Recipes > Charred Broccoli
Charred Broccoli
It was Luigi who introduced me to this wonderful take on broccoli. He was this crazy, crazy Sicilian, skateboarding chef who was even more gung-ho than I was.
Anyway to cut a long story short I remember, one morning, watching him from across the kitchen as he was preparing (or by the looks of it, burning) this dish. I had assumed he'd simply missed out on his regular coffee intake, but nevertheless I was intrigued so I mosey'd over from the pastry section to inspect his crispy-looking offerings.
...It was heaven. The char-grill had brought out the most amazing of flavours and to compliment these tantalising aromas he added sliced (but mild) chilli, flaked almonds and a twist of lemon.
Damn but it was good.

If you don't have a char-grill at home don't worry you can still manipulate these smoky flavours on a griddle.

Oh yeah, I should probably mention that you're supposed to use the stem. I don't know why so many people have fallen into the bad habit of wasting this part of the broccoli, but it contains the bulk of the flavour. So don't be a chump, don't throw the stem, cook it, eat it and say 'yum-yum'.

Serves 4

Recipe Ingredients
1-2 Tblsp olive oil
1 large (or 2 medium) broccoli
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
2 Tblsp flaked almonds
1 Tsp chopped chilli
1 Tsp lemon juice

Mise-en-Place:
Prepare a saucepan with simmering water
Chop the broccoli
Brown the flaked almonds beneath a hot grill/ oven
Slice the chilli and prepare the lemon juice

Method:
Boil the broccoli until it just starts to go tender.
(Do not over cook or the broccoli will fall apart on the griddle)
Once cooked, drain
Heat the oil in a griddle
Add the broccoli
(You need plenty of colour to induce the flavours so don't be too hasty to turn the broccoli until thoroughly cooked)
When cooked on both sides, remove
Toss all the ingredients together
Serve

Chef Tip:
To reduce the heat of a chilli, cut length-ways into four, scrape out the seeds and discard.
Chop the chilli as required, allow to soak in water for 10 minutes before using.

Chef Insight:
Baby broccoli in particular is supposed to have curative effects against cancer
Unfortunately this dish is supposed to do just the opposite. The blackening of the vegetables is believed to have carcinogenic properties. So enjoy this dish every once in a while, just don't make it a regular feature in your life!