If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you’ll know that I’m a fan of the one-dish meal. Fussing about with multiple pots and pans is just not for me, and nor is doing multiple sets of dishes afterward. The way I see it, if something needs a side dish to complete it, how good can it be?

Yet there are certain dishes (and yes, good ones) that do require a little something else, aren’t there? I can think of several: fishcakes, tarts, certain soups. In those cases, I’ll often reach for one of my beloved salads, but sometimes I’m in the mood for something simpler. So occasionally, yes- I’ll have a side dish. And very occasionally, if I’m feeling particularly virtuous (or if I plan to bake something particularly sinful later on), I’ll have just a side.

As was the case last weekend, when I roasted up some broccoli for my lunch. This dish is adapted from an Amateur Gourmet recipe, but it’s hardly something any one person can take credit for. Broccoli, lemon, cheese: that’s pretty much it.

This time, I used Tenderstem broccoli, which I believe goes by the moniker “Broccolini” outside of the UK. The long, tender stalks and asparagus-like flavour is perfect here, but any broccoli will do. I’ve used regular calabrese, purple sprouting and even Romanescu before, all with slightly unique but equally delicious results. You can also change up the cheese here; feta is great in the summer, and parmesan or gorgonzola work well in the cooler months.

So, make this, and I’m sure you’ll forgive me my little side-dish aside. It probably won’t happen again for months, anyway.

• Roast Broccoli with Lemon and Cheese
• serves 4 as a side
• 400g Tenderstem (or other) broccoli
  2 Tbs. olive oil
  zest of one lemon
  sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  juice of one lemon
  50g feta cheese, crumbled (could also use: parmesan, gorgonzola, buffalo mozzarella)
• 1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Lay the broccoli in a single layer in a shallow roasting tin, and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle over the lemon zest, a pinch of sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
  
  2. Roast broccoli for approximately 20 minutes, until turning brown and crisp in places (there is no need to toss with the Tenderstem, though you may want to with a chunkier variety). Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the lemon juice and cheese. Serve immediately.

As with anything, trends in the food world come and go. Some are short-lived (cake pops, anyone?), some a little more tenacious (sigh- cupcakes) and some become broader movements that are difficult to define until we’re past them. So, what movement are we in now? I don’t profess to be an expert at this stuff, but I believe we’re currently in an age of under-cooking.

Think about it- it’s all about texture these days, no? Pasta is al dente, fish cooked just through and not a second longer, and anyone who orders their steak any better done than medium-rare is instantly relegated to uncool territory. I’m not saying I disagree with any of this (except maybe the steak thing, for obvious reasons), just pointing it out. Clearly, the days of Grandma’s overcooked meat and veg are long gone.

But every now and then, it’s nice to go against the tide and cook the s**t out of something. This recipe for Long-Cooked Broccoli comes from Alice Waters, and slowly cooks the vegetable until it completely breaks down, rendering it unrecognizable, yet mouthwatering. It ends up in a part solid, part liquid state that’s equally comfortable acting as a side dish or as a sauce for pasta, rice or fish.

The recipe calls for broccoli stems and florets, another trend which seems to have fallen by the wayside. I rarely see a recipe that calls for stems these days, yet we always ate both when I was growing up. (We strangely referred to the florets as “broc-broc” and the stems as “broc no-broc”.) Once the broc (both kinds) have been simmered with some garlic and chili flakes for an hour, you stir in some lemon zest and season to taste. The addition of buttermilk adds a tangy richness that takes things to a whole other level.

So here’s to a new trend: things that taste good.

• Long-Cooked Broccoli with Buttermilk
• adapted from Alice Waters’ Long-Cooked Broccoli
• serves 4 as a side
• 1 large head broccoli
  3 Tbs. olive oil
  3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  1/4 tsp. chili flakes
  1 cup water
  zest of one lemon
  1/3 cup buttermilk
  sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1. Cut the broccoli into small florets, and peel and slice the stem pieces). Rinse and set aside.
  
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chili flakes and cook for one minute. Add the broccoli and stir everything well. Continue cooking for 4-5 minutes, until everything is very fragrant.
  
  3. Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to very low, cover, and simmer for one hour. Check occasionally to stir and make sure the mixture isn’t sticking; you may need to add more water.
  
  4. After one hour, remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and buttermilk. Season to taste and stir vigorously, to give the broccoli the texture of a coarse purée. Serve immediately, as a side or sauce.

Don’t you love rediscovering an old favourite? Whether a book, old movie or cherished item of clothing, it’s always nice to stumble across our long-forgotten loves. That’s what happened this week in my kitchen, with (predictably) a recipe for (perhaps unpredictably) a stir-fry.

Last Sunday, I told you that I was planning on making several Asian dishes over the week. What used to be a regular occurance in my flat had become rare: Chinese flavours had given way to Indian ones, Thai dishes had stepped aside for Italian. And although no one can say anything against curries or pastas (not to me, anyway- I wouldn’t let them), I admit I was getting a little bored.

It was Andrew who reminded me of this noodle stir-fry, which used to appear almost weekly on our table. It’s one of his favourite-ever dishes, so I felt a little guilty when I calculated that I hadn’t made it in, oh, six months or so. Realising that it was precisely the kind of thing I was craving too, I set about prepping what’s become known to us as “Peanut Thai Noodle”.

There’s a lot more than just peanuts and noodles going on here, of course. This dish is packed with vegetables and proteins, not to mention flavour. Broccoli, carrot and red bell pepper wrangle for room with tofu and shrimp. The sauce, a delicious blend of sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and peanut butter, has taken me several years to perfect, but it’s there now: tangy, sweet, salty and spicy.

Like many stir-fries, this isn’t exactly effortless to put together. There’s a lot of chopping, mincing and mixing to do, but you’ll forget all that, once you taste it. After polishing off a huge bowl of this, I turned to Andrew and happily announced “I could eat that again”. So if you’re listening, Peanut Thai Noodle- I’m so sorry. I’ll never abandon you again, I promise.

• Peanut Thai Noodle
• serves 2-3
• Sauce
  3 Tbs. sesame oil
  2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
  2 Tbs. soy sauce
  2 Tbs. smooth peanut butter
  1 Tbs. lime juice (about half a lime’s worth)
  1 Tbs. sugar
  1/2 tsp. chili flakes
  
  Stir-Fry
  125g egg noodles (your favourite kind for stir-fries)
  2 Tbs.+1 tsp. vegetable oil
  140g firm tofu, cut into 1/2″ cubes
  1 very small head broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
  1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced thinly
  1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
  100g raw shrimp, shelled and de-veined
  2 garlic cloves, minced
  1″ piece of ginger, minced
  2 Tbs. chopped fresh coriander
  2 Tbs. chopped green onions
• 1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the sauce and whisk until smooth- it will take a while because of the peanut butter, but keep at it. (Alternatively, you can always put everything into a watertight plastic container and shake it into submission.) Set aside sauce until later.
  
  2. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt it generously. Cook the noodles according to package instructions, then drain and set aside.
  
  3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the tofu and cook for about 8 minutes, until browned on all sides. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
  
  4. Add the other tablespoon of oil to the pan and throw in the vegetables. Cook for 8-10 minutes until cooked through but still crisp. (To speed this up, I sometimes add a splash of water and partially cover the pan, allowing the veg to steam a bit before I remove the lid and crisp them up. It works well, but don’t use too much water- you don’t want the veg soggy.)
  
  5. Add the prawns and cook for 1-2 minutes until they become pink. Then return the tofu to the pan, and push everything to the perimeter. Into the space you’ve made in the middle of the pan, add the final teaspoon of oil then the minced garlic and ginger. Stir the garlic and ginger around in the oil for about a minute, until everything becomes fragrant.
  
  6. Pour the sauce into the pan, and add the noodles. As soon as the sauce begins to bubble, turn off the heat. Using a pair of spoons or some rubber tongs, toss pan contents together so everything is evenly coated. At the last minute, toss in the coriander. Serve garnished with the green onion.

Risotto is one of my favourite things to make. Not only is it delicious and relatively foolproof, but it’s also improbably impressive. Announce to a group of friends that you’re making risotto for dinner and someone is bound to gaze at you in wide-eyed incredulity, regarding this as some kind of domestic tour de force.

These are the people who wouldn’t attempt to make risotto at home. They think of this rib-sticking dish as belonging high on the culinary pedestal, and something only somebody’s Italian mother or a trained chef should attempt. I know this because I used to be one of those people. I was convinced that risotto was fiddly and laborious, and if I stopped stirring for just one second the whole thing would end up ruined. Where I got this idea I’m not sure, but if you’re still thinking along those lines, I’m here to set you straight. Risotto is a piece of cake.

Besides the fact that its simple and even quick to make, but there’s another reason this Italian staple should be on every home cook’s roster: its versatility. Once you’ve got the basic technique down, you’re limited only by your imagination. Don’t feel like you have to stick to the tried-and-true classics, because almost everything tastes fantastic in risotto. I routinely use it as a vehicle for leftover bits of this and that from the fridge, as well as for experimenting with flavour combinations.

Case in point, this broccoli and cheddar version, which I made the other day for a quick and comforting lunch. The cheddar seems a little far-fetched at first, I’ll admit, but if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Consider the classic down-home pairing of broccoli, cheese and pasta, and think of this as its sophisticated cousin. It’s not by any means a healthy risotto (and yes, they do exist), as the handfuls of cheese and finishing touch of cream make it quite rich. Rich, but oh so delicious.

Besides, don’t you want to see the looks on your co-workers’ faces when you bring the leftovers to work for lunch?

• Broccoli & Cheddar Risotto
• serves 4
• 1 small head broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
  1 litre vegetable stock
  1 Tbs. butter
  1 Tbs. olive oil
  1/2 a large white onion, finely chopped
  1 clove garlic, minced
  1/4 tsp. chili flakes
  250g arborio rice (or other risotto rice)
  75g strong white cheddar, grated
  15g parmesan, grated
  salt and pepper
  2 Tbs. cream (optional)
• 1. Put a saucepan of water on to boil, and put the broccoli florets in a vegetable steamer on top. Steam the florets for 3-4 minutes until tender-crisp. At this point, remove half of them and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
  
  2. Continue cooking the remaining broccoli for another 5-7 minutes, until very soft. Remove to a shallow bowl and mash to a rough pulp with a fork or potato masher. Set aside.
  
  3. Heat the stock in a small saucepan to almost boiling, then turn the heat down to very low. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. When the butter foams, add the onion, garlic and chili flakes and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
  
  4. Add the rice and cook for another minute, ensuring it gets evenly coated in the butter/oil. Then add the mashed broccoli and heat through briefly. Begin to add the stock, one ladleful at a time, allowing the rice to absorb each before you add the next. You should stir often but it doesn’t need to be continuous- just make sure nothing sticks on the bottom, and that you add the next ladle of stock before the risotto gets too dry. If you run out of stock, use hot water from the kettle.
  
  5. After 15 minutes of adding stock and stirring, add the steamed broccoli florets and continue. After 18 minutes (from the beginning, not since adding the broccoli), taste the risotto. It should be tender but with some bite/chew to it. If it isn’t ready, continue as you were for another 2-5 minutes.
  
  6. When the rice is cooked to your liking, turn off the heat and stir in the cheeses. Salt and pepper to taste, and stir in the cream if using. Serve immediately.

“Pesto Purée” is a bit redundant, no? Obviously a pesto is going to be puréed, and oftentimes (in my kitchen at least) a purée is a pesto. It’s just that I’m never certain what to call this; it started as a puréed pasta sauce and gradually morphed into a pesto, so I now use both terms.

It was this recipe from The Kitchn that first got me on to puréeing broccoli. It has you sautée the veg with onion, garlic and parsley before blending with feta cheese to create a rich but healthy pasta sauce. I used to make this frequently but despite the delicious outcome, I’m far too lazy to cook when cooking isn’t truly required. I started to adapt the recipe to suit my lazy leanings, and gradually it became something closer to pesto: quick-blanched broccoli blended with nuts, parmesan and a touch a raw garlic.

I’d never thought to use my Pesto Purée for anything other than pasta though, so I was intrigued when Heidi posted her Double Broccoli Quinoa last week . Our recipes are similar enough, and anything that can make quinoa more interesting is fine by me. (No offense intended to quinoa, which is a healthy and delicious grain. Let’s face it, though: if quinoa was a girl, she’d be one of those serious, dull types, intent on following rules and having as little fun as possible.)

So I whipped up a batch, tried it, and loved it. Now that I’ve had my eyes opened to the possibilities, I can’t stop thinking about all the possible uses for this sauce. Apart from tossing it with pasta or quinoa, you could spread it on pizza dough in lieu of tomato sauce, layer it between noodles for a rich and flavourful lasagna, or serve with some grilled salmon.

So call it a pesto, or a purée, or whatever- but just make it. Because if this Pesto Purée was a girl, she’d be the smart, pretty one who’s friends with everyone, and who doesn’t love a girl like that?

• Broccoli Pesto Purée
• makes about 2 cups
• one small head of broccoli (about 2 cups of florets)
  1/2 cup pine nuts or chopped blanched almonds (or a mix)
  1 garlic clove, minced
  1/4 tsp. chili flakes
  1/4 cup grated parmesan
  1/4 cup crumbled feta
  1/4 cup olive oil
  juice of half a lemon
  good pinch of sea salt
• 1. Cut the broccoli into florets, rinse it, and cook until tender. You can do this one of two ways: by dropping into a pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes, or by steaming in a vegetable steamer for 4-5 minutes. Either way, rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process when done.
  
  2. Place the cooked florets into a food processor with all the other ingredients except the salt. Blitz until smooth, taste, and add the salt if necessary. (Alternatively, you can dump everything in a bowl and use an immersion blender, as I do.) Purée will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for three days, or in the freezer for up to a month.

What’s the worst possible thing you could find in your kitchen? If you’re like me, your answer will probably be “a mouse”. I have a dehabilitating fear of the disgusting little things, and would probably rather deal with any number of bug infestations than see one scurrying around in my favourite room. Two days ago, though, I found myself face-to-face with something far worse. 

Sitting at my computer in the living room, I was preparing for a solo night in when a flapping sound drew my attention to the kitchen. I stuck my head around the corner and saw a pigeon sitting on the ledge outside my kitchen window, peering in. This in itself isn’t an uncommon occurrence, but his intense gaze sort of unnerved me, so I walked into the room to shoo him away. It was then that I saw what was holding his attention so: his friend, perched just so on top of my stove. 

My first instinct was to shriek loudly, which had the unfortunate consequence of scaring the pigeon (we’ll call him Pete) into flapping around the kitchen and landing on top of a cupboard. At this point I shrieked some more and ran from the room, but quickly realized that I would have to deal with this. I was home alone, after all, and I didn’t want Pete finding his way into any other room of the flat.

So I returned to the kitchen, and we surveyed each other. I’m no expert in bird behavior, but Pete seemed to display more benign disinterest than outright panic, which calmed me slightly. I figured that if I could lower the top half of the window wide enough, I might be able to convince him to fly through. This required moving much closer to him, and for some reason I felt the need to explain my actions in a slow, calm voice as I performed them, as though speaking to a nervous child. It worked though, and Pete, with a final flap of his wings (illiciting a final shriek from me) flew through the window and out over the London rooftops. Honestly- what the English have against screens, I’ll never know.

Given that I didn’t have any bits of bread, leftover french fries or other pigeon fodder lying around, I can only assume that Pete was interested in my dinner: a spicy broccoli salad that I’d made earlier and was coming to room temperature on the counter. (For those of you disgusted that I would actually eat this after the fact, let me assure you that it was well-covered by plastic wrap and, to the best of my knowledge, Pete the pigeon didn’t go anywhere near it.)

The inspiration for this recipe came from a combination of sources: a comment that my friend Margaux left on last Sunday’s market post, and a recipe that I’d seen on the New York Times website more than a year ago. Margaux suggested pairing the broccoli with some sundried tomatoes and goat’s cheese, but I was intrigued by the Times’ recipe, which used a vinegar mixture to gently ”cook” the vegetable in the fridge (a bit like a ceviche) until it is tender but still crisp. 

Combining the two ideas was easy. I used a dressing of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, made slightly more exciting by the addition of garlic and chili flakes. Tossed with sunblush tomatoes (those packed in olive oil and sort of halfway to being sundried) and some crumbly cheese (I used feta but goat’s cheese would be lovely, too), it really is the most gorgeous dinner on a hot night. Clearly, I’m not the only one who thinks so. (Yes Pete, I’m talking about you. You’d better pray I don’t run into you on the street.)

• Spicy Broccoli Salad with Tomatoes and Cheese
• serves 2
• 1 head broccoli, washed and cut into bite-sized florets
  100g sunblush tomatoes, roughly chopped (about 1/3 cup)
  1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
  1 tsp. sea salt
  1/4 cup olive oil 
  1 garlic clove, minced
  1/4 tsp. chili flakes
  50g feta or goat’s cheese  
• 1. Put the broccoli florets and chopped tomatoes into a large bowl. Pour over the vinegar, sprinkle in the salt and toss well. Set aside.  
  
  2. In a small frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and chili flakes and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 1-2 minutes.
  
  3. Pour the oil over the broccoli and stir to combine. Cover bowl and place in fridge for at least 2 hours, or as many as 24. Toss or stir contents every so often, to ensure the broccoli is evenly “cooked” by the oil/vinegar mixture. 
  
  4. About 45 minutes before you want to serve this, remove from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Just before serving, crumble in the cheese and toss well. 

It’s a beautiful Bank Holiday Monday here in London. I’ve been celebrating by sitting on the couch, drinking tea and reading magazines. Yes, perhaps the day would better have been spent outside in the sunshine, but we did have the window open, and besides- we had to walk outside to get the magazines. 

The food of the day hasn’t been that interesting. Leftover scones for breakfast, repurposed fried rice (as a scrambled-egg addition) for lunch, and probably a simple pasta for dinner in a bit. Hardly anything to write home about. Er, blog about. 

But earlier this week, I did have a lunch worth blogging over. I told you last Sunday about the Broccoli Salad that I had planned, after enjoying it at The Fellow pub in King’s Cross. A warm salad of purple sprouting broccoli, roasted onions, walnuts and blue cheese, it’s so tasty it would feel sinful, if it wasn’t labeled a “salad” in the menu. (Amazing how that one little word can make almost anything seem healthy, eh?) After deciding to tackle this as a weekday lunch last week, I can honestly say that this is my most successful recipe hack to date. In fact, I think my version far surpasses the original. 

I didn’t have any walnuts available, but I did have some leftover chestnuts in the fridge. At first I worried that these dessert nuts would make the salad too sweet, but not so; they were the perfect foil to the roasted onions and the tangy, cheesy sauce. I think this salad is perfect for an indulgent lunch or a simple dinner, and probably great for company, too: hardly any work, yet it tastes and looks impressive.  

• Warm Purple Sprouting Broccoli Salad w/ Roasted Onions, Chestnuts and Blue Cheese
• serves one
• largish bunch purple sprouting broccoli (however much you’re hungry for!), trimmed and rinsed
  1 small onion of 1/2 a medium one, sliced thinly
  olive oil
  4-5 cooked chestnuts, chopped roughly
  40g Dolcelatte, Camboloza or other sweet and mild blue-veined cheese
  2 Tbs. crème fraîche
  salt and pepper
• 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Toss the onions with a little olive oil, salt and pepper in an oven-proof dish. Roast until softened and turning brown, about 20 minutes.
  
  2. Lightly steam broccoli for about 3 minutes and rinse quickly in cold water. This is both to stop the cooking process and rinse them of the purple-blue colour they give off when cooked- you don’t want your blue cheese sauce to be, well, blue!
  
  3. Heat a medium frying pan or saucepan over med-high heat and add the chestnuts. Shake them around for about a minute, until heated through. Add the cheese and crème fraîche, and heath through until the cheese has melted and a thick sauce is formed.
  
  4. Add the onions and broccoli and toss quickly to coat. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.