Roast Mushrooms and Broccolini With Sesame Croutons
This recipe is part of the L.A. Times’ Week of Meals series.
A seasoned mix of crunchy crouton and sesame seed adds texture and flavor to simply roasted mushrooms and broccolini. If you don’t have these spices, omit them and season the croutons and sesame seeds with plenty of salt and pepper. Regular broccoli or cauliflower works as a substitute for broccolini. And use whatever mushrooms you can find — a mix of king oyster and maitake mushrooms looks great, but regular cremini or shiitake mushrooms will also work perfectly.
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Halve the mushrooms or cut into large thumb-size pieces. Place the mushrooms in a large bowl, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then arrange on one half of a large, rimmed baking sheet (the mushroom chunks will be slightly crowded; that’s intentional and OK, since they will shrink dramatically during cooking). In the same bowl, add the broccolini, 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then spread out on the other side of the baking sheet; reserve the bowl.
Place the sheet in the oven and roast, flipping the mushrooms and broccolini once halfway through, until tender and browned at the edges, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, wipe the reserved bowl clean, then add the tomatoes, shallot and vinegar to it, tossing to combine. Let stand until the vegetables are finished roasting.
Also while the vegetables roast, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the bread chunks and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Stir in the sesame seeds, coriander, cumin and chile flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Transfer the croutons to a bowl and let cool.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and divide the mushrooms and broccolini among four serving plates. Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil into the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Divide the tomatoes among the plates and sprinkle breadcrumbs over the vegetables before serving.
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