Purple sprouting broccoli with anchovy & hazelnut pesto
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook: -
- Easy
- 6 as a side or 4 as a main
Ingredients
For the salad
- 350g Jerusalem artichokes or 4 leeks (fat ones are better than longer skinny ones in both cases)
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small head white chicory
- ½ small head radicchio
- 200g purple sprouting broccoli
- 50g watercress, coarse stalks removed
- 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 15g lightly toasted hazelnuts, very roughly chopped
For the pesto
- 50g can anchovies, drained
- 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 70g hazelnuts, lightly toasted
- 125ml extra virgin olive oil (a fruity one rather than a grassy one)
- ½ lemon, juiced (reserve 2 tsp for dressing)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Method
- STEP 1
Wash the artichokes thoroughly and remove any small, tufty bits. You don’t need to peel them – just halve them lengthways if they’re small, or cut into 2.5cm chunks if you’re using larger artichokes. If you are not going to cook them immediately, put them in a bowl of water mixed with lemon juice to stop their flesh discolouring. If you’re using leeks, trim them and cut into fat chunks.
- STEP 2
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 5. Drain the artichokes, pat them dry and put them (or the leeks) in a roasting tin large enough to hold them in a single layer. Season and add the olive oil. Toss everything together and cook for 30-45 mins until the veg is completely tender.
- STEP 3
Meanwhile, make the pesto. Put the anchovies, garlic and hazelnuts in a food processor with some freshly ground black pepper. Blend while adding the olive oil. Taste, then add the lemon juice, tasting as you go. If it seems too thick, add a drop of water (you should be able to drizzle the mixture). Stir in the parsley.
- STEP 4
Trim the base of the chicory and separate the leaves; separate the radicchio leaves too, and tear them into pieces. Steam the broccoli until it is just tender (insert the tip of a knife to test for doneness). Pat dry with a tea towel (there’s moisture on the surface after steaming, which makes it diffcult for the dressing to cling to it). Season the broccoli.
- STEP 5
Toss the artichokes or leeks gently with the purple sprouting broccoli, the leaves (including the watercress), 2 tsp lemon juice, the balsamic, olive oil and a little more seasoning. Tip onto a serving platter, spoon over some of the pesto and scatter on the hazelnuts. Serve the remaining pesto in a bowl.