Raw Broccoli & British Pea Salad
Ever since I developed this dish, it’s been a firm favourite with our team, and you all too! The key is the dressing having enough pickly strength to permeate the broccoli florets, and for you to have the patience to really massage (yes, massage!) your dressing into the broccoli for a few minutes. The broccoli will then ever so slightly pickle/cook in the dressing, taking the edge off the ‘raw’ broccoli flavour, and leaving a gorgeous vibrant colour, texture and a deliciously balanced flavour.
It’s fantastically flexible (as I believe all food should be) so you can incorporate any of your favourite veg (for example, blanched runner beans would be lovely, we often use carrot ribbons, and it would be lovely with some fresh pomegranate seeds too) into the dish to build a flavour profile you love. Additionally, feta is wonderful gently crumbled through it once the broccoli and peas have had some time to absorb the dressing, and a tin of black beans adds gorgeous colour and turns this vibrant side dish, into a fantastic, nourishing meal in its own right.
Ingredients
Makes 500ml – this keeps beautifully in the fridge for a couple of weeks. You can always whisk in some mustard to transform it into a delicious vinaigrette for a green salad.
300ml apple cider vinegar*
100ml maple syrup
175ml oil of your choosing
Generous amount of salt and pepper
Method
Whisk your vinegar and maple syrup together and slowly whisk in your oil a drizzle at a time. Season and taste, then tweak to your preference; some of you will prefer it sweeter, some of you may like more tang; trust your instinct.
Prep your broccoli into small florets (make sure to peel your stalks and use them, they’re delicious!) and peel some carrots into ribbons. Drizzle your broccoli generously with the dressing and massage for at least 5-10 minutes, really working the dressing into your vegetables. Add your peas and a glug more dressing to coat; stir thoroughly.
Using my last recipe in which we discuss how to make quick pickled onions; add enough for colour and delicious texture, a shake of nigella seeds and a handful of radishes, quartered if you have them.
This dish will only improve over the course of the day so it’s a brilliant way to get ahead if you have guests visiting, or to make a dish and enjoy it for lunch over a couple of days.
Chef’s Note
* We use a raw organic vinegar with the mother included; it’s delicate and soft in flavour – more like a juice, almost, than a vinegar, so I’d recommend getting hold of the most delicious vinegar you can for this recipe.