By Hello! Thanks for still being here after a couple months of me not publishing. It’s been a very busy summer for our family. Luckily I was able to sneak in a little time for a couple of recipes.
This salad is a dish inspired by ingredients from our CSA. We got a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share this year, and it’s been wonderful! Ours is a bit more flexible than most. They have multiple pickup options, and they let you select your items, rather than just getting what they choose for you. Phillie and I love going to the farm every week! There are always two big farm dogs resting under shady oak trees to pet. We start and end our visits with that.
We added a fruit share to our CSA, so this recipe combines the cherries from our fruit share with the broccoli and onions from our CSA. This recipe has a hint of smokiness from the roasting, sweetness from the cherries, and a little bite and acidity from the quick-pickled onions. All are easy to find in summer!
This recipe is very open to variations. I serve it with creamy yogurt here, but the truth is it doesn’t need it. (It is tasty though!) You can just skip it if you don’t do dairy. Or try the salad tossed into the grain of your choice, with a little extra oil and vinegar. Farro or barley would be lovely. Substitute a burrata for the yogurt if you want to be luxurious. You deserve it.
Roasted Broccoli Salad with Cherries (Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side)
- 1 head of broccoli
- 1.5-2oz olive oil
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 red onion
- 1 cup cherries
- 1 oz red wine vinegar, or another vinegar
- 10 basil leaves
- 1/4 cup toasted pistachios
- 1.5-2 cups Greek yogurt (optional)
- Preheat oven to 450F. Cut broccoli into large bite sized pieces. Cut stem pieces slightly smaller as the stems can be a bit more fibrous. Mince or finely grate the garlic. Toss the broccoli with the olive oil, garlic, and Aleppo pepper. Season with salt.
- Spread the broccoli out on a sheet pan, lined with parchment paper if desired. Roast the broccoli for about 14 minutes, or until nicely browned, flipping about halfway through.
- Meanwhile thinly slice the red onion. Sprinkle with salt and toss the onions with the vinegar. Pit the cherries and slice in half. Toss them in with the onions.
- Thinly slice the basil. When the broccoli is done, allow to cool for a bit. I like this salad warm or at room temp. When ready to enjoy, toss the brocolli with the onions, cherries, and basil. Garnish with pistachios and serve with yogurt, if desired.
Down to a Simmer 