I love cruciferous vegetables, those strongly flavored members of the broccoli, but by far my favorite is the peppery, slightly bitter broccoli raab. I love it blanched and then sautéed with olive oil, garlic and hot pepper flakes. I love it washed, chopped and thrown directly into a wok with olive oil, flaked sea salt and black pepper. But my recent favorite way to prepare broccoli raab is to roast it on a foil-covered baking sheet. I line the sheet with foil for easy cleanup, and then I toss the broccoli raab with olive oil, garlic and fresh lemon juice. The juice adds a special freshness, and roasting the broccoli raab allows its sweetness to come out.

This preparation makes a delicious accompaniment to almost any meat dishes, and I also love to serve it as a bed for grilled fish.

When you first spread the tossed broccoli raab onto the baking pan it will look like you have way too much. However, it shrinks by a little more than half while roasting and it tastes so good, you definitely will be glad you used both bunches of broccoli raab.

Lemony Roasted Broccoli Raab

• 2 bunches broccoli raab, washed, stemmed and roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic, about 2 large cloves
• Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a half-sheet baking pan with foil, if desired, and set aside.

Toss the broccoli raab with the olive oil, garlic and lemon juice in a very large bowl. Spread the broccoli raab on the baking pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring once or twice, until tender, 15-20 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.