‘ALL THE BROCCOLI’ PUTTANESCA WITH LEMON & OREGANO OIL
SERVES 4 AS A STARTER OR 2 AS A MAIN / PREPARATION 25 MINUTES PLUS OVERNIGHT RESTING / COOKING 55 MINUTES
FOR THE LEMON & OREGANO OIL 500ml extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon dried oregano zest of 1 lemon
In a saucepan, gently warm the oil to lukewarm (about 30℃). Take the oil off the heat and sprinkle in the oregano and lemon zest. Bottle it and leave it at room temperature at least overnight. It should last about 1 month in the pantry.
FOR THE PUTTANESCA
2 heads broccoli with the stalks and leaves
340g dried pasta (I like orecchiette as it acts
like a little cup to lap up the sauce)
1 cup olive oil, plus a little extra
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 red chillies, thinly sliced (or use 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes) 4 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons green olives, pitted & chopped
Take a good-sized pot with a heavy bottom (so there’s less chance of your sauce sticking), fill it with water and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring the water to a rolling boil.
Remove all the leaves and behead the broccoli. Set the stalks and leaves aside (as we are cooking the broccoli forever like my nan did there is no need to peel the stalks).
Once the water is boiling, drop in the leaves, stalks and dried pasta. Let them cook for 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and the broccoli stalks are tender, then drain. Pick out the stalks and leaves and set aside. Drizzle a wee bit of olive oil over the pasta and toss. Remove from the pot and cool.
Put the olive oil into the pot you used to boil the pasta and set the heat to medium. Add the garlic to the oil whilst it’s still heating up, so you have full control and it doesn’t burn. When the garlic is ‘GBD’ (golden brown and delicious), add the chillies and anchovies and mash them with the back of a spoon.
When the oil smells incredible and all the garlic and anchovies have almost disappeared, add the broccoli heads and coat them in the oil. Let them cook for about 5 minutes stirring regularly – let the broccoli heads gain the ‘GBD’ vibe.
Add the stalks and leaves then stir well to coat them in the oil. Cook and stir together for about 5 minutes then pour in enough water to just cover the broccoli. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to a low simmer and set the lid ajar on top of the pot. After about 30 minutes, or when the water has reduced by half, remove the pot from the heat. Blend the broccoli mix until smooth. Place it back on the heat and warm gently, then add the capers and the green olives and give it a good stir. Once the olives and capers have been well incorporated, taste and season as desired.
Take the pasta and gently stir through the sauce, making sure every inch of pasta is coated. To serve, pour over a good glug of the oregano and lemon oil and, if you’re feeling a bit fancy, rip over some burrata for that creamy finish.
Since starting my journey to reduce food waste, I’ve noticed that people don’t know how much of the broccoli is edible, such as the stalks and leaves. Some supermarket chains have added to this problem by putting bins out, allowing people to cut off the long stems. I’ve even heard chefs claiming that those undesirable parts taste bitter. I beg to differ.