Purple Sprouting Broccoli

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With thanks to the BBC good food website – two great seasonal accompaniments to your Sunday Roast! 

Purple Sprouting broccoli with garlic and sesame

• 450g purple sprouting broccoli
• 2 tbsp groundnut oil or vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 5 garlic cloves , peeled and very finely sliced
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Trim off any hard ends from the broccoli stalks as well as any very coarse leaves. Bring a large quantity of salted water to the boil in a very large saucepan and plunge in the broccoli. With the lid on, quickly bring the water back to the boil, then remove the lid and briskly simmer the broccoli for about 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile, heat both oils in the pan over a medium heat. Fry the garlic for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the slices are light golden. Throw in the broccoli and fry it for 2-3 minutes, tossing frequently, until the stalks are piping hot and imbued with the garlicky oil.

Serve immediately with the sesame seeds sprinkled over the top.

You can blanch the broccoli up to 8 hours ahead: tip the drained broccoli into a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again and keep cool.

Purple sprouting broccoli with herbed crumbs

• 25g butter
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 50g white breadcrumbs
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
• 1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves
• 25g grated Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative)
• 700g purple sprouting broccoli
• a little olive oil , to drizzle
• lemon wedges, to garnish

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan. When the foaming subsides, add the white breadcrumbs and stir constantly over a high heat until crisp and golden. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and the chopped thyme leaves. Tip the mixture into a bowl and leave to cool, then stir in grated Parmesan.

Add the purple sprouting broccoli to a pan of boiling salted water, so the water just covers it. Cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Drain and put back in the pan, drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and reheat, shaking gently.Arrange neatly on a warmed serving dish and scatter over the Parmesan crumbs. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve immediately.