Broccoli & anchovy crostini

I’ve always associated soft, pulpy broccoli with school dinners. But here, mashed, with the salty, tangy anchovies, it’s a different story. Perfect with a preprandial Campari and soda.

SERVES 4 as a snack PREP 5 mins COOK 10 mins EASY

½ a French baguette

350g broccoli florets

2 x 28g tins of anchovies

½ lemon

1 Slice the baguette on an angle into eight pieces 1cm thick. Lay them on a baking sheet and toast lightly under a grill for a few mins each side until golden brown. Set aside.

2 Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the broccoli florets until quite soft but not too watery and mushy, about 6 mins, depending on the size of the florets. Drain, rinse under cold running water, drain thoroughly again, then transfer to a large mixing bowl. Crunch over a generous amount of salt flakes and a twist of black pepper, then, using a potato masher, roughly mash the broccoli into a thick paste. Leave to stand for a minute or two.

3 Open the tins of anchovies and separate the fish. There are normally eight to 10 fillets per 28g tin. Roughly chop half of them and add to the broccoli. Mix thoroughly.

4 Spoon an equal amount of the broccoli/anchovy mix over the eight lozenges of toast, drape over a single anchovy lengthways, add a twist of black pepper and a few drops of lemon juice, then serve as a bar snack.

GOOD TO KNOW low fat • vit c • 1 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING 183 kcals • fat 2g • saturates 0.4g • carbs 28g • sugars 4g • fibre 4g • protein 11g • salt 2.6g