Fresh! Local! Broccoli!

My small town has an event every month once it gets warm called "Friday Night Jams" where vendors (anything from soap, to concessions, to food, to jewelry, to wine) gather and musicians perform. Last Friday night was the event for May. Mom and I walked downtown--stopping along the way for calamari, softshell crab, and crab cakes...oh, and a martini--to see the happenings.

My aunt, uncle, and cousin were there. It was great to see them, and my uncle had gotten into some of the local wine--POTENT. By the end of the night, he befriended the drummer and, I'm pretty sure, helped pack up the equipment all the while trying to convince the band to play just one more song. My cousin, had we not been outside, would have been hiding in the corner; he had to settle for pretending like he didn't know his father.

There wasn't much produce at the farmer's tables, because it's not quite time yet, but the produce that was in, looked great. The onions looked fake, and the broccoli was huge! I got the ginormous head of broccoli (pictured below) for $2. The farmer was precious. He tried to get me to buy one of everything (an then some) that he was selling, but the broccoli was calling my name. At the end of the evening, Mom and I walked home broccoli in tow.

Right now, my pantry, I'll admit, is pretty bare. I haven't been too inspired recently, but that will change once everything is in season--I promise. Anyway, I didn't have too much to work with, but I had a jar of sundried tomatoes in oil. Those are basically the two ingredients in this dish. Easy as that.

1 head of broccoli cut into florets with nice, lengthy stems
1 small - medium onion, cubed
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, julienned
1/4 cup oil from the tomato jar
3 cloves of garlic, smashed with the back of your knife
salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

Preheat your oven to 400. You may either use a baking sheet, glass casserole dish, or a cast-iron skillet. If you use cast-iron, place it in the oven to preheat as well.

After you slice the broccoli and chop the onion, toss them with the tomatoes, garlic cloves, and oil until well coated. Place in baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and pepper. If it looks too dry, you may need to add a tad more oil.

The tomatoes were tangy and acidic; the onions added the right balance of sweetness; and there was just the right amount of red pepper to let you know it was there, but not too much that it made you reach for the milk. I also drizzled some balsamic glaze over the broccoli, but it was equally as delicious without it--yes, I had seconds.