Simple Crispy Lemon Broccolini with Green Herb Sauce and Grilled Lamb
Broccolini roasted at high heat until the tips turn deeply crisp, finished with lemon and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and served with juicy grilled grass-fed lamb chops and a vibrant green herb sauce of parsley, cilantro, capers, garlic, lemon, and olive oil. Simple, bright, and deeply satisfying.
Yield: Serves 4 · Active: 30 min · Total: 45 min (plus 30 minutes marinating) · Year-round (broccolini is at its best in North America in fall and spring) · Best eaten: early evening
The Menu
Simple Crispy Lemon Broccolini with Parmigiano-Reggiano
Green Herb Sauce
Grilled Grass-Fed Lamb Chops
Optional extras: lemon wedges, extra shaved Parmigiano, flaky sea salt, and warm grain-free flatbread.
About Green Herb Sauce
Green herb sauces are found all over the world, from Italy's salsa verde to Argentina's chimichurri. They turn grilled meat, roasted fish, or simple vegetables into something bright and alive, and they all follow the same formula: fresh herbs, acid, garlic, olive oil, and salt. This version, with parsley, cilantro, capers, lemon, and garlic, takes 5 minutes and keeps for a week, which makes it a true pantry staple.
Recipe 1: Simple Crispy Lemon Broccolini with Parmigiano-Reggiano
Serves 4 · Active: 10 min · Total: 20 min
2 bunches broccolini (about 1½ lb), tough ends trimmed
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Baja Gold sea salt
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Optional: a pinch of red pepper flakes
Zest of 1 lemon, plus the juice of ½ lemon
¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Flaky sea salt
Toss. Heat the oven to 450°F and line a large sheet pan with parchment. Toss the broccolini with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and chili flakes (if using).
Roast at high heat. Spread it in a single layer and roast 12–16 minutes without turning, until the little leaves and tips are deeply dark and crisp. That's the goal.
Finish. Squeeze the lemon juice over it right away, then sprinkle with the Parmigiano (the heat melts it slightly), lemon zest, and flaky salt. Serve warm.
Recipe 2: Green Herb Sauce
Makes about 1 cup · Active: 8 min
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, packed (leaves and tender stems)
½ cup fresh cilantro, packed (leaves and tender stems)
Optional: ¼ cup fresh basil, in summer
2 tbsp small capers, drained and rinsed
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
½ tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt and ¼ tsp black pepper
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
Optional: a pinch of red pepper flakes, and 1 anchovy fillet (a traditional addition)
Pulse everything except the olive oil in a food processor 8–10 times, until roughly chopped. You want visible pieces of herbs, not a smooth paste.
Add the oil. With the motor running (or by hand), drizzle in the olive oil, just until combined.
Taste and adjust: more salt for depth, more lemon or vinegar for brightness, more oil for richness.
Rest 10 minutes, so the flavors meld.
Spoon it over the lamb, the broccolini, or both. It's also wonderful as a dip for bread, over roasted vegetables, or as a marinade.
Recipe 3: Grilled Grass-Fed Lamb Chops
Serves 4 · Active: 15 min · Total: 30 min (plus 30 minutes marinating)
8 grass-fed lamb chops, rib or loin (about 2 lb)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp Baja Gold sea salt
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Optional: 1 tbsp grass-fed butter, for basting
Marinate. Combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Turn the chops to coat them, and let them sit 30 minutes at room temperature (or refrigerate up to 4 hours).
Cook.
On the grill (the best flavor): Heat the grill to high (450–500°F), and grill the chops 2–3 minutes per side for medium-rare (125–130°F), or 3–4 minutes per side for medium. Small lamb chops cook fast, so stay close.
In a pan (great for weeknights): Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp olive oil. Sear the chops 2–3 minutes per side for medium-rare, or 3–4 for medium, basting them with butter and the pan juices in the last minute.
Rest 5 minutes on a warm plate, then serve with the green herb sauce spooned generously over the top.
Swap the Protein
The broccolini and green herb sauce go with almost anything:
Pasture-raised pork chops: Dry-brine 4 bone-in chops (1¼ inches thick) with 2 tsp salt for 2–24 hours, uncovered in the fridge. Rub them with the same garlic-herb marinade, then grill over medium-high heat or sear in a cast iron skillet 4–5 minutes per side, basting with butter at the end, until they reach 145–150°F. Rest 5–7 minutes.
Grass-fed steak, seared and sliced thin.
Pasture-raised chicken thighs, roasted or grilled until they reach 175°F.
Wild fish fillets, like salmon, halibut, or cod, pan-seared until just flaky.
To Serve
Serve it family-style on a large warm platter, or on individual plates: pile the broccolini on one side and the lamb chops in the center, then spoon the green herb sauce generously over the lamb and around the plate. Add lemon wedges, and finish the broccolini with flaky salt and extra shaved Parmigiano. Serve extra sauce at the table.
Storage
Broccolini: refrigerated up to 2 days. Recrisp at 400°F for 4–5 minutes, or serve at room temperature.
Green herb sauce: refrigerated up to 1 week, in a jar with a thin layer of olive oil on top to keep it green.
Cooked lamb chops: refrigerated up to 3 days, though they're best fresh.
Cooked pork chops: refrigerated up to 4 days.
Leftover transformations:
Slice cold lamb or pork over greens with the green herb sauce, for a lunch salad.
Toss leftover broccolini with fresh greens and green herb sauce, for a warm salad.
Spoon leftover sauce over eggs, fish, or roasted vegetables.
Nourishment Notes
Grass-fed lamb — heme iron, B12, zinc, selenium, and CLA, which is higher in grass-fed animals. Heme iron is especially well absorbed: the body takes in about 15–35% of heme iron, compared with roughly 2–20% of the iron in plants. Grass-fed lamb also contains more omega-3s than grain-fed.
Pasture-raised pork (if using) — thiamine (B1, which pork is one of the richest sources of), zinc, selenium, and iron, plus more vitamin D than conventional pork, since the pigs live outdoors in the sun.
Broccolini — glucosinolates (the precursors to sulforaphane, which supports estrogen metabolism), vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, and fiber.
Parsley, cilantro, and basil — vitamin K (parsley is one of the richest food sources), folate, eugenol, and linalool.
Rosemary and thyme — rosmarinic acid, carnosic acid, thymol, and carvacrol.
Capers — quercetin and rutin, two flavonoid antioxidants. Sicilian capers, from Pantelleria and Salina, are prized throughout the Mediterranean.
Anchovy (if using) — omega-3s (EPA and DHA), calcium, and B12.
Garlic — allicin and organosulfur compounds.
Lemon — vitamin C and d-limonene, which also help your body absorb the lamb's iron.
Raw apple cider vinegar — acetic acid for blood-sugar balance.
Parmigiano-Reggiano — calcium (about 1,200 mg per 100 g), vitamin K2, B12, and glutamic acid, the source of its savory depth.
Extra virgin olive oil — oleic acid, hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein, and oleocanthal, plus it helps you absorb the vegetables' fat-soluble vitamins.
For your cycle: The lamb's heme iron, B12, and zinc make this especially restorative during the menstrual phase, the broccolini supports estrogen metabolism in the follicular and luteal phases, and the lemon and herbs help your body absorb the iron.
Sourcing
Lamb chops — grass-fed rib or loin chops, bone-in, from a farmers' market, a local butcher, or a trusted grass-fed producer (rib chops are the most tender, and loin chops are meatier)
Pork chops (if using) — pasture-raised, bone-in, ideally heritage breeds like Berkshire, Mangalitsa, or Tamworth, from a local farm or butcher
Broccolini — organic, with bright green stems and tightly closed florets
Parsley, cilantro, basil, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and lemons — organic, from a farmers' market or your windowsill
Capers — salt-packed Sicilian capers from Pantelleria or Salina, with no preservatives (rinse them before using)
Anchovies (optional) — packed in olive oil, from Cantabria or Sicily, like Ortiz
Parmigiano-Reggiano — DOP, aged 24+ months, made from raw milk by law; look for the stamped rind, and grate it fresh
Raw apple cider vinegar — organic, with the mother (Bragg)
Dijon mustard — organic, with no preservatives or sugar; Delouis Fils or Maison Orphée
Grass-fed butter — organic, cultured butter from 100% grass-fed cows
Red pepper flakes — organic and non-irradiated
Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated within the last 12 months, in dark glass. Use a good everyday bottle for cooking, and save your best for finishing.
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt; Maldon or fleur de sel for finishing
— Anna aka Food Marshall