A Useful Method
Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower
Browned at the edges, a little softer than tender-crisp, and easy to eat. No apology required.
What to do
The method
- 01
Heat the oven.
Heat the oven to 350°F. That is the temperature I used for the batch pictured here. Watch the browning and check the texture as they cook; the size of the pieces and how full the pan is will affect the timing.
- 02
Cut what you will eat.
Work from the stem side of the broccoli. Break the cauliflower into similar-sized florets. Trim superficial discoloration instead of throwing away the whole vegetable.
- 03
Season simply.
Toss with enough olive oil to coat, then add salt and coarse pepper. Spread everything on a sheet pan with breathing room.
- 04
Roast to your preference.
Roast until browned at the edges and easy to pierce. Turn the vegetables if one side is coloring much faster than the other.
- 05
Taste before serving.
Taste a piece and decide whether it is as tender as you like. Mine kept a little structure but landed just beyond tender-crisp: browned, easy to eat, and exactly how I would make it again.
Timing dinner
Close enough for two.
For the meal in these photographs, a stuffing-filled pork roast was already cooking in the same oven. I added the vegetable tray when the pork’s probe thermometer began to climb. That was a timing cue for this dinner for two, not a rule for roasting vegetables. If you are making these on their own, start when the oven is ready and cook them to the texture you want.