Hetty McKinnon's Chargrilled Broccoli with Chickpeas, Almonds, Lemon, and Chilli, from Community
The first time I tasted chargrilled broccoli, I experienced a vegetable epiphany. It made me realise how delicious vegetables could taste just by cooking them differently. Chargrilling broccoli gives this modest brassica an exciting, moreish edge. For this salad, the smoky broccoli and nourishing chickpeas are given a daring lift with a hit of lemon and chilli, rounded off with the saltiness of capers. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Photo by Luisa Brimble
Ingredients:
2 broccoli heads (about 1 kilogram), cut into florets
125 milliliters (1⁄2 cup) extra-virgin olive oil 1⁄3 cup capers, rinsed and drained
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, finely sliced
500 grams cooked chickpeas (about 2 cans), drained
1 cup baby spinach leaves grated zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 cup mint leaves
80 grams parmesan, shaved
1⁄2 cup flaked almonds, toasted
Sea salt and black pepper
Method:
Toss the broccoli in half of the olive oil and season with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
Heat a chargrill pan or barbecue until it is smoking hot and add the broccoli in batches. Turn the broccoli florets so they get char marks all over. Continue until all the broccoli is cooked, then place the broccoli in a bowl and set aside.
Put the rest of the oil in a small saucepan with the capers, garlic and chilli. Place over medium heat for 30 seconds or so until the garlic just begins to turn golden. Take off the heat immediately and pour the hot oil mixture over the chargrilled broccoli.
Combine the broccoli with the chickpeas, spinach leaves and lemon zest, season with salt and pepper and mix well. To serve, squeeze over the lemon juice and top with the parsley, mint, parmesan and almonds.
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