five ways with…broccoli and chilli

A fellow book-clubber has been struggling. She loves the combo of broccoli and chilli, but can’t quite convince her other half of its merits. She’s tried a pasta dish with the duo, plus another pasta dish that also includes ham (usually the way to any man’s heart!) As yet, no luck.

So I’ve been brainstorming. What are tasty – healthy – ways to use broccoli and chilli? It should be a piece of cake – it’s a classic Italian combination. But personal tastes always come into it (as do genetics, actually – researchers have found that some of us have a genetic marker which predisposes us to certain bitter tastes such as broccoli, watercress and horseradish… so we may be fighting a losing battle.) But I’ll proceed as if we’re simply in search of that elusive perfect recipe.

1. frittata
Just yesterday, for Easter breakfast, I made an excellent broccoli and mushroom frittata – very easy, very healthy. You may have seen some of my other frittatas here… or here. They’re surprisingly quick to make, and extremely versatile too – broccoli and ham work, as does asparagus and smoked salmon – really any combination you like. So why not broccoli and chilli?

Or, if you’re not comfortable with chilli actually IN the frittata, make a lovely tomato-chilli relish to serve with the frittata. One downside to frittatas is that they can be quite dry, so salsa on the side would be a fabulous addition. Standard or purple-sprouting would both work well, though I would prefer purple-sprouting if given the choice.

broccoli-mushroom frittata with cheddar
(serves 2)

1 pack purple-sprouting broccoli, rinsed, trimmed, and halved for ease
1 pack (250 g) chestnut mushrooms, sliced
3 spring onions, chopped
4 medium eggs
a splash of skim milk
salt and pepper
10 sprays olive oil
60 g reduced-fat cheddar, grated

First, braise the broccoli in 2-cm deep water for 3 minutes. Drain the broccoli and keep to the side.

Spray the olive oil to a large shallow pan and heat to high. Add the mushrooms and sautee for about 5 minutes, adding a splash of water if the pan gets way too dry.

Preheat the grill/broiler to medium.

Add the broccoli to the pan and sauté for a few minutes more. While that’s happening, whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper with a fork in a bowl or Pyrex jug. Add the spring onions to the jug.

Reduce the heat to medium and pour the egg mixture slowly into the pan so that all of the nooks and crannies between the broccoli and mushrooms are filled. Cook over moderate heat for 4-5 minutes, or until the bottom is cooked but the top is still moist.

Scatter the cheddar evenly over the eggs and then place the pan under the grill for about 4 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling. Be careful not to overcook.

Use the spatula to divide the frittata into four pieces and lift out carefully.

Serving options: a small side salad, a dollop of reduced-fat sour cream, or a tomato-chilli salsa (see below)

3-4 tomatoes, chopped finely
juice of half a lemon
2 shallots (or 1/2 an onion), chopped finely
1 large red chilli, chopped finely (seeds removed if desired)

Chop and mix together in a bowl and spoon onto the plate with the frittata (or combine all these into a bowl and pulse with a hand blender)

2. stir-fry
Here’s a great Chinese-inspired recipe. It’s almost too simple, which is why it’s often overlooked. But like the frittata, a stir-fry happily accepts any vegetable you throw at it.

If using broccoli and chilli, I’d also recommend throwing in some carrot, and perhaps some mushrooms too. (Ginger would work great too.) Stir fry with just a few sprays of olive oil, a glug or two of soy sauce, a squeeze of lemon or lime and as many splashes of water that you need to keep the stir-fry moist.

Serve with noodles or rice, whichever you prefer. Sprinkle over some toasted sesame seeds.

Or, if protein is a must – the world is your oyster with this dish – or your prawn, chicken, smoked salmon or even thinly-sliced lean beef.

3. italian style
I tried this pasta dish a few weeks back and loved it. It passed the boy test recently too. Inspired by a great Italian recipe in a cookery book I recently bought, it’s got anchovies, but I used chicken to bulk it up. It’s so tasty.

I thought I blogged about it, but looking back it appears I haven't. I recall cracking open a bottle of red wine that night, actually...

Here's Orecchiette ai broccoli (out of Tessa Kiros' cookery book Twelve), modified to suit my own ends:

broccoli-chicken pasta with chilli and anchovy
(serves 2 generously)

500 g broccoli, trimmed and chopped (if using purple-sprouting broccoli, trim and halve lengthwise)
250 g diced chicken breast
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 chillis, chopped, reserving half of the seeds
100 g tinned salted anchovy fillets
250 g dry pasta of your choice (I used wholewheat fusilli, but anything will work)
75 g freshly-grated parmesan
salt and pepper

Cook the broccoli in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon, leaving the cooking water in the pot.

Saute the chicken, for about 10 minutes, in a frying pan with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Transfer the chicken to a side plate.

Bring the reserved cooking water to a boil and add the pasta, cooking as per instructions.

Heat the rest of the olive oil in the pan and add the garlic, chilli and anchovies. Mash the anchovies into the oil with a wooden spoon. After about 4 minutes, add the broccoli and coat in the flavoured oil. Add the chicken too.

When the pasta is ready, drain, reserving about 250 ml of the water. Toss the pasta, broccoli, reserved water together. Stir through half of the parmesan and divide into bowls. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and serve.

This dish (as you may have guessed) goes fabulously with a bottle of red wine.

4. curry-fy it
A simple curry at home is always a winner. And there’s no reason it can’t include broccoli. I’ve done with aubergine, with sweet potato, so why not broccoli? Keep the bites small, and make sure you add plenty of onions, chopped tomatoes, and chilli (along with all those other lovely Indian spices). Use any other veggies you like in addition to the broccoli and chilli. (I'd recommend using two big chillis, but perhaps only 1/2 of the seeds.)

See here for an example of a curry-at-home.

5. if all else fails…
Serve it as a side dish (sautéed) with a fat, juicy steak. You can’t lose. Just pick a lean cut.