Raw Broccoli and Basil Salad with Shallots and Peanuts by Alison Roman

I’m a huge fan of The Office. If you are too, then you also probably think of this show whenever someone mentions raw broccoli. I’m thinking of the scene where the office is gathered in the conference room, and Michael is trying to persuade everyone why they need to live more healthy lifestyles. Kevin admits that he hates vegetables, especially broccoli. So Michael decides then and there to change that. He hands Kevin a massive raw broccoli tree and tells him to eat it in front of everyone. Of course, Kevin sticks the top of the tree straight in his mouth and begins to choke on the dry greens before spitting it all back out. It’s gross, but also hilarious. And since that scene, I’ve avoided raw broccoli in veggie trays ever since. 

Needless to say, I wasn’t looking forward to this recipe. Hence why I made it towards the end of this endeavor. 

But boy, was I pleasantly surprised. Instead of feeling like Kevin, repulsed by the dry mealiness of raw broccoli, I couldn’t stop myself from snacking on the broccoli before I served dinner! 

The key was using flowering broccoli (aka broccolini) instead of the stalky, bushy kind you see on a veggie tray. Flowering broccoli is a more physically flexible vegetable with bendy and tender stems and less densely populated treetops. (Sounds funny, but you know what I mean, right?) Once massaged in lime juice and fish sauce (yes, fish sauce) the greens are bursting with flavor and even more tender. I did decide to follow Alison’s tip and further slice the broccoli lengthwise into smaller strips. 

The lime juice/fish sauce combo and other toppings MAKE this salad what it is. Topping 1: frizzled shallots. Mine took twice as long to become golden like Alison instructs. Perhaps the pot I used was too small. Chopped peanuts add a nice crunch and nutty undertone. And basil, well, I’m sure it’d taste great! Sadly, mine spoiled in the fridge and I didn’t realize it until I pulled it out to use. 

My mom and sister expressed surprise at how much they also enjoyed the salad, both admitting that they were skeptical when I first told them the recipe name. Between the three of us, we finished off the whole bowl of broccoli along with Alison’s Tiny Creamy Pasta and glasses of red wine. 

If you, too, feel a hesitancy toward this salad — don’t. I think you’ll love it.

186 recipes cooked, 39 to go.

Summer Squash with Basil, Parmesan, and Toasted Buckwheat by Alison Roman

It may surprise you that this entire plate of squash was eaten by four people in one sitting. It may surprise you that I’ve been craving this dish ever since I made it. It may also surprise you that lemon juice and a dash of fish sauce (yes, fish sauce) are all that’s needed to make seemingly flavorless summer squash taste irresistibly fresh. A sprinkling of parmesan, chives, basil, and toasted pistachios don’t hurt either. 

And that’s exactly what this dish involves – thinly sliced squash (about two large ones) tossed in lemon juice and a teaspoon of fish sauce, arranged with style (or not) on a large serving platter, topped with parmesan, finely chopped chives, basil, and toasted pistachios. I chose to sub the buckwheat groats (an Alison classic) because I already had toasted and chopped pistachios on hand. If you’re considering skipping the fish sauce, don’t. It adds a very subtle complexity that lemon juice alone won’t provide. No one asked, “is there fish sauce in this?” But just, “how did you make the squash taste so good?”

A future summer go-to if I ever had one.  

130 recipes cooked, 95 to go.

Farro with Toasted Fennel, Lemon, and Basil by Alison Roman

I disobeyed the key ingredient and substituted quinoa. Admittedly, quinoa is not meant to be used here at all. Alison gives a list of five grain options, all of which have gluten, and none of which are quinoa. But alas, there are just some compromises that I need to make so my body doesn’t revolt against me. 

Quinoa doesn’t have the same kind of satisfying, chewy bite that farro has, and it soaks up flavor really quickly. Which I think are two reasons why I wasn’t blown away by this salad. Both of which are not Alison’s fault. But in general, my main critique is that it needs more flavor, regardless of grain choice. It’s heading in a really good direction – frizzled garlic slices and fennel seeds, caramelized lemon and fennel bulb – and I wished it went further! I think it could use lemon juice or white wine vinegar, which I ended up adding. I want it to require parmesan! (Which Alison suggests as an option in the comments, and I recommend taking this advice.) I ate this grain salad and said out loud to our dinner guests, “But I want MORE FLAVOR!” I stand by that wish. 

One element I appreciated is that after the lemon, garlic, and fennel elements are nice and toasty, the grains get added to the skillet with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to become slightly crispy and soak up all the garlicky oil. A crisped grain, IMO, is much more interesting than a non-crisped grain. You know? So this was a nice extra step that I didn’t mind doing. 

And finally, here we have a truly rare Alison Roman moment, where she tells you to garnish the grains with BASIL! Alison recently admitted on social media that she doesn’t love basil, and I wasn’t at all surprised. I had noticed that this herb is hard to find anywhere in her books. She loves her dill, chives, thyme, and marjoram. But basil, and sort of rosemary too, hardly ever show up at the scene. So enjoy this moment where you get to have with basil, because it may be a while until you meet again. 

127 recipes cooked, 98 to go.

Grilled Eggplant Dressed with Garlicky Walnuts and Lots of Basil by Alison Roman

Eggplant, I’ve learned, is polarizing. Its flavor, its texture, and even its shape seem to draw out strong responses from people. Whether you love it or hate it, you feel strongly about the camp you’re in. Which is funny to me, because personally I’m in the middle. I didn’t grow up with eggplant – I’m not even sure if I’d heard of it till college. But my school’s cafeteria didn’t do the vegetables any justice. It wasn’t until making my own ratatouille that I was presented with eggplant in an edible, non-soggy and flavorless form. That experience turned me on to eggplant. I realized its potential for providing an almost creamy element to recipes, when cooked correctly. Alison sure loves a creamy eggplant, and has since exposed me to several other ways to eat it, particularly the oil-roasted method. Which I think I prefer to grilled eggplant. 

Grilled eggplant, though it looked pretty, didn’t prove to be the best eating experience. I found that the skin became tougher and hard to chew. I found myself scraping the flesh out with my fork, which was far less appetizing. 

The flavor of this recipe… well, there wasn’t a whole lot of it. In my opinion, Alison’s signature move is in-your-face flavor. But this recipe lacked boldness. The toasted walnuts with garlic and pepper flakes were nice but not strong. The basil added some obviously herbal notes, but it didn’t transform anything. Salt and pepper didn’t carry enough weight to make this stand out. And in fact, only two of the four of us ended up eating any of it. I brought my leftovers home, and a week later, they’re still sitting in my fridge, untouched. 

All that to say, I’m still squarely in the middle when it comes to eggplant. I really like the oven-roasted kind, but I’m out for soggy or grilled eggplant. I don’t care how tiny and cute the eggplant might be, the recipe needs to have decisive flavor. Do you have eggplant standards, too? I’d love to know! 

119 recipes cooked, 106 to go.