Broccoli Agrodolce

Prep Time – 10 mins

Cook Time – 10 mins

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 300g Tenderstem or purple sprouting broccoli
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp clear honey
• 1 tbsp currants
• 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
  

1. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil.
2. Trim the ends of the broccoli and blanch the spears for 2-3 minutes, or until they are just tender. Plunge them into a bowl of iced water (see hack). Drain, pat dry with kitchen paper and set aside until just before serving.
3. In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil on a medium heat. Add the onion and a little water and cook for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 minute.
4. Stir in the vinegar, honey, currants, pine nuts and parsley. Leave the mixture to simmer for 1-2 minutes, then turn off the heat (but leave the agrodolce mixture in the pan).
5. Just before you are ready to serve, warm up the onion mixture.
6. Add the blanched broccoli to the pan, turning it gently to coat it in the sauce and to reheat it.

PRUE’S HANDY HACK

Getting ahead with dinner-party vegetables

Cooking veg in boiling water until just cooked, then plunging it straight into cold water stops the cooking process and keeps the colour of your greens. (This is called “blanching” in chef-speak.)

Once the veg is cold, drain it and then you can rapidly reheat it in the microwave when you need it: or just toss it in a little butter or in oil, in a pan, until hot.