Toasted almond slivers or lemon sliced thin with skin for garnish
Instructions
Cut the broccoli into small florets with some stem 1 – 2 inches. Bring a large saucepan (that can hold the broccoli) of water to a boil. Blanch the broccoli for 2 minutes, no longer. Using a large slotted spoon, quickly transfer the broccoli to a colander and plunge into a bowl full of ice-cold water. This should stop the cooking process. Remove colander from water and allow broccoli to drain in the colander. Allow it to dry completely before proceeding. (See note.)
When the broccoli is dry and you are ready to proceed, toss it with 4 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Heat grill to high. Place a grill pan over direct heat and leave it there for at least 5 minutes or until very hot. Depending on the size of your pan grill the broccoli in several batches making sure not to crowd the pan. Turn the florets as they grill to get a good char all over. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and continue with another batch.
While grilling the broccoli, place the remaining 6 Tbsp oil in a small saucepan with the garlic and chiles. Cook over medium heat until the garlic barely begins to hint at a golden brown. Do not brown – the garlic will keep cooking off the heat in the pan so transfer oil mixture to a heatproof bowl.When broccoli is finished on the grill, pour the oil, garlic, and chile over the hot broccoli and toss together well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish the broccoli with almonds or lemon just before serving.
Notes
Note: For faster drying, place a tea towel on a rimmed baking sheet. After draining the broccoli, spread it out on the towel to dry. You can complete the recipe to this point and store dried broccoli in a sealed container in the refrigerator overnight. Continue recipe with step 2 the next day.Adapted from Ottolenghi, The Cookbook.