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Grilled Broccoli with Anchovy-Garlic Butter

By Cecelia Jenkins

Published on April 28, 2016

Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 4

Grilled Broccoli with Anchovy-Garlic Butter

Ingredients

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon water Salt and pepper 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted3 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced1 garlic clove, minced1 teaspoon lemon juice ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 pounds broccoli

Before You Begin

To keep the packs from tearing, use heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Instructions

  1. Cut two 26 by 12-inch sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Whisk oil, water, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. Whisk melted butter, anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in separate bowl; set anchovy-garlic butter aside.
  2. Trim stalk ends so each entire head of broccoli measures 6 to 7 inches long. Using vegetable peeler, peel away tough outer layer of broccoli stalks (about ⅛ inch). Cut stalks in half lengthwise into spears (stems should be ½ to ¾ inch thick and florets 3 to 4 inches wide). Add broccoli spears to oil mixture and toss well to coat.
  3. Divide broccoli between sheets of foil, cut side down and alternating direction of florets and stems. Bring short sides of foil together and crimp tightly. Crimp long ends to seal packs tightly.
  4. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high. (Adjust burners as needed to maintain grill temperature around 400 degrees.)
  5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Arrange packs evenly on grill (over coals if using charcoal), cover, and cook for 8 minutes, flipping packs halfway through cooking.
  6. Transfer packs to rimmed baking sheet and, using scissors, carefully cut open, allowing steam to escape away from you. (Broccoli should be bright green and fork inserted into stems should meet some resistance.)
  7. Discard foil and place broccoli cut side down on grill (over coals if using charcoal). Grill (covered if using gas), turning broccoli about every 2 minutes, until stems are fork-tender and well charred on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes total. (Transfer broccoli to now-empty sheet as it finishes cooking.)
  8. Transfer broccoli to cutting board and cut into 2-inch pieces; transfer to platter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Rewarm anchovy-garlic butter in microwave for 15 seconds; drizzle butter over broccoli and serve.
Grilled Broccoli with Anchovy-Garlic Butter

Grilled Broccoli with Anchovy-Garlic Butter

Headshot of Cecelia Jenkins
By Cecelia Jenkins
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Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon water
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pounds broccoli

Ingredients

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon water
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pounds broccoli

Ingredients

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon water
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pounds broccoli

Why This Recipe Works

Nicely charred grilled broccoli is a summertime barbecue treat, but most often it is overly charred or not cooked through. To avoid toughness and promote even cooking, we peeled the stalks and pared the broccoli crowns down to spears with florets measuring 3 to 4 inches wide and stems ½ to ¾ inch thick. To cook the broccoli through without charring, we wrapped it in an aluminum foil packet with 1 tablespoon of water and let it steam first on the grill (flipping the pack halfway through to ensure even cooking). We then removed the spears and placed them directly on the grill to char. A mixture of melted butter, anchovies, garlic, lemon, and red pepper flakes drizzled over the broccoli added an Italian spin.

Before You Begin

To keep the packs from tearing, use heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Instructions

  1. Cut two 26 by 12-inch sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Whisk oil, water, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. Whisk melted butter, anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in separate bowl; set anchovy-garlic butter aside.
  2. Trim stalk ends so each entire head of broccoli measures 6 to 7 inches long. Using vegetable peeler, peel away tough outer layer of broccoli stalks (about ⅛ inch). Cut stalks in half lengthwise into spears (stems should be ½ to ¾ inch thick and florets 3 to 4 inches wide). Add broccoli spears to oil mixture and toss well to coat.
  3. Divide broccoli between sheets of foil, cut side down and alternating direction of florets and stems. Bring short sides of foil together and crimp tightly. Crimp long ends to seal packs tightly.
  4. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high. (Adjust burners as needed to maintain grill temperature around 400 degrees.)
  5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Arrange packs evenly on grill (over coals if using charcoal), cover, and cook for 8 minutes, flipping packs halfway through cooking.
  6. Transfer packs to rimmed baking sheet and, using scissors, carefully cut open, allowing steam to escape away from you. (Broccoli should be bright green and fork inserted into stems should meet some resistance.)
  7. Discard foil and place broccoli cut side down on grill (over coals if using charcoal). Grill (covered if using gas), turning broccoli about every 2 minutes, until stems are fork-tender and well charred on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes total. (Transfer broccoli to now-empty sheet as it finishes cooking.)
  8. Transfer broccoli to cutting board and cut into 2-inch pieces; transfer to platter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Rewarm anchovy-garlic butter in microwave for 15 seconds; drizzle butter over broccoli and serve.

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