GRILLED BROCCOLI WITH APRICOT PUTTANESCA

Grilled Broccoli With Apricot Puttanesca image

This astoundingly good recipe came to The Times from Nick Anderer, who made it over an open fire when he was the chef of Marta in New York. A sweet and sour puttanesca is draped over charred broccoli still warm from the grill, creating a dish that goes well next to a piece of grilled fish or meat. Do cut the broccoli into large florets; it makes them easier to manage on the grill.

Provided by Jeff Gordinier

Categories side dish

Time 30m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

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Ingredients

1/2 cup dried apricots (about 14)
3/4 to 1 cup white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons Taggiasca olives, pitted and chopped (or use Kalamata olives)
1 tablespoon marinated Calabrian chiles in oil, minced with seeds (or use pickled hot cherry peppers)
1 teaspoon dried Sicilian oregano (or use 1/2 teaspoon regular dried oregano)
1/2 cup olive oil, more as needed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 large heads broccoli, cut into large florets
Salt
1 small white onion, very thinly sliced

Steps:

Cut dried apricots into small pieces (about 6 pieces per apricot) and place in a small saucepan; add enough vinegar to cover. Slowly bring mixture to a simmer. When liquid is simmering, remove from heat and strain the apricots, reserving the cooking liquid. In a small bowl, mix drained apricots with the capers, olives, chiles and oregano.
In a separate small bowl, whisk 1/8 cup of the reserved apricot cooking liquid with 1/2 cup olive oil and the lemon juice to make a dressing. (Puttanesca and dressing can be made in advance.)
Heat grill to high. In a large bowl, toss broccoli with olive oil to coat; lightly season with salt.
Place broccoli directly on the grill (or in a grill basket, if you have one) and cook, covered, until the outsides are beginning to char, about 3 minutes. Flip broccoli and cook 2 more minutes, or until it is tender and nicely charred.
Remove broccoli from grill and toss with onion, apricot puttanesca and dressing until evenly coated. Transfer to a serving platter and serve right away, or reserve and serve at room temperature later.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 315, UnsaturatedFat 15 grams, Carbohydrate 32 grams, Fat 19 grams, Fiber 8 grams, Protein 8 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 799 milligrams, Sugar 16 grams