You will need the whey from the Baked beetroot, home-made curds and toasted sunflower seeds recipe (see here) for this dish; no point going through the process of making it again. Poaching the broccoli in whey gives an unusual tang, and it’s also a good way to use a byproduct. If you are having problems getting hold of purple-sprouting broccoli because it’s out of season, just use regular broccoli and wait until next year when it’s available again. Now there’s something to look forward to.
Toasted nuts also go well with broccoli; try almonds or even cashews.
SERVES 4
400g purple-sprouting broccoli, no yellow leaves or limp stems
1 quantity whey (see here)
3 tsp sesame seeds
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
unsalted butter or olive oil
First let us prepare the broccoli: you need to keep most of the stem, so just slice off the first 2cm, which should be enough to remove the woody bit. Pull off some of the coarser leaves, but leave the others as they are tasty and look good.
Next pour the whey into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer.
As you wait, take a dry frying pan and heat to medium. Throw in the sesame seeds and quickly fry until golden – this will take about 30 seconds. Tip them into a container so they don’t burn.
Boil half a kettle of water. When the whey comes to a simmer, add the broccoli, pouring in some of the hot water from the kettle so the broccoli is just covered, if needed. Simmer for 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and place in a serving dish.
Sprinkle the broccoli with the sesame seeds, salt and pepper, finishing with either knobs of butter or a dash of olive oil.
