Name: Purple sprouting broccoli with anchovy & hazelnut pesto
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 6 as a side or 4 as a main
Ingredients: 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; 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

Purple sprouting broccoli with anchovy & hazelnut pesto

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.