CHARRED BROCCOLI
with Romesco & Garden Herb Pesto
Come for the broccoli. Stay for the romesco.
Broccoli cooked until tender with deeply charred edges, laid over smoky red pepper and almond romesco, then finished with a loose garden herb pesto and plenty of extra virgin olive oil.
Cook it over charcoal or wood when you can. The oven works beautifully too — but there is something about vegetables, smoke and fire that belongs together.
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
For the romesco
3 large red peppers
2 medium sized ripe tomatoes (Roma, Field or equivalent amount in baby tomatoes), halved
75 g / ½ cup whole almonds, toasted
1 small garlic clove
1 tbsp sherry vinegar, plus more to taste
½–1 tsp smoked paprika
75 ml / ⅓ cup Soleá Ritual extra virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the broccoli
2 large heads broccoli
3 tbsp Soleá Ritual extra virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the garden herb pesto
1 large handful flat-leaf parsley
1 large handful fresh basil
Small handful fresh mint
A few fresh oregano leaves
1 small garlic clove
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
75 ml / ⅓ cup Soleá Ritual extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
To finish
Light dusting of finely grated parmesan cheese
A few fresh herb leaves
Flaky sea salt
Soleá Ritual extra virgin olive oil
METHOD
1. Char the vegetables for the romesco.
Over charcoal or wood or the BBQ grill — our favourite methods:
Get your barbecue or grill good and hot.
Place the whole peppers and halved tomato directly over the heat. Cook, turning occasionally, until the peppers are deeply blistered and blackened and the tomato is soft and charred.
Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover and leave for about 10 minutes. Peel away the loosest blackened skin and remove the stems and seeds. Don't worry about getting every piece of charred skin off — a little left behind brings wonderful flavour.
In the oven:
Heat the oven to 230°C / 450°F.
Place the peppers and tomato on a baking tray and roast for 25–35 minutes, turning the peppers occasionally, until softened, blistered and deeply coloured.
Cover and rest the peppers for 10 minutes before peeling and removing the seeds.
2. Make the romesco.
Place the charred peppers and tomato in a food processor with the toasted almonds, garlic and sherry vinegar.
If you've cooked your vegetables over charcoal or wood, begin with ½ teaspoon smoked paprika. If you've roasted them in the oven, use the full 1 teaspoon for a little extra smokiness.
Pulse until everything is combined but still has some texture.
With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil.
Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add another splash of sherry vinegar if it needs brightness.
The finished romesco should be rich and spoonable, but not completely smooth. Taste it and you want it punchy, flavourful and slightly smoky. Adjust until it feels right.
Set aside while you cook the broccoli.
3. Prepare the broccoli.
Keep as much of the stalk as possible — it's one of the best parts.
Trim only the very bottom of the stalk, then cut each head lengthways through the stem into 3–4 substantial pieces.
Drizzle generously with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Use your hands to work the oil into the florets as well as over the stalks.
4. Char the broccoli.
Over charcoal or wood — our favourite method:
Place the broccoli directly onto a hot grill over medium-high heat.
Cook for approximately 8–12 minutes, turning as needed, until the stalks are tender and the florets have deeply charred, crisp edges.
If the florets are colouring before the stalks are tender, simply move the broccoli to a cooler part of the grill and allow it to finish more gently.
We want smoke and char, not burnt broccoli.
In the oven:
Roast at 230°C / 450°F for 20–25 minutes, turning once, until the stalks are tender and the florets have deeply browned, almost-black edges.
Give the broccoli plenty of room on the tray. If it's crowded, it will steam rather than char.
Broccoli likes a little fire.
5. Make the garden herb pesto.
Finely chop the parsley, basil, mint, tomillo and garlic together by hand.
Transfer to a small bowl and stir through the sherry vinegar and olive oil. Season lightly with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
This isn't a traditional thick pesto. We want it fresh, loose and spoonable, with enough olive oil to run over the broccoli and mingle with the romesco beneath it.
Add another splash of olive oil if needed.
6. Bring it together.
Spoon the romesco generously across the base of a large serving plate.
Arrange the hot charred broccoli over the top.
Spoon over the garden herb pesto, allowing some of its olive oil to run down into the romesco.
Scatter a few fresh herb leaves and flaky sea salt.
Finish with a generous pour of extra virgin olive oil.
Serve warm or at room temperature with good bread for dragging through everything left on the plate.
MAKE EXTRA
If you love the romesco after making it once — and we think you will — double or even triple it next time.
Especially if you're already lighting the barbecue and charring peppers and tomatoes over wood or charcoal, making extra requires very little additional effort.
Divide the remaining sauce into small portions and freeze for another day.
Let a portion defrost in the refrigerator, then wake it back up with a splash of sherry vinegar and a generous pour of fresh extra virgin olive oil before serving.
A few packets of romesco tucked into the freezer can turn whatever you have into dinner remarkably quickly.
MAKE IT YOURS
The broccoli is really only the beginning.
Try cauliflower cooked exactly the same way, grilled French beans, wilted Swiss chard or a pile of blistered Padrón peppers.
And don't think of romesco as only a vegetable sauce.
Spoon it alongside grilled fish, roast or grilled chicken, prawns cooked over charcoal, roasted potatoes or grilled bread. Serve it with whatever vegetables are coming from the garden or market.
Once you know how to make a good romesco, you'll find reasons to put it on almost everything.
CHEF'S NOTES FROM THE GROVE
Don't be afraid of colour when cooking the broccoli.
You're looking for contrast: tender, almost sweet stalks against dark, crisp florets. Those slightly bitter charred edges are exactly what make the sweet pepper romesco, salty preserved lemon and fresh herbs come alive.
And if you're cooking over fire, let the fire do some of the seasoning. Smoke, char, good vegetables, sea salt and olive oil don't need much interference.
To Serve — The Ritual Moment
Serve on a beautiful ceramic serving dish, family style.
Pairs beautifully with grilled prawns, whole grilled chicken with middle eastern spices or roasted halibut or salmon.
A scoop of whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream, while still warm.
Baby arugula and a glug of SOLEÁ RITUAL olive oil, a sprinkle of flor de sal.
Eat slowly, gather together and share the moments with those you love.
