Burnt Broccoli and Crushed Olive Salad

Burning vegetables carries some drama—it seems like something you might only do to linger on the word to impress guests (“yes, burnt!”). But the deep vegetal sweetness of broccoli lends itself perfectly to the technique. The contrast of sweet and crunchy, just-cooked florets and the slightly smoky, pleasantly bitter charred exterior turns the everyday vegetable into something excitingly dynamic. Here we give you chargrilled flavor minus the grill; deeply browning the broccoli in a cast-iron skillet instead. Briny and buttery Castelvetrano olives add a pop of salty acidity, and the light, creamy tang of goat cheese rounds out the high notes. Serve as a side to fill out your dinner table (it makes an impressively simple last-minute addition to any potluck spread) or as a satisfying vegetarian lunch—it may even be better as leftovers the next day.