Before we start swooning over asparagus and jersey royals, let’s take a moment to appreciate the robust appeal of purple sprouting broccoli. Like its regular calabrese cousin, it’s packed full of nutrients, but the taste is nuttier and more complex, while the texture has a wonderful, satisfying bite. Steamed, boiled, stir-fried or roasted, PSB will stand up to all sorts of punchy flavours, from briny anchovies to bold Asian condiments.
Spicy sesame purple sprouting broccoli and sausage noodles (pictured top)
Sausage, greens, noodles and a speedy, big-flavoured sauce make for a great weeknight supper to cook on repeat. I use udon, but you could use any noodles you like, even spaghetti.
Prep 15 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4
60g tahini
4 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar, or rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
3 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced
90g of your favourite chilli crisp – I love Laoganma
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 fat garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
40g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 tbsp neutral oil, such as avocado oil
450g sausages, skin removed and flesh broken up
Sea salt and black pepper
225g purple sprouting broccoli
250g noodles
Lime juice, to taste
Toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
In a heatproof bowl, whisk the tahini, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and toasted sesame oil, then add the spring onions. Put the chilli crisp in a pan over a medium-high heat, then add the ginger, garlic and peanuts, and cook until sizzling and aromatic. Pour this over the spring onion mix and stir.
Wipe out the pan and heat the oil. Fry the sausagemeat for five to seven minutes, until browned and crisp, then season to taste with a little sea salt and black pepper.
While the sausage is frying, bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Blanch the broccoli, then lift out with a slotted spoon and refresh under ice-cold water. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions – to make things easy, boil them in the same water you used for the broccoli.
Pour the spring onion and chilli dressing into the sausage pan, then add the noodles and broccoli, and toss well to coat. Add a squeeze of lime juice, scatter with sesame seeds and serve.
Purple sprouting broccoli, ricotta and preserved lemon pie
Light pastry, cheese and a forest full of broccoli makes for a lovely light lunch – feel free to swap the ricotta for some feta, or use a combination of the two.
Prep 10 min
Rest 1 hr
Cook 1 hr 10 min
Serves 4-6
For the dough
350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
Sea salt and black pepper
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
For the filling
500g purple sprouting broccoli
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
250g ricotta
100g parmesan, grated
Rinds of 2 preserved lemons, finely chopped
Grated zest of 1 large lemon
Start by making the dough. In a large bowl, combine the flour and a pinch of sea salt, then pour in the oil and180ml water, and knead into a dough that is soft and elastic but not sticky –if need be, adjust with more flour or water. Wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge to rest for an hour.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Chop the broccoli into small, even, bite-sized pieces and cook in salted boiling water for two to three minutes, until tender. Drain well, then squeeze out any excess liquid.
In a frying pan, heat the oil over a medium flame, saute the onion until soft and translucent, then take off the heat and leave to cool.
In a bowl, stir the ricotta to loosen it, then add the parmesan, preserved lemon rind, fresh lemon zest and broccoli. Season with sea salt and pepper, and mix well.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Unwrap the dough and divide it in two. Dust a work surface with flour, then roll out one piece of the dough as thinly as possible into a roughly 27cm-diameter circle. Roll this on to the rolling pin, then unroll it on top of the lined baking sheet and spread the filling all over the top.
Roll out the second piece of dough to the same size, then lay this on top of the filling. Join up the edges and fold them towards the centre to close the pie. Pierce the entire surface with a fork, then brush with plenty of olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Serve warm or at room temperature
Cheesy polenta with charred purple sprouting broccoli, anchovy and lemon
This silky, parmesan-rich polenta serves as the perfect bed for toothsome stalks of purple sprouting broccoli. If you don’t have a griddle pan, cook the spears under the grill or roast them in the oven until smoky and charred.
Prep 15 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 6
350g purple sprouting broccoli, trimmed and cut into even pieces
Sea salt and black pepper
2 anchovy fillets
1 garlic clove, peeled and very finely chopped
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
1½ lemons, 1 zested
For the polenta
1 litre vegetable stock
150g fine polenta
80g finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
60g unsalted butter
Blanch the broccoli in salted boiling water for a minute, then drain and refresh in ice-cold water. In a bowl, use a fork to mash the anchovies into the garlic, then stir in the olive oil.
For the polenta, bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan on a medium heat, then gradually pour in the polenta in a steady stream, whisking continuously. Turn down the heat as low as it will go, then simmer, whisking occasionally and, as the mixture thickens, more frequently, for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, get a griddle pan very hot. Lay the half lemon cut side down on the griddle and leave it to blacken. Season the broccoli with sea salt and drizzle over the anchovy oil, then griddle the broccoli for a minute or two on each side until charred and smoky. Finish the polenta by whisking in the butter and parmesan, and season. Squeeze the charred lemon over the broccoli.
To serve, spoon the polenta on to plates and top with some broccoli. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, scatter over a little lemon zest and shave over some extra parmesan.
