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Pea, Broccoli & Pesto Tortellini

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged Broccoli, Cooking, Easy, Food, Frozen peas, Italian, lemon, Parmesan, Pasta, Recipe, Spinach & ricotta tortellini, Vegetarian on 25 March 2025| Leave a Comment »

This isn’t really a recipe but it might just save your dinner some evening.

Wine Suggestion: This really works with a zippy, fresh white like the Höpler Gruner Veltliner. Elegant and minerally with a real purity of pear and lemon flavours overlaid with a light white pepperiness and savoury umami finish

Pea, broccoli & pesto tortellini – serves 2

200g tenderstem broccoli, cut into short pieces
100g frozen peas
250g pack spinach & ricotta tortellini
1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 tbsp fresh pesto
Parmesan, to serve
best extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Bring a large pot of salty water to the boil, then add the broccoli and cook for 1 minutes. Add the frozen peas and cook for 2 more minutes, then scoop all the veg out with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Bring the water back to the boil and cook the pasta according to the pack instructions.

Drain the pasta well and return it to the pan. Add the lemon, cooked veg and pesto and gently toss to combine. Serve in warm bowls with Parmesan and a glug of olive oil if you like.

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Miso Butter Greens Pasta

Posted in Food, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged Broccoli, Cavolo Nero, Chilli flakes, Cooking, Easy, Fennel seeds, Food, Meeera Sodha, Miso, Miso butter greens pasta, Orecchiette, Pasta, Recipe, Vegetarian on 11 November 2024| Leave a Comment »

Lovely flavours and smells in this. We don’t have a blender but a food processor did an ok job – a blender will give a smoother sauce.

Wine Suggestion: We think this dish suits a white with a complex mix of fruit, herbal and mineral flavours and some of the best with this combination come from Sicily. Tonight the Casematte Grillo Pharis which is grown facing the straights of Messina and made in a combination of large oak barrels and concrete. Smooth and deep with a lovely Sicilian citrus twiest at the end.

Miso butter greens pasta – serves 4

60g unsalted butter
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp chilli flakes
100g broccoli, chopped
400g cavolo nero, discard the stalks and slice the leaves
¾ tsp salt
2½ tbsp white miso paste
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
500g orecchiette
extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Melt the butter in a large pot on a medium-high heat. Wait until it bubbles, then add the garlic, fennel seeds and chilli flakes. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until the garlic smells cooked.

Add the broccoli, cavolo nero, salt and 250ml of water. Stir, then cover and turn the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring every few minutes, for 8-10 minutes or until the greens have wilted and become tender.

Scrape the contents of the pan into a blender or food processor and add the miso and olive oil. Blend until smooth, you can add a little water if you need.

Rince out the greens pan, fill with water and bring to the boil (don’t add salt as the miso is salty). Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions and reserve a mug of the pasta cooking water before draining.

Drain the pasta, then return to the pot and add the sauce. Add enought of the cooking water to get the sauce to a nice consistency. Taste and season with salt if needed.

Spoon onto a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil.

(Original recipe from Dinner by Meera Sodha, Penguin: Fig Tree, 2024.)

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Salmon, Veg and Black Bean Tray Bake

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged Baked salmon, Black Beans, Broccoli, Chinese five spice, Cooking, Easy, Food, One-pot, Recipe, Red pepepr, Red pepper, Roast veg, Salmon, Soy sauce, Sweet potato on 20 October 2024| Leave a Comment »

Simple, tasty, and all very good for you too.

Wine Suggestion: a little indulgent, but we wanted to see how a bottle we picked up in the Loire from the winemaker was developing: the Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Montlouis les Hauts de Husseau. A crystalline Chenin Blanc from the neighbouring area to Vouvray, this was exciting, racy and edgy and exceptionally youthful. It may not be super cheap, but we’d argue still a bargain given the quality, complexity, depth and potential to age superbly. We’d even conjecture that it’s a very good option to top white Burgundy. The remaining bottles we’ll try to ignore for a few more years if we can resist.

Salmon, veg and black bean tray bake – serves 4 to 6

2 red onions, cut into wedges
2 sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
2 red peppers, cut into strips
2 tbsp sesame oil or olive oil
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
400g tin of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
5g fresh ginger, grated
½ tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
1 tbsp sesame seeds
fresh coriander, chopped

FOR THE SALMON:

600g skinned salmon fillet, cut into large chunks
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp runny honey

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/Gas 6.

Put the onions, sweet potatoes and peppers into a large roasting tray. Drizzle over 1 tbsp of sesame oil and toss to coat, then season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes.

Toss the broccoli in the other tbsp of sesame oil and add to the roasting tin. Mix the beans with the soy sauce, rice wine, garlic, ginger and Chinese 5-spice powder and add 100ml of water. Pour this around the veg and cook for another 20 minutes, turning the broccoli over after 10.

Toss the salmon in the soy sauce and honey and place on top of the vegetables. Roast for another 8-9 minutes, or until cooked.

Serve sprinnkled with the sesame seeds and coriander.

(Original recipe from The Hairy Bikers One Pot Wonders by Si King and Dave Myers, Seven Dials, 2019.)

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Pasta with Broccoli, Anchovy and Cumin

Posted in Food, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged Anchovies, Broccoli, Cooking, dinner, Easy, Food, lemon, Ottolenghi, Pasta, Recipe, Recipes, Vegetarian on 5 October 2024| Leave a Comment »

Back to school routine and quick fixes are required. This one is nice!

Wine Suggestion: An uncomplicated, but tasty dish requires similar from a wine. Tonight’s choice was Graziano Pra’s “Otto” Soave Classico with classic green apple and almond flavours. Fresh and lighlty floral with a gentle texture that helps it pair with food.

Pasta with broccoli, anchovy and cumin – serves 4

300g dried fusilli or other short pasta
90ml olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
6 anchovy fillets, drained and finely chopped
zest and juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp ground cumin
370g jarred chickpeas, drained (but don’t rinse)
1 tsp aleppo chilli powder
200g tenderstem broccoli, cut into 2½ cm lengths
30g Parmesan, finely grated

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add plenty of salt. Add the pasta and cook for 3 minutes less than the time indicated on the pack.

Meanwhile, pour the oil into a large sauté pan and put over a medium heat. Add the garlic and fry for a minute, then stir in the anchovies, lemon zest and cumin, and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the chickpeas, chilli and a good grind of black pepper, mix well and turn off the heat.

When the timer goes for the pasta, add the broccoli to the pasta pot and cook for the remaining 3 minutes. Reserve about 100ml of the pasta cooking water, then drain and add the pasta and broccoli to the chickpea pan. Scatter over two-thirds of the Parmesan, then return the pan to the heat and toss well for a minute, adding enough of the reserved pasta water to make a sauce that coats the pasta.

Spoon into warm bowls, add a squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of aleppo chilli and the remaining Parmesan.

(Original recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi in The Guardian, 13 Apr 2024.)

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Barbecued Broccoli

Posted in Barbecue, Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, Vegan, Vegetarian, tagged Barbecue, BBQ, Broccoli, Chillies, Cooking, Easy, Food, Garlic, Gluten-free, Recipe, side dish, Vegan, Vegetarian on 25 July 2022| Leave a Comment »

Finally we have some nice weather and so we are barbecuing everything, including broccoli which is a new one for us. This is the chargrilled broccoli with chilli and garlic from the original Ottolenghi book and it works equally well on a barbecue. Cook the broccoli first and it will sit happily in the dressing until whatever else you are cooking is ready.

Chargrilled broccoli with chilli and garlic – serves 4

2 heads of regular broccoli (about 500g)
115ml olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
2 mild red chillies, finely sliced
thin slices of lemon, to garnish

Cut the broccoli into florets. Fill a bowl with cold water and ice cubes. Blanch the florets in a large pan of boiling water for 2 minutes only, then scoop out and into the bowl of iced water.

Drain the broccoli and make sure it’s really well dried. Toss in a bowl with 45ml of the olive oil and some salt and pepper.

Barbecue the broccoli until charred on all sides. Meanwhile, put the rest of the olive oil into a small pan with the garlic and chillies. Cook over a medium heat until the garlic turns golden, take it off the heat at this point to prevent the garlic burning.

Put the barbecued broccoli into a large bowl and immediately pour over the garlic and chilli oil. Toss gently to coat then set aside until ready to serve. Garnish with the lemon slices.

(Original recipe from Ottolenghi The Cookbook, Ebury Press, 2008.)

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Prawn, Spinach & Coconut Curry

Posted in Asian, Food, Gluten-free, Indian, Prawns, Shellfish, tagged Broccoli, Chilli, Cooking, Curry, curry paste, Easy, Food, Gluten-free, Healthy, Indian, Pepper, prawns, Recipe, Spinach on 24 March 2022| 2 Comments »

This will improve your veg intake for the day and puts frozen prawns to good use. A perfect curry for mid-week. Serve with naan breads or rice and lime wedges.

Prawn, spinach & coconut curry – serves 2-3

2 tbsp olive oil
200g raw prawns, defrosted if frozen
1 onion, diced
3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1-2 chillies, deseeded
1 red pepper, sliced
2 tbsp curry paste, we like Patak’s Madras
400ml tin of coconut milk
80g Tenderstem broccoli, cooked until tender
100g baby spinach
lime wedges, to serve

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and chillies and fry for another 2 minutes, then addd the sliced pepper and cook for 3 minutes until softened.

Push the veg to one side and fry the curry paste for a couple of minutes to heat through, then add the coconut milk and mix well to combine. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until thickened, then add the prawns, broccoli and spinach. Stir well and simmer until the prawns are just cooked and the spinach wilted.

Serve with rice or naan breads and lime wedges for squeezing over.

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Sprouting Broccoli with Mushrooms and Stilton

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Broccoli, Cooking, Easy, Food, Mushrooms, PSB, Purple sprouting broccoli, Recipe, side dish, Stilton, Vegetarian on 20 February 2022| Leave a Comment »

A nice side dish for a roast dinner.

Sprouting broccoli with mushrooms and stilton – serves 6

500g purple sprouting broccoli or other long-stemmed broccoli
1 tbsp olive oil
a knob of butter
500g chestnut mushrooms, halved or quartered
50g creamy stilton, crumbled
a drizzle of best olvie oil

Boil the broccoli in lots of very salt water for about 3 minutes, or until bright green and not quite tender, then drain and rinse under cold water to stop it cooking further. Drain well and set aside (you can do this in advance if you like).

Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan over a high heat. When the butter is sizzling, add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, until golden.

Add the broccoli and toss with the mushrooms. Cover the pan and cook for about 3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the broccoli is heated through and the mushrooms have softened.

Season well, then tip into a serving bowl, scatter over the cheese and drizzle over some of your best olive oil.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Orecchiette with Broccoli, Cauliflower & Pecorino

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged Anchovies, Breadcrumbs, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cooking, Food, Orecchiette, Parsley, Pasta, Recipe, Starter on 13 July 2020| 2 Comments »

Orecchiette with Broccoli, Cauliflower & Pecorino

We ate this as a main for 2 but it really is flavour-packed and would work really well in smaller portions as a starter.

Wine Suggestion: This strong combination of flavours pairs well with characterful, fuller bodied Italian whites like Verdicchio and one of our favourites, the Sartarelli Classico, was our match this evening.

Orecchiette with Broccoli, Cauliflower & Pecorino – serves 4 as a starter

a large handful of coarse breadcrumbs (we used panko)
100g orecchiette
a bunch of long-stemmed broccoli, cut into 5cm lengths
150g cauliflower florets
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 x 45g tin anchovies, drained
a large handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
a large handful of shaved pecorino, to serve (we used Parmesan)

Spread the breadcrumbs out on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven at 200ºC for about 8 minutes or until crispy and golden. Leave to cool.

Cook the orecchiette in lots of salty water according to the timing on the pack.

Bring another large pan of salty water to the pan, then blanch the broccoli, followed by the cauliflower, for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Scoop out of the water with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Heat 150ml of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then add garlic and cook gently for 5 minutes or until golden. Add the broccoli and cauliflower and toss to combine. Add the breadcrumbs, anchovies and drained orecchiette and heat through, you can add another splash of oil if needed to keep it moist.

Season to taste with salt, then serve with the parsley and pecorino on top.

(Original recipe from Maggies’ Kitchen by Maggie Beer, Lantern, 2008.)

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Baked Salmon Parcels with Ginger, Soy, Honey, Toasted Sesame Seeds & Broccoli

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged Broccoli, Cooking, Easy, Fish, Food, Ginger, Gluten-free, Parcels, Recipe, Salmon, Tenderstem broccoli on 7 March 2020| 2 Comments »

Baked salmon parcels with ginger, soy, honey, toasted sesame seeds & broccoli

We love a simple salmon recipe and this one, by Neven Maguire, is particularly handy as it’s all cooked in a tidy parcel in the oven. Serve with steamed rice with a some scallions sprinkled over.

Wine suggestion: delicious with a good, dry Riesling like Weingut Korrell’s Slice of Paradise from the Nahe in Germany which has a delicate dance of fruit, aromatics and a wonderful core of bright acidity and texture.

Soy and honey salmon parcels with tenderstem broccoli – serves 4

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (just toast them gently in a dry frying pan)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp clear honey
juice of a lime
1 garlic clove, crushed
rapeseed oil, for brushing
4 x 100g salmon fillets, skin and bones removed
250g tenderstem broccoli, trimmed
2.5cm piece of ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
steamed basmati rice, to serve
finely chopped scallions, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

Whisk the sesame seeds, soy sauce, honey, lime juice and garlic together in a bowl, then set aside.

Cut out 4 squares of tin foil about 50cm square. Brush the foil with oil and put a piece of salmon in the middle of each one.

Blanch the broccoli for a minute, then drain and refresh in iced water.

Sprinkle the ginger over the salmon, then divide the broccoli between each parcel. Spoon over the soy sauce mixture and drizzle each piece of fish with about ½ tsp of oil. Fold the edges of the foil together to seal and place them on a baking tray.

Cook the parcels in the oven for 10 minutes or until the salmon is just cooked. You can leave it for a bit longer if you prefer your salmon well done but we wouldn’t recommend it.

Serve the parcels with a large bowl of rice sprinkled with the scallions.

(Original recipe from Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook, Gill Books, 2016.)

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Cheesy Broccoli Baked Potatoes

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Potato, Vegetarian, tagged Baked Potatoes, Broccoli, cheese, Cooking, Easy, Food, Gluten-free, Recipe, Vegetarian on 22 October 2018| Leave a Comment »

Cheesy broccoli baked potatoes

These are great for a mid-week dinner with a salad or you could serve alongside a meat dish. Absolute comfort food.

Cheesy Broccoli Baked Potatoes – serves 4

4 baking potatoes
300g broccoli, cut into small florets
1 tbsp grain mustard
1 egg, beaten
140g grated Cheddar
a generous lump of butter

Heat the oven to 220ºC.

Rub a little bit of oil over the potato skins and place in the oven on a baking tray for 20 minutes. Turn the heat down to 200ºC and continue to bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender.

Meanwhile, steam the broccoli for a few minutes and drain well.

Cut the potatoes in half lengthways and scoop the insides into a bowl or pot. Mash the cooked potatoes with a fork, then stir in a generous lump of butter, the mustard, egg, most of the cheese and broccoli. Season, then pile back into the shells. Sprinkle with the reserved cheese and bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are crisp and golden. Serve with salad.

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Cheese & Broccoli Pasta

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged Broccoli, Cooking, Easy, Food, Gorgonzola, Pasta, Purple sprouting broccoli, Recipe on 1 June 2018| 1 Comment »

Pasta with broccoli & gorgonzola

This is particularly good with purple sprouting broccoli when it’s around. Don’t be tempted to strip off the leaves they’re just as good to eat as the florets. Hardly a recipe at all but very satisfying.

Wine Suggestion: try an Italian white from the Marches or Abruzzo. Our choice this evening was the La Piuma (feather) Pecorino Terre di Chieti; charming fruit and with little twists of nuts, herbs and citrus that played with the food in a great way.

Cheese & broccoli pasta – serves 2

200g pasta (use whatever you have)
a bunch of purple sprouting broccoli – about 6 to 8 stems (or a head of ordinary broccoli)
about 250g of ripe Gorgonzola

Cook the pasta in a generous amount of boiling salty water.

Cut the broccoli into small florets and thin pieces of stalk (discard any thick woody stems).

Lightly salt another pan of boiling water and cook the broccoli for a few minutes or until tender.

Put the cheese into a large warm bowl, then add the hot drained broccoli followed by the lightly drained pasta (a bit of water will help make a sauce). Stir until melting and serve.

(Original recipe from Appetite by Nigel Slater, Fourth Estate, 2001)

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Broccoli & Salmon Pasta Bake

Posted in Fish, Food, Pasta, tagged Broccoli, Cooking, Food, Pasta, Pasta bake, Recipe, Salmon on 18 February 2018| 1 Comment »

Broccoli & salcmon bake

This was Friday night dinner in our house. Really easy to put together, with heaps of flavour and you can even prep it up to 4 hours in advance and chill until you’re ready to bake. You could serve some salad on the side if you like but it works pretty good on its own.

Wine Suggestion: Fresh, minerally, Chardonnay is our go to wine for this. You need fresh acidity for the rich salmon and creamy sauce and a broadness on the palate to match the body of the dish. Today it’s the Ventenac Préjugés, 100% Chardonnay from a plot that exceeded the expectations and prejudices of the winemaker, being atypical Languedoc; all freshness, juiciness and minerality.

Broccoli & salmon bake – serves 4

250g penne pasta
300g broccoli, cut into large florets
25g butter
25g plain flour
600ml full cream milk
100g mascarpone
8 sun-dried tomatoes preserved in oil, drained and thickly sliced
2 tbsp small capers, rinsed (optional)
10 large basil leaves, roughly torn
4 fresh skinless salmon fillets
50g mature cheddar, finely grated

Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5/170C.

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water for 6 minutes, then add the broccoli and time another 4 minutes when the water returns to the boil. Drain.

Meanwhile, put the butter, flour, and milk in a very large saucepan and heat, whisking the whole time, until it thickens enough to make a smooth sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and basil, then add the drained broccoli & pasta and season well.

Halve the salmon fillets widthways to give you shorter stubby pieces and put into the a large baking dish in a single layer. Spoon the pasta and broccoli mixture over the top, then scatter with the cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until starting to bubble at the edges. Don’t be tempted to brown it too much or you will overcook the fish.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Creamy Italian Sausage & Broccoli Ragù

Posted in Food, Italian, tagged Broccoli, Cooking, Easy, Food, Italian, Italian sausages, Ragu, Recipe, rice, Tenderstem broccoli on 7 January 2018| 2 Comments »

Ragu di salsicce e broccoletti

This simple dish satisfied the cravings we get at this time of year for lots of greens. We thought the suggestion of serving it with rice, rather than pasta, a bit unusual but it was perfect. Seek out top-quality Italian pork sausages if you can. We can buy them fairly easily now in Dublin but have been known in the past to beg the local Italian restaurant to sell us some – so you could try that tactic if they’re not readily available where you are.

Wine Suggestion: This is a characterful dish so the wine you choose needs to have character and presence to match. We opened a MorisFarms Mandriolo, a fresh and vibrant blend of mostly Sangiovese with some Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petit Verdot from the Maremma in Tuscany. Being typically Italian the fresh acidity cut through the richness of this dish and proved a delightful match: we couldn’t determine if the hints of fennel came from the wine or the Italian sausages used … or maybe both.

Ragú di salsicce e broccoletti – Creamy sausage & broccoli ragú – serves 4

200g long grain rice
4 tbsp olive oil
4 scallion, roughly chopped
a few sprigs of thyme
6 good-quality Italian pork sausages, removed from their skins
200g tenderstem broccoli, chopped into 1 cm pieces
50ml white wine
1 tbsp vegetable stock powder
100ml crème fraîche
30g Parmesan, grated (to serve)

Steam the rice in a rice cooker or according to the instructions on the pack.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the scallions and thyme leaves for a couple of minutes.

Break up the sausage meat with your fingers, add to the frying pan and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the broccoli pieces and continue to cook for 3 minutes.

Pour in the wine and cook for another couple of minutes, then stir in the stock powder and crème fraîche. Season with salt and freshly ground white pepper.

Serve the ragù over the rice and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

(Original recipe from Pronto! by Gino D’Campo, Kyle Books, 2014.)

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Orecchiette with Clams and Broccoli

Posted in Food, Italian, Shellfish, tagged Anchovies, Broccoli, Clams, Cooking, Easy, Food, Italian, Orecchiette, Pasta, River Café on 6 January 2018| Leave a Comment »

Orecchiette with clams and broccoli

We just love recipes like these – tastes just like holidays in Italy. So simple but truly delicious.

Wine Suggestion: A favourite: the Sartarelli Verdicchio Classico Superiore “Tralivio”, was a great match for this combining freshness and vitality with a roundness, texture, saltiness and enough body to work with some of the strong components of this dish.

Orecchiette with clams & broccoli – serves 4

1kg clams, washed
300g broccoli
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 fresh hot red chilli, seeds removed and chopped
1 tbsp flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 crumbled dried hot chilli or 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
3 anchovy fillets
150ml white wine
300g orecchiette

Cut the florets from the broccoli head and discard the stalks. Cut each floret in half lengthwise.

Cook the broccoli in boiling salted water until very tender, then drain.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy frying pan. Add half the garlic and fry until soft, then add the anchovies and dried chilli, Stir to melt the anchovies. Add the broccoli and cook for 10 minutes or until it is soft enough to break up into a sauce.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan. Add the fresh chilli, the rest of the garlic, and the parsley. Fry until just coloured. Add the clams and wine, then cover and cook over a high heat until the clams have opened, about 3 minutes. Drain and reserve the liquid.

Remove the clams from their shells and add them to the broccoli sauce with some of their cooking water to thin the sauce a bit.

Cook the orecchiette in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and add to the sauce, adding some more liquid as needed.

Serve with your best olive oil.

(Original recipe from Italian Two Easy by Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers, Clarkson Potter, 2006.)

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Some inspiration for the inevitable cheeseboard leftovers…

Posted in Food, Italian, tagged Blue cheese, Broccoli, Cooking, Dolcelatte, Easy, Food, Gnocchi, Italian, Leftover cheese, Recipe on 20 December 2017| Leave a Comment »

Baked gnocchi with broccoli, blue cheese and walnuts

We won’t apologise for yet another blue cheese-themed dish. We love cheese but are unlikely to have a cheese course during the week and therefore regularly end up making a meal out of it. Tis also the season for copious amounts of cheese, which is not only delicious but expensive – don’t waste it. If you’ve eaten all the blue cheese then brie or goats’ cheese should also work well.

Wine Suggestion: You need to balance the richness of the dish and the salty cheese so we chose the 2007 Ridge Santa Cruz Chardonnay which, despite it’s 10 years of age, was fresh and vibrant. The developing character of old Chardonnay really works well with blue cheese, especially when cooked in a dish. We also toyed with opening some white Rhône as this would work too.

Baked Gnocchi with Broccoli & Blue Cheese – serves 4

500g fresh gnocchi
200g tenderstem broccoli
150g dolcelatte or other creamy blue cheese, crumbled
150ml single cream

Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.

Cook the gnocchi in a large pan of boiling water. It’s ready when it floats to the surface, scoop out with a draining spoon.

Cook the broccoli in the same water until just tender, then drain.

Mix the gnocchi, broccoli, cheese and cream together in a large bowl with plenty of seasoning. Tip into a buttered baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Serve with salad if you like.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, December, 2011.)

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Broccoli Walnut & Blue Cheese Pasta

Posted in Cheese, Food, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged Blue cheese, Broccoli, Cooking, Easy, Food, Pasta, Recipe, Vegetarian, Walnuts on 17 August 2017| Leave a Comment »

Broccoli, walnut & blue cheese penne

We almost always have a bit of leftover blue cheese in the fridge and much as we love a cheese board, we don’t tend to have them on weeknights. So here’s a simple weeknight pasta – broccoli, walnuts & blue cheese – yum!

Broccoli Walnut & Blue Cheese Pasta – serves 2

200g penne pasta
250g broccoli florets
2 tbsp olive oil
a handful of chopped walnuts
100g blue cheese e.g. dolcelatte, cubed
1 lemon

Cook the pasta in a large pan of salty water and add the broccoli 4 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan and gently fry the walnuts for a minute.

Scoop 4tbsp of the pasta cooking water out and add to the walnuts before draining. Return the pasta to the pan and add the walnuts and blue cheese. Stir gently until the cheese melts. Squeeze over some lemon juice before serving.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Roasted broccoli

Posted in Food, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged Broccoli, Cooking, Easy, Food, Pine nuts, Recipe, Roasted, Side, side dish on 7 December 2015| 1 Comment »

Roasted broccoli is a bit different and retains a satisfying crunch. Careful not to over-roast the pine nuts!

Roasted broccoli – serves 4 as a side dish

200g broccoli, cut into florets including the stalk
50ml olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
25g pine nuts

Preheat the oven to 240C/Gas 9.

Put the broccoli in a bowl and toss with the garlic and olive oil, then season well with salt and black pepper.

Tip into a roasting tin and put into the oven. After 10 minutes sprinkle over the pine nuts and cook for another 5 minutes or until the broccoli is starting to soften and the pine nuts are golden.

(Original recipe from Rachel’s Everyday Kitchen by Rachel Allen, HarperCollins, 2013.)

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Weeknight Pasta Inspiration

Posted in Food, Pasta, tagged Bacon, Broccoli, Cooking, Easy, Farfalle, Food, Pasta, Pesto, Recipe on 18 May 2014| Leave a Comment »

Bacon, Broccoli & Pesto Pasta

We like simple pasta dishes for when we’re feeling tired and uninspired. You can easily get the ingredients for this on your way home.

Wine Suggestion: A Chianti, as we felt like it and it worked really well with the combination of flavours.

Pasta with Bacon, Broccoli & Pesto – serves 4

300-400g short pasta shapes (depending on how hungry you are)
1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
8 rashers of smoked bacon
5 tbsp pesto
grated Parmesan, to serve

Cook the pasta according to the pack and add the broccoli about 3 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

When cooked, drain but keep a cup of the cooking water.

Grill the bacon until crisp (we use a gas barbecue for less mess), then cut into bite-size pieces.

Tip everything into the pasta pan, toss together and loosen with a little bit of pasta water if you like.

Sprinkle over the Parmesan to serve.

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Broccoli and Stilton Soup

Posted in Food, Soup, Uncategorized, Vegetarian, tagged Blue cheese, Broccoli, Cooking, Food, Recipe, Soup, Stilton, Vegetarian on 12 February 2014| 2 Comments »

We love cheese after dinner but it seems a bit indulgent during the week and therefore we inevitably end up with chunks of cheese lurking in the back of the fridge. We try our best not to waste any food but something as expensive and delicious as cheese (particularly the cheese pantry stuff as opposed to the supermarket plastic-wrapped kind) is even more of a travesty to not use. That’s when recipes like this one are perfect for a mid-week treat without having to indulge in a two-course evening meal.

Broccoli & Stilton Soup – to serve 4

2 tbsp flavourless oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stick of celery, sliced
1 leek, sliced
1 medium potato, diced
a knob of butter
1 litre of good chicken or vegetable stock
1 head of broccoli, roughly chopped (including stalks)
140g Stilton (or other blue cheese), crumbled

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions until soft but not coloured. Add a splash of water if they start to catch.

Add the celery, leek, potato and butter. Stir until the butter melts, then cover with a lid and sweat for 5 minutes.

Pour in stock and add any chunks of broccoli stalk. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

Add the remaining broccoli and cook for another 5 minutes. Whizz until smooth, then stir in the stilton. Season with black pepper (you are unlikely to need salt) and serve.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Chinese side dish: Broccoli with Cashews & Oyster Sauce

Posted in Asian, Food, Healthy, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged Broccoli, Cashews, Chinese, Cooking, Healthy, Oyster sauce, Recipe, side dish on 15 February 2011| 4 Comments »

Stir-fried broccoli with cashews & oyster sauce – serves 6

1 tbsp sunflower oil
100g unsalted cashews
2 heads broccoli, cut into small florets (we cut up the stalks too)
3 tbsp oyster sauce, or more if you like

Heat a little bit of the oil in a wok and toast the cashew nuts until they start to turn golden. Tip them out of the pan, then add the rest of the oil.

Stir-fry the broccoli for a couple of minutes until it turns bright green. Add a splash of water, then cover with a lid and steam for about 4 minutes or until the stems are tender – watch that it doesn’t dry out!

Push the broccoli to the side of the pan and pour the oyster sauce into the other side. Bring to the boil and stir into the broccoli. Toss in the cashews and serve with Chinese food (we had spring rolls and prawn toast).

Original recipe from BBC Good Food.

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