Raw Broccoli & Almond Salad

serves 4
time 30 mins
vibe Easy-peasy

Raw broccoli is a powerhouse salad ingredient, and covering it in yogurt dressing makes for a match made in heaven.

nice on the side
Roasted feta cheese,
roast chicken, tomato pastas or fish

salad party?
Serve with Creamy Pasta and/or Spring Veg & Mozzarella

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large head of broccoli (about 325g/11½oz)

• 2 lemons

  Salads Are More Than Leaves Elena Silcock

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 100g (3½oz) almonds

• 200g (7oz) green beans

• 120g (4¼oz) rocket

• 60g (2¼oz) Parmesan cheese

• 50g (1¾oz) mixed soft herbs – I used flat leaf parsley and chives

• salt and pepper

DRESSING

Yogurt (see below)

TOPPERS

a few of the herbs

a few of the almonds

subs  Use a vegetarian hard cheese.  Use vegan Parmesan-style ‘cheese’, and vegan yogurt subbed for dairy yogurt and maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing.

get ahead Roast the almonds and make the dressing
in advance.

DIRECTIONS

1] Stand the broccoli head upside down on a chopping board. Use a knife to slice down around the head, shaving off small chunks of the broccoli florets as you go. This is the easiest method to chop it as finely as possible. Put in a large mixing bowl. Finely slice the broccoli stalk and add to the bowl. Finely grate in the zest of one of the lemons and squeeze in the juice, then add the oil and a big pinch of salt. Use your hands to massage the dressing into broccoli, then set aside to marinate a little while you make the rest of the salad.

2] Roast the almonds (see below). Mix up the dressing.

3] Cut the green beans into 2cm (¾-inch) lengths and add to the bowl with the broccoli, then add the rocket. Roughly chop the roasted almonds and add most of them to the bowl. Use a fine grater or Microplane to grate the Parmesan directly into the bowl. Slice or snip the chives, if using. Pull the parsley or other herb leaves from the stems and roughly chop. Add most of the herbs to the bowl. Toss, taste and add the juice of the second lemon if it needs it – if not, cut into wedges to serve – along with some pepper. Transfer to a platter or bowls. Drizzle with the yogurt dressing and top with the remaining herbs and roasted almonds.

Yogurt

• 175g (6oz) natural yogurt, or crème fraîche

• 1 teaspoon clear honey

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon cider or white wine vinegar

• salt and pepper

Put the yogurt (or crème fraîche), honey, mustard and vinegar into a mixing bowl, season generously with salt and pepper and stir together until combined. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Roasting Nuts & Toasting Seeds to Perfection

I always roast nuts in a big batch rather than just enough for a single salad, as I’m a fiend for them and know they’ll get eaten within a few days. You can of course buy nuts ready roasted– I always use roasted and salted peanuts – but in my experience other roasted nuts are often harder to find and they’re usually not roasted enough for me, so that’s when the home roasting really comes in handy!

Make sure you use unroasted nuts, and if using hazelnuts, go for the blanched kind.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Spread the nuts out in a roasting tray – you can add as many nuts of all different types (except pine nuts; see below) as you like so long as they aren’t too deep in the tray – I roast up to 500g/1lb 2oz at a time. Roast for 15–20 minutes until golden – cooking the nuts at a relatively low temperature means they become golden and sweet rather than risking them turning dark and bitter tasting. Pine nuts are a bit of an exception to the rule. Roast in the same way but for 10 minutes only until golden – keep your eyes on them, as they can turn from golden to dark and bitter very fast! Set the roasted nuts aside to cool, then store in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Make spiced nuts: Toss 200g (7oz) hot freshly roasted nuts in 15g (½oz) butter, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary or thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper, then spread out on nonstick baking paper to cool completely.

Toast your seeds: Add whichever seeds you’re using to a dry frying pan, then place over a medium heat and toast for 2–4 minutes, depending on the type/size of the seeds, tossing regularly – with most seeds, they’ll start to pop once they’re ready. Set aside to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Reprinted with permission from Salads Are More Than Leaves by Elena Silcock copyright © 2022. Photographs by Chloe Hardwick. Distributed by Hachette Book Group.

When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you!