PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI WITH HARD-BOILED EGG, CHORIZO CRUMB AND SHAVINGS OF COOLEA CHEESE

Serves 4-6.

You will need:

1 egg 4 tablespoon Irish rapeseed oil 25g (1oz) chorizo (Irish preferably), cut into very small dice 25g (1oz) breadcrumbs 750g (1lb 7oz) purple sprouting broccoli, trimmed and bases removed if the broccoli stems are thick and tough 1 tablespoon cider vinegar Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 15g (½oz) Mature Coolea or Parmesan shavings, made with a peeler First, put the egg in a small saucepan covered with boiling water and boil it for 10 minutes. Take the saucepan off the heat, remove the egg from the water and set it aside. When the egg has cooled, peel it.

Next, put a tablespoon of rapeseed oil in a cool frying pan and scatter the diced chorizo over the top. Put the pan over a low heat and allow the chorizo to cook really slowly so that the oils escape from it. Once the chorizo has turned a few shades darker and is beginning to crisp, take it out of the pan, leaving all the oil behind. Put the chorizo on a plate. Turn the heat up to medium and scatter the breadcrumbs into the oil in the pan and cook them, tossing or stirring them regularly until the golden crumbs are beginning to crisp. Add the cooked chorizo back into the pan, mixing it with the breadcrumbs, then tip the chorizo crumb out on to a plate and set it aside until you’re ready to use it.

Next, cook the trimmed purple sprouting broccoli in some boiling salted water in an uncovered pan over a high heat until it is tender. Once it’s cooked, drain it, then toss it in the remaining three tablespoons of rapeseed oil and the tablespoon of cider vinegar. Season to taste with some salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Arrange the cooked purple sprouting broccoli on plates. Finely chop the hard boiled egg and scatter it over the top with some chorizo crumbs and shavings of Mature Coolea or Parmesan cheese, whichever you’re using.