Alton Brown's oven roasted broccoli

I'd like to call this Alton Brown recipe one of my long time favorites, but it is not. Only because it is from a newer episode. Last February when "If it ain't broccoli, don't fix it" aired, I welcomed a better method to cook the veggie.

Like AB discussed in the show, I grew up faced with boiled to death nasty broccoli slathered in cheese. Ick. My preferred way to eat it was in stir fry or raw. Then I was introduced to oven roasting.

Alton's oven roasted broccoli is one of my favorite side dishes because I can now have the veggie cooked and hot but not mushy and nasty.

Transforming cooked broccoli to good eats it very simple. Take a pound of broccoli and coat in olive oil and add minced garlic. The best part of the recipe is the inclusion of panko bread crumbs. Pankos are one of the best foodstuffs I have been turned on to by Alton. They are now a staple in my pantry. And in this recipe, you lightly toast a 1/3 cup of them for two minutes then add to the oiled broccoli.

Roast the broccoli at 425 degrees until tender, AB's recipe says 10 minutes but sometimes I find it takes longer. The last few times I have made this recipe, I have cooked it in my cast iron skillet. I found it a great vessel.

I do add more cheese than the 1/4 cup listed. The past two times this dish has come from my kitchen, it was made with smoked cheddar. I didn't think this dish could get any better. I was wrong. The smokey addition from the cheese... one word... awesome. :)