Everyone likes broccoli, but it’s usually cooked in the same way: steamed or boiled. Nothing wrong with that, but there are more ways than that with the vegetable (which actually is really a flower).
So how can we cook the green king (which, incidentally, is not only ever green: note purple sprouting. Also white though I’ve never encountered)? It can be roasted, grilled, baked or eaten raw. Just take a look at this collection of best broccoli dishes.
If you can do it with cauliflower, you can do it with broccoli: an easy broccoli cheese bake, with the taste sharpened up with garlic and anchovies. My broccoli cheese is a gratin of the florets baked in a creamy mornay sauce.
Frittata is a wonderful way to use up a little sad bits of veg from the fridge and heaven knows broccoli sometimes ends up like that. Broccoli frittata starts on the hob and finishes in the oven. With cheese and a little crème fraiche in the egg mix it’s fluffy and very satisfying.
Divide the brocs into florets and thread them onto skewers with halloumi, mushrooms, peppers and onions. These vegetarian kebabs drizzled with tangy marinade are as fantastic cooked on a barbecue as from the oven.
Halloumi and vegetable skewers
RECIPE
The classic green soup, broccoli and Stilton, easy, tasty and proper comfort food. This one is made without blender, just chunkily mashed with a potato masher.
Broccoli and Stilton soup
RECIPE
Very delicious and super healthy: raw broccoli in a flavoursome marinade/dressing with garlic and sesame. It’s a wonderfully moreish salad of fresh broccoli with fragrant Asian dressing. Great served with roast meats or as a side to a stir-fry.
Creamy salmon and broccoli make a good pairing in this bake with cavolo nero and Parmesan béchamel. It’s an easy one-pan fish gratin that makes a comforting, low-effort weeknight dinner.
Salmon and broccoli bake
RECIPE
Do this instead of steaming or boiling: sesame roasted broccoli with a hint of sweetness from maple syrup, soused in olive and sesame oil, ready in 20 minutes. Broccoli like you’ve never tasted before!
Sesame roasted broccoli
RECIPE