Grilled broccoli with hummus and Parmesan cheese

Chef Sergio Jimenez
AVANT, San Diego

Charring the broccoli is a key to this dish’s popularity on AVANT’s bar menu: “Charring vegetables is probably my favorite technique,” chef Sergio Jimenez says. “Just let the natural sugars caramelize on it. Don’t be afraid to burn it.”

Ingredients

Chickpea hummus
3 cups garbanzo beans
1 bulb garlic, roasted
Zest and juice of 4 lemons
2 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. zaatar
1 tsp. coriander
1 bunch parsley
1 cup water
1 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. tahini
Salt, to taste

Broccoli
4 large broccoli crowns
Olive oil, salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

For hummus: In a blender, add garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon zest and juice, spices and herbs. Blend at medium speed until smooth. Add water as needed to achieve a smooth texture. Slowly incorporate olive oil and tahini. Season to taste with salt.

For broccoli: Steam broccoli crowns for about 7 minutes or blanch for about 4 minutes. If steamed, immediately chill broccoli in the refrigerator, uncovered and on a wire rack. If blanched, place cooked broccoli in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes to dry out the moisture. The goal is to evaporate as much water from the broccoli as possible.

Season broccoli with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a grill over high heat and let the natural sugars of the broccoli caramelize, 4 to 10 minutes. Once broccoli has a beautiful char throughout, squeeze lemons over broccoli and remove from grill.

To serve: Place a generous portion of hummus at the bottom of a plate, place broccoli in the center and add Parmesan cheese to finish. Top with freshly cracked black pepper for extra heat.