Julia, one of my greatest friends, is also one of my favorite people to spend time with in the kitchen. She’s a born cook with a Southern flair. While I glance back and forth from cookbook to stove top, anxiously scanning recipes to make sure, once again, that did indeed allocate the right amount of flour or that I did in fact add the vegetables to the pot in the right order, Julia’s approach is somewhat less structured.

With a long-list of tried and true recipes committed to memory and the ability to whip up anything with what’s on hand, Julia is the very definition of a cook to me. When she tells me how to make her outstanding spinach and artichoke dip, it’s a spoonful of this and a pinch of that. To which I respond: “So a spoonful, would that be ¼-cup??”

She got me hooked on roasting broccoli with some olive oil, salt and pepper until there’s a bit of char at the edges and then tossing those florets with lemon juice and parmesan cheese. Simple, but out of this world.

Seems Food and Wine magazine, from which I adapted the recipe below, was inspired by Julia as well. They at least provided some definitive measurements for those less intuitive cooks among us!

If you don’t have preserved lemons, just spritz roasted broccoli with lemon juice and then sprinkle with Parmesan, like Julia does.

Roasted Broccoli with Preserved Lemon Yogurt
Serves 4

1 ½ pounds broccoli florets (3 heads)
¼ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 tablespoons Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced preserved lemon rind
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 475°F. Toss broccoli florets in a large bowl with olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Arrange florets in a single layer on a baking sheet (or two baking sheets to avoid overcrowding) and roast for about 20 minutes, flipping half way through cook time. Broccoli should be browned and a little crispy.

Meanwhile make the preserved lemon yogurt sauce by combining yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon rind and lemon juice in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle roasted broccoli with cheese and serve with yogurt on side.