cooking.nytimes.com

Lot 2's Pecorino Fried Bread With Broccoli

5.0(174)

Katherine Youngblood, the chef de cuisine at Lot 2 in Brooklyn, sautées heirloom broccoli with garlic, chile flakes, anchovy and plenty of lemon, and serves it heaped on olive oil-fried bread showered with pecorino. The oily crunch of the bread, the saltiness of the cheese and the sweetness of the broccoli combine into something that, had it not been for my sense of propriety, would have had me licking the plate. I made a few minor edits while testing the recipe, taking down the olive oil by just a bit and streamlining the method. The result is a wonderful melding of simple ingredients and techniques that is easy to replicate at home, whenever the craving strikes.

by Melissa Clark

Open original recipe

Quick, Appetizer

Servings

4 servings

Total time

25 min

Calories / serving

282 kcal

Ingredients (9)

serves

1/2 pound broccoli di ciccio, broccolette or regular broccolibroccoli
4 garlic clovesgarlic
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oiloil
4 (1-inch thick) slices day-old pain au levain or rustic white breadbread
6 anchovies, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
Juice and finely grated zest of 1/2 lemonlemon
Salt, to tastesalt
1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheesepecorino

Instructions (5 steps)

01Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. If using regular broccoli, cut into 2-inch pieces. Trim broccoli di ciccio or broccolette but leave whole. Blanch broccoli until bright green and just tender, about 1 minute. Transfer to ice water to cool. Let drain and squeeze out extra moisture. Roughly chop broccoli into bite-size pieces.
02Mince 3 garlic cloves and halve the remaining one.
03Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high until hot but not smoking. Fry 2 pieces of bread until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Set bread aside. Repeat with 2 more tablespoons olive oil and remaining bread.