Community Supported Agriculture

We picked up our first market basket yesterday.  The folks at Valentine Hill Farms did a tremendous job with this one!  A small head of cabbage, two cucumbers, two zucchini, two yellow squash, two heads of broccoli, a bag of swiss chard and a huge bunch of dill. Community supported agriculture is a great way to help support our local farmers.  It's good for the environment because the transportation cost is slashed.  And, in our case, our folks grow organically.  The same thing we try to do.  Avoid all the chemicals that will harm the environment.   What's the first thing I did?  Roast broccoli.  I've talked about roasted broccoli before.  It's fabulous.  Actually, roasting almost any vegetable brings out a flavor that is so different.  Makes my mouth water!  For years, I'd cut up carrots, onions, small red potatoes and whatever else tripped my trigger.  I'd toss them with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and strew them on a rimmed baking sheet.  Then, I'd roast them at 500 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Then, I found this recipe. 

Roasted Broccoli
Cut a head of broccoli into florets.  Toss them with some olive oil.  Or better yet, lay them on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil.  That way you can focus on the florets instead of the stems!  Roast at 500 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the florets are nice and brown.  As soon as you take the pan out of the oven, drizzle the broccoli with a little lemon juice and soy sauce.  Then, after you've plated it, sprinkle it with some toasted sesame seed.