Charred purple sprouting broccoli with ‘nduja, kale pesto and crackling crumb
- Portion size: Charlie Buchanan-Smith
- Hands-on time 45 min
- Difficulty: easy
This dish from The Free Company restaurant near Edinburgh makes a cracking starter or side dish. Charred broccoli is elevated by the umami sweetness of the ’nduja dressing.
Recipe by Charlie Buchanan-Smith of The Free Company
If you’ve got some ‘nduja leftover, check out more ‘nduja recipes.
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Ingredients
- 3 tbsp cider vinegar, plus extra to season
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
- 200g purple sprouting broccoli
- 50g pumpkin seeds
- 150ml rapeseed oil, plus 2 tbsp and a little for toasting
- 200g kale (we use red russian or cavolo nero)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 30g pork crackling
- 30g ’nduja
- ½ tsp dijon mustard
- ½ tsp honey
- 100g mustard leaves/greens
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Method
- In a small bowl, combine 1 tbsp vinegar with the sugar and 1 tbsp water. Stir in the mustard seeds and set aside to quick-pickle while you prepare everything else.
- Lightly steam the purple sprouting broccoli for a couple of minutes until just slightly tender but very much maintaining its firmness. This will just help it cook evenly on the grill. Set aside.
- For the pesto, toast the pumpkin seeds in a pan with some salt and a little oil until they are browned and starting to sing and pop a little. Pop them in a blender with the kale and garlic and begin to blend. Add the 150ml oil gradually until broken down into a consistency you’re happy with. Taste and season, adding some vinegar until you have a bright, punchy pesto (you can also add a hard cheese like pecorino or parmesan if you wish).
- For the crumb, toast the fennel and coriander seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, then tip into a small food processor or blender with the pork crackling and whizz to a coarse powder. Season with salt flakes.
- Char the purple sprouting broccoli on a barbecue or under a hot grill for a minute or two on each side. Be careful not to overcook it as you still want that crunchy freshness with the outside lightly charred.
- Meanwhile, put a small pan over a medium-high heat and add 2 tbsp oil and the ’nduja (if you’re cooking the broccoli on a barbecue you could also make the dressing in a pan on the grill). Once the ’nduja has warmed through and broken down, remove from the heat and whisk in 2 tbsp vinegar, the mustard and honey until emulsified in a dressing.
- To serve, spoon the pesto onto plates or a large platter. Top with the purple sprouting broccoli and fresh mustard leaves. Spoon over the mustard seeds and a good drizzle of the ’nduja dressing. Scatter over the crackling crumb.
Nutrition
- 410kcals Calories
- 38g (4.2g saturated) Fat
- 8.9g Protein
- 6.2g (4.2g sugars) Carbs
- 4.2g Fibre
- 0.4g Salt
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