Recipe: Broccoli with Garlic and Almonds

I made this recipe to go with my great Steak au Poivre experiment.  I think I was probably trying to re-create a side dish my mom used to make if I was very, very good, which she called Broccoli Almondine.  Oh, how I used to love that dish!  I can still remember how wonderful I felt when it made an appearance on the table.  (Mom: this is a subtle hint.)  Anyway, I didn't achieve that, and the reason I didn't achieve that is garlic. 

This is not actually a problem.  It was in fact deliberate.  You see, our family has always seen garlic as a wonderful way to ward off disease.  My great-grandmother used to send my mom and uncle to school with garlic necklaces to ward off flu and colds.  While I'm not quite on board with that, I do subscribe to the notion that garlic boosts the immune system or at least keeps sick people  the heck away from you.  I've also generally held the belief that getting a flu shot is what actually gives people flu.  It's not the shot itself - that's just silly - but going to the doctor's office or flu clinic to get it involves crowds, and crowds of sick people at that.  Which is how you get flu.  So when my obstetrician and husband both insisted, with differing degrees of firmness, that I get the H1N1 shot, I knew I had to do something to protect myself against contagion.  Hence all the garlic.  So while I didn't get the flavor I originally wanted, I got LOADS of garlic, which is almost as good. 

Broccoli with Garlic and Almonds (serves 1; approx. $2.61/serving)

4 ounces butter

6 garlic cloves, crushed

1 ounce sliced almonds

1 bunch broccoli florets

Equipment:

• Large saucepan
• Saute pan
• Mini-prep food processor

1. Combine the butter and garlic in the mini food processor.  Add a pinch of kosher salt if you're feeling extravagant.  Process until well combined. 
2. Bring a large saucepan full of water to a boil.  Add the broccoli and cook for no more than three minutes.  Drain.  Set the broccoli aside until you're ready to use it.
3. Melt the butter in the saute pan over medium or medium-low heat.
4. Add the almonds and cook until fragrant.
5. Add the broccoli.  Toss to coat.
6. Cook until the broccoli is as tender as you want it.  For me, that's not very long. 
7. Serve hot.