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LA (THIRD ST): THE BEST BROCCOLINI

By Nora Zelevansky / March 16th, 2010

BROCCOLI

Living around the corner from a store like Joan's on Third can be dangerous.  (The same issue applies if you live near a Dean & Deluca or any gourmet market really.)

For one thing, there's the urge to go buy and stick your face in a chocolate peanut butter cupcake every time you go to mail a letter.  Then, there's the temptation to skip dinner preparation and just buy something pre-prepared that inevitably tastes better anyway.  Finally, there's the impulse to buy and devour a hunk of Triple Cream Goat Brie that will not only eat up all the calories you've allotted for the month, but also all the rent money.

For a long time, I'd avoid these pitfalls by allowing myself the occasional quarter pint of potato, avocado, wilted arugula and lemon salad (which I still managed to feel a little guilty about).  But lately my favorite side has not been available.  Maybe it's a seasonal thing?  Maybe they're just trying to torture me.

In the absence of potato salad though, I happened upon the Joan's on Third broccolini, which is not only sublimely healthy, but is also relatively inexpensive as Joan's dishes go.  I think it's probably just prepared in olive oil, garlic, salt and a little lemon or something, but whatever it is, it's always incredibly flavorful and just the right amount of crunchy.

So, this is my mini-salute to broccolini.  Next up, a ticker tape parade for that triple cream cheese.

xo – N.