Purple Sprouting Broccoli With Anchovy & Hazelnut Pesto Recipe

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Sweet, earthy, salty and bitter flavours all together, this is the kind of food I love to eat. For sweetness I like to use Jerusalem artichokes, but you can also use roasted chunks of leek. You will end up with a little more pesto than you need, but just serve the rest on the side. It’s delicious – great for dipping bread in.

Ingredients

For the salad

350g Jerusalem artichokes or 4 leeks (fat ones are better than longer skinny ones in both cases)

½ lemon, juiced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small head white chicory

½ small head radicchio

200g purple sprouting broccoli

50g watercress, coarse stalks removed

1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

15g lightly toasted hazelnuts, very roughly chopped

For the pesto

50g can anchovies, drained

1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

70g hazelnuts, lightly toasted

125ml extra virgin olive oil (a fruity one rather than a grassy one)

½ lemon, juiced (reserve 2 tsp for dressing)

1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

Wash the artichokes thoroughly and remove any small, tufty bits. You don’t need to peel them – just halve them lengthways if they’re small, or cut into 2.5cm chunks if you’re using larger artichokes. If you are not going to cook them immediately, put them in a bowl of water mixed with lemon juice to stop their flesh discolouring. If you’re using leeks, trim them and cut into fat chunks.
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 5. Drain the artichokes, pat them dry and put them (or the leeks) in a roasting tin large enough to hold them in a single layer. Season and add the olive oil. Toss everything together and cook for 30-45 mins until the veg is completely tender.
Meanwhile, make the pesto. Put the anchovies, garlic and hazelnuts in a food processor with some freshly ground black pepper. Blend while adding the olive oil. Taste, then add the lemon juice, tasting as you go. If it seems too thick, add a drop of water (you should be able to drizzle the mixture). Stir in the parsley.
Trim the base of the chicory and separate the leaves; separate the radicchio leaves too, and tear them into pieces. Steam the broccoli until it is just tender (insert the tip of a knife to test for doneness). Pat dry with a tea towel there’s moisture on the surface after steaming, which makes it difficult for the dressing to cling to it). Season the broccoli.
Toss the artichokes or leeks gently with the purple sprouting broccoli, the leaves (including the watercress), 2 tsp lemon juice, the balsamic, olive oil and a little more seasoning. Tip onto a serving platter, spoon over some of the pesto and scatter on the hazelnuts. Serve the remaining pesto in a bowl.