I have posted this recipe before but it was part of a larger post so I decided it deserves its very own post.  We had this quick and healthy side with our Sole Meuniere last night.

Broccolini is sweeter than regular broccoli and only needs to be cooked for a very brief amount of time for best results.  This recipe has great fresh flavor from the lemon zest and juice.

Sauteed Broccolini
Barefoot Contessa

• 1 bunch broccolini
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 lemon, zested
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Blanch the broccolini in a large pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain immediately and immerse in a bowl of ice water.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the lemon zest and garlic and stir. Drain the broccolini and add it to the garlic mixture and heat for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper, and toss well before serving.

Here is a delicious and very easy side dish!  I love broccolini — or baby broccoli.  It’s so quick to prepare, very healthy, and doesn’t require much in the way of ingredients to make a very interesting side dish.

I thought this broccolini recipe with balsamic vinaigrette would go nicely with the roast.  Tim and I gobbled all of this tasty veggie up!

And in case you are interested, here’s a link to another easy broccolini recipe.
Broccolini and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Barefoot Contessa

• Kosher salt
• 4 bunches broccolini (1 1/2 pounds)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon

In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil. Remove and discard the bottom third of the broccolini stems. If some stems are very thick, cut them in half lengthwise.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper. When the water comes to a full boil, add the broccolini, return to a boil, and cook over high heat for 2 minutes, until the stalks are just tender. Drain well and place in a large bowl.

Pour enough dressing over the broccolini to moisten and toss well. Splash with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice, sprinkle with salt, and serve warm or hot.

In addition to the Spinach Gratin, we had some sauteed mushrooms.  I loosely followed the Barefoot Contessa recipe below.  I used a mix of basic white, shitake, and baby portobello mushrooms.  It was a delicious accompaniment to our porterhouse steaks!

Sauteed Wild Mushrooms
Barefoot Contessa

• 2 pounds mixed wild mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, porcini, and portobello
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1 cup chopped shallots (4 large)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic (6 cloves)
• 1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Brush the caps of each mushroom with a clean sponge. Remove and discard the stems. Slice the small mushrooms thickly and cut the large ones in a large dice.

Heat the olive oil in a large (11 – inch) Dutch oven or saucepan. Add the shallots and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent. Add the butter, mushrooms, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, until they are tender and begin to release their juices, stirring often. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Toss in the parsley, sprinkle with salt, and serve warm.

Tim dug our grill out of the snow yesterday so that he could grill the porterhouse steaks from our half-steer.  Tim grilled two porterhouses to perfection!  Porterhouses are not for those with a light appetite — they consist of a strip steak + a filet.  Although the steak was delicious, I could only manage to eat the filet and a couple bites of the strip steak.  Luckily, Tim was in the mood for steak and eggs this morning and ate the rest of my steak.

To accompany the steak, I made a couple of traditional steakhouse sides: spinach gratin — not dissimilar from creamed spinach — and sauteed wild mushrooms.

I only made about 1/4 to 1/3 of the spinach recipe since the original recipe serves 8.  I forgot to buy heavy cream so I just substituted 1% milk for the heavy cream.  Since you use some flour to thicken the sauce, you can really skip the heavy cream.  You won’t sacrifice creaminess and you’ll save a few calories and grams of fat.

I loved the spinach which might be why I didn’t make that big of a dent on my steak!  I plan to make this again when we entertain because you can do everything but the baking in advance.

(Pardon the photo — forgot my good camera in NYC.   And, I didn’t get a good photo of the ’shrooms.)
Spinach Gratin
Barefoot Contessa

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 4 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups milk
• 3 pounds frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (5 (10-ounce) packages)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Transfer the spinach to a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyere on top. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve hot.

Serves 8.