Passover Recipe: Roasted Broccoli Florets with Lemon Garlic Matzah Crumbs

Every year around this time, I am bombarded with requests for new and exciting recipes that are kosher for Passover. Readers often worry that meal prep during Passover means complicated, time consuming recipes, or an abundance of matzah sandwiches. While there are plenty of recipes that require no leavening (like delicious flourless chocolate cake), there are also many tasty, convenient, and creative ways to make the most of your matzah.

First up, we’ll be enjoying my Roasted Broccoli Florets with Lemon Garlic Matzah Crumbs. If easy is what you’re looking for, this is the recipe for you. I also promise that if you weren’t a broccoli fan before, you will be after you try this dish. There’s something magical that happens when deep green broccoli meets a hot oven and emerges with a gentle char. I’ve converted plenty of cruciferous haters with this recipe. The combination of sweet and pungent roasted garlic married with vibrant and refreshingly tart lemon zest perfumes the matzah crumbs in such a way that it won’t take long for this dish to become a heavily-requested staple on any Passover table.

Roasted Broccoli Florets with Lemon Garlic Matzah Crumbs

Ingredients:
1 lb. broccoli crown, cut into florets
2 tablespoons olive oil, separated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pieces of matzah, or 1 cup matzah farfel
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
Juice of 1 large lemon, zest reserved
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped (use your PJ Library Parsley if it's ready!)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375.
 
Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the broccoli florets and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat, and lay flat and in a single layer on a baking dish or cast-iron skillet. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
 
While your broccoli is roasting, place the matzah sheets in a plastic bag, seal the bag with as little air in it as possible, and use a rolling pin to crush the sheets into small pieces. (Kids love to help with this part.)

Once the matzah is crushed into crumbs, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the garlic, lemon zest, and Italian parsley. Reseal the bag, and shake to combine. Remove the broccoli from the oven, drizzle with one tablespoon of lemon juice, and sprinkle the matzah crumb mixture on top.
 
Return to the oven for 15 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden brown and broccoli is tender.
 
Serve immediately.

This post is the first in a special series of recipes created just for PJ Library by Jennifer Stempel of TheCubanReuben.com. Join us next week for our second special PJ matzah recipe - and don't forget to share photos of your family with their PJ Matzah with us on social media (#pjmatzah).

March 17, 2016