Roasted shrimp and broccoli with chick peas and bacon

Why do I have this disorder that causes me to mess around with every recipe I try? Someday, I may cook one to complete specifications, but it's not going to be Melissa Clark's roasted broccoli with shrimp -- that much I can tell you.

I really tried to make this a recipe test drive of Melissa Clark’s roasted broccoli with shrimp. Forgive me — I just couldn’t help myself and I went and messed with Melissa Clark’s recipe. In the interest of full disclosure, I have no idea who Melissa Clark is. I know that I’m supposed to, and I gather that she’s some big-wig NY Times food writer, but she’s never crossed my radar until I now.

I thank The Wednesday Chef (one of my new faves) for turning me onto this recipe. I thank Melissa Clark for using some of my favorite flavors all in one dish: roasted broccoli, whole cumin and coriander seeds and lots and lots of lemon. And I thank me for making it edible….

OK, I jest, because Clark’s simple dish was quite lovely. But as I said, I just couldn’t help myself. So I took her flavor combinations (which I’ve used many times myself) and added some more goodies to the recipe while keeping it simple and flavorful.

Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli with Chick Peas and Bacon

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Ingredients:

broccoli florets (about 4 medium to large crowns, chopped)
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
chili powder to taste
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
zest from one lemon
juice from one lemon
1 pound shrimp
1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
4 slices turkey bacon, cooked
feta cheese, crumbled

Toss the broccoli with olive oil, cumin and coriander, spread on a baking sheet and season to taste. Roast at 400 convection bake for 20 minutes.

Toss the shrimp with the lemon zest, some olive oil and season. Roast for only 10 minutes.

Toss together with the remaining ingredients and serve.

So that’s what I did. And here’s what I’d do differently next time:

Add a few cloves of garlic, sliced, to roast up with the broccoli.
Combine the lemon juice with a tablespoon of olive oil and drizzle the dressing over the whole shebang, instead of just lemon juice. It was tasty, but dry.

Apologies all around, Melissa Clark — for not knowing who you are, for messing with your recipe and for riffing off yours to make an infinitely tastier one. What can I say — I like my cooking.

Photo Credit: Debbie McDuffee