Broccoli with garlic

I am not a big fan of broccoli and rarely use it in my cooking.  But there is one broccoli dish that I can not get enough of.  It makes for an easy side-dish so I cook it over and over again (or ask my sister to make it).  I took some step-by-step photos, hope they will be helpful.

What you need:

1  bunch of broccoli

3-4 tbsp olive oil

5-6 garlic cloves (you can use more if you like garlic)

salt

What to do:

• Cut broccoli head into bite-size pieces or cut it into thin stalks with florets at the top (I prefer this methods)

Broccoli florets ready to be steamed

• Cook broccoli.  I prefer steaming, but blanching will work just fine.  It is important not to over-cook it, so if you are steaming, start checking/tasting broccoli after 3-5 minutes (when it will change its colour to bright green).  If blanching, do not leave it in hot water for more than 2-3 minutes. 
• Once broccoli is ready, rinse it under cold water or put into ice-water bath to stop the cooking process.
  

Steamed broccoli

•  Now it is time for garlic.  You will need to use garlic press for this recipe, but feel free to try mincing garlic by hand.  Squeeze/mince all the garlic into a small bowl.
• Heat oil in a pan, put garlic into hot oil and lower heat to medium.  Add salt.
• Cook garlic until deep golden, stirring frequently.  At first, it will seem like it will take forever for garlic to cook, however pay close attention to it, once it starts changing colour.  As soon as garlic turns golden - remove the pan and keep stirring (garlic will continue cooking).

• I tried to take pictures of raw garlic, "medium" stage, and final, dark-golden stage for colour comparison.

3 stages of garlic

• Lade broccoli into a shallow bowl or serving plate and pour hot oil over it.  Serve immediately.

Tips and Suggestions:

• You can sprinkle lemon juice and/or add some shredded Parmesan.
• The original recipe comes from "a la di Stasio" - Quebec cooking show.  The hostess (Josee) mentioned that this way of cooking garlic eliminates its odor and this dish is "safe" to eat for lunch (no garlic breath after).

Bon appetite!!!