over 4,000 ratings, this five-star recipe was a standout of the 60-Minute Gourmet series that Pierre wrote for The New York Times in the 1990s. The chicken is briefly sautéed until lightly browned, then shallots, capers, tomatoes and white wine are added to the pan to simmer down into a speedy sauce. This weeknight meal has the evergreen stamp of Pierre’s French finesse. For something with more kick, Sherry Rujikarn brings us a new recipe for a deeply spiced tom yum goong soup. In this zesty Thai classic, shrimp, galangal and lime leaves are cooked into a heady broth that’s enlivened with nam prik pao (Thai roasted chile paste). Serve the soup solo for a light and complex meal, or add rice, noodles or a boiled egg for more heft. There’s no broccoli, or seafood or chicken for that matter, in Hetty Lui McKinnon’s crispy gnocchi with spinach and feta. Inspired by Greek spanakopita, Hetty has transformed those cheesy phyllo pies into a chewy-textured, 25-minute meatless meal with scads of color and panache. Now for dessert, the Jewish holiday of Purim begins tomorrow night, and is typically celebrated with triangular cookies called hamantaschen. These tender morsels are stuffed with all manner of sweet concoctions, including mixes of dried fruit, jam, chocolate and nuts. Joan Nathan stays close to tradition in her version, filling them with poppy seeds, raisins and citrus. The cookies are chewy, buttery and all too easy to devour, dunked into a cup of coffee or tea. As always, you’ll want to subscribe to access all these smart recipes and so many more (in the realm of tens of thousands more). If you need any technical help, the folks at cookingcare@nytimes.com are there just to help you out. And I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hi. That’s all for now. See you on Monday.
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