Keeping with the theme of salads for breakfast, here’s my charred broccoli with (dried) cranberries and a spicy tahini dressing. I had a general idea of the flavours I wanted to use here: the slight bitterness from charred broccoli, with pops of sour and sweet from the dried fruit. The tahini gives this dish a creamy nuttiness, and there’s heat too, with some Sriracha stirred in. This much I’d already envisioned in my head before I set out to make it.

But I’d originally planned to cook the broccoli in the oven. Spread out in an even layer on a tray and roasted until charred and golden. This method works beautifully, but the only downside is that sometimes the florets don’t get quite as tender. So I figured–why not treat them like pot stickers? Brown the bottoms, then sprinkle over some water and steam them? This way you get the best of both worlds – tender to the bite, and with a nicely seared exterior. Worked a charm. Quicker than oven-roasting too.

(Make sure to use a wide enough pan so you don’t have too many overlaps of broccoli. The more surface area you have, the better the charring.)

CHARRED BROCCOLI WITH CRANBERRIES & TAHINI

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

  • 1 large head of broccoli
  • 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
  • 20 grams butter
  • Salt, to taste

Tahini dressing:

  • 1 ½ tablespoons tahini
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ tablespoon sriracha (or other hot sauce of your choice)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Chop the broccoli into bite-sized florets. Remove the knobby end of the main stem and discard. Chop the stem into small chunks.
  • Dressing: mix together all the ingredients listed above. It will start to seize as you mix. Add water to thin it out, a little at a time, and it’ll come together. The dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated.
  • Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the broccoli florets and stems to the pan without too many overlaps. Push them down with your fingers so that you get most of their surface area to make contact with the pan.
  • Char on the first side. Flip them over, then pour in 2 tablespoons of water and cover the pan. Let them steam for 3-5 mins or until just cooked. Place them on your serving plate.
  • Drizzle over the tahini dressing and scatter over the cranberries. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Serves 2 as a side.

 

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