ROASTED BROCCOLI WITH TAHINI SAUCE, HAZELNUTS AND RAISINS
I will try to contain my enthusiasm for how much I love this side dish, but I fear you won’t fully appreciate how super good it is. You will just have to trust me that this tahini-hazelnut-raisin-caper-herb situation is ridiculous and you’ll want to add it to everything (cauliflower, carrots, and eggplant come to mind.) To make this really quickly, just eyeball the ingredients and don’t even measure anything. I cut the broccoli into smaller florets for the purposes of quicker cooking, but if you have time, you can make the pieces bigger.
Servings4to 6
Ingredients
1 ½poundsbroccoli crownscut into florets and then sliced in half through the stem
2Tablespoonsunrefinedcold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil or melted ghee
¾teaspoonsea saltdivided
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3cuptahini
2Tablespoonsfreshly squeezed lemon juice
1garlic cloveminced
1-2teaspoonsmild raw honey or pure maple syrup
¼cuproasted and skinned hazelnutsroughly chopped
¼cupunsulphured green raisins or currantsif they are super dry, soak them in warm water for 15 minutes and then drain
¼cupcapers drained from brine
1cupfresh dill leaves – leave the tender stems attached
1cupfresh flat-leaf parsley leaves – leave the tender stems attached
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
Place the broccoli florets on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle broccoli with oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Arrange in one layer on the baking sheet. Roast until tender and just starting to crisp up on the edges, about 15 minutes.
Make the sauce: in a medium bowl, combine tahini, enough water to make a pourable sauce (start with ¼ cup and add more as necessary), lemon juice, garlic, honey and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
Arrange the herbs on the perimeter of a small platter. Place the broccoli florets in the center. Sprinkle the hazelnuts, raisins, and capers on top and around the broccoli. Drizzle everything with the sauce and serve extra sauce on the side.