Charred Broccoli with Calabrian Chili Paste, Feta, and Lemon Yogurt Sauce

Smoky charred broccoli and spicy Calabrian chili paste meet cool lemon yogurt sauce in this healthy, yet exciting, vegetarian side dish!

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I've been reading Diana Henry's cookbook How to Eat a Peach and it's like she looked inside my head and wrote down all my feelings. Her memoir-esque writing in this book about the first time she encountered different foods during her travels embodies the reason I write this blog.

Food helps you see the people, not just the place. How people come together for meals, what the traditions are, what stories are passed down with the recipes. How we're different and how we're so much alike.

When you eat someone's food, you begin to understand them. And we need a little more understanding in this world.

This charred broccoli recipe combines influences from Italian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. You get a little spice from the Calabrian chilis, but it gets cooled down with that lemon yogurt sauce.

And can we talk about the lemon yogurt sauce? We are going to use the entire lemon! Peel and all! This new whole-lemon philosophy will change your life. Bet you didn't know how much flavor and sweetness was in that peel. Just do it. You won't be sorry.

Serve this broccoli as a side dish for something simple like roasted chicken or grilled fish. It's got a lot going on, and you don't want it to get overshadowed by competing with other big flavors.

What is Calabrian chili paste?

Calabrian chili paste is made from round, red, spicy peppers that grow in the southern region of Italy known as Calabria - which is the "toe" of the "boot."

The dried peppers are combined with olive oil to form a spicy paste that can be added to vegetables, pastas, sauces and more.

Charred Broccoli with Calabrian chili paste, feta, and lemon yogurt sauce

Adapted from How to Eat a Peach by Diana Henry

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

Trim the bottom of the stems from the broccoli crowns.

Slice the broccoli crowns in half, and continue to slice into thin stalks, leaving a flat side when possible.

Divide the broccoli stalks between two sheet pans, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Using your hands, rub the olive oil into the stalks and florets and rub the oil all around the bottom of the pan.

Spread out the broccoli on the sheet pan so there is space between them, with the flat, cut side down. (If they aren't spread out, they will steam, not char.) 

Place the sheet pans in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

While the broccoli cooks, make the lemon yogurt sauce.

Put the greek yogurt into a medium mixing bowl. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze all of the juice into the bowl with the yogurt, taking care to strain the seeds out as you do this.

Using a microplane grater, grate one clove of garlic into the yogurt mixture.

Finely dice the remaining lemon peel and pulp and add to the yogurt sauce.

Add a pinch of salt and stir to incorporate all the ingredients.

Check the broccoli after about 12-15 minutes, if it's nice and charred on the bottom, flip the stalks over, and rotate the pan that was in the bottom of the oven to the top of the oven and vice versa.

You'll probably find that the pan on the bottom of the oven browns faster. Don't worry, once you rotate the top pan to the bottom of the oven, it will catch up.

Continue to cook broccoli until stems are charred and florets are getting crispy, another 5-10 minutes. Total cooking time will be about 23-25 minutes.

Remove charred broccoli from the oven and allow to cool just enough so you can handle it. Combine the two pans and pour the Calabrian chili paste over the broccoli. Rub it into the stalks and the florets so everything is coated.

Spread the lemon yogurt sauce onto a platter and place the broccoli on top. Scatter crumbled feta over the charred broccoli and serve.

How spicy is Calabrian chili paste?

Calabrian chilis are medium hot. They definitely have a kick, but also a sweetness.

What can I substitute for Calabrian chili paste?

You can find Calabrian chili paste online from importers like D'Italia, and Trader Joe's also carries a very reasonably priced jar, called Italian Bomba Sauce.

If you don't have any, just use a little crushed red pepper instead. You could try other chili sauces like sambal, but there are a lot of other flavors in sambal like fish sauce and lime juice that might not go quite as well with various dishes, so just think about those things when swapping out ingredients.

More vegetarian side dishes

• Crispy Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan and Garlic
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios, Dates, and Lime
• Green Bean Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Mint
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Red Onion, Tahini, and Za'atar