Top brassica: Alice Zaslavsky’s recipes for broccolini, cavolo nero and cauliflower

Broccolini caesar salad

Broccolini’s naturally bitter notes when raw belie the sweetness within. A char on the barbecue, a blast under the grill or – like this salad – a quick blanch will have the kids (big and small) retracting every broccoli-based retort.

Serves 4

80ml extra-virgin olive oil
3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
25g parmesan, finely grated
1 garlic clove, finely grated
150g stale rye bread, thinly sliced
3 bunches broccolini, stems thinly sliced, florets cut into 2cm pieces
2 eggs
4 tsp white wine vinegar
1 lemon, finely zested and juiced
2 tbsp whole-egg mayonnaise or garlic aioli
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the anchovies, parmesan and garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the rye slices and cook, stirring regularly, for five minutes until golden and crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Have a bowl of iced water ready. Drop the broccolini florets into the boiling water for a minute, then add the chopped stems for another minute, or until vividly green. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and drop into the iced water briefly. Drain, then add to the reserved frying pan and toss to coat.

Bring the water back to the boil. Working with one egg at a time, crack the egg into a small bowl with two teaspoons of vinegar. Gently slide the eggs and vinegar into the boiling water from as close to the pan as possible, then reduce the temperature and simmer for two minutes, until the whites have set. Scoop the eggs out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

Pile the broccolini mixture on to a large serving platter, arranging the rye toasts on the side. Top with the poached eggs. Combine the lemon zest and juice, mayonnaise and pepper in a small bowl, spoon over the salad and serve.

Blonde minestrone with cavolo nero

Cavolo nero is a relative of kale that shoots straight up into straps of dark, rippled leaves on slightly less woody stalks. When buying, look for vibrantly coloured leaves. Dry completely and store in the crisper loosely bagged as a bunch, or as torn leaves washed, spun and wrapped in paper towel or cloth before bagging.

Serves 6–8

1 bunch cavolo nero, about 500g
50g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 fennel bulb, diced, fronds reserved
3 celery stalks, sliced
2 carrots, chopped
1 tsp ground white pepper
½ tsp celery seeds
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm chunks
2 litres vegetable or chicken stock
400g tin cannellini beans
Parmesan rinds (optional)
Lemon juice, to taste
Grated parmesan, to serve

Wash the cavolo nero well, then separate the leaves from the stalks. Finely shred the leaves, and finely chop any thinner stalks.

Melt the butter in a large soup pot, then sweat the onion, garlic, fennel, celery, carrot, cavolo nero stalks, white pepper and celery seeds with the lid on the pot, until the vegetables have softened – this should take about 12 minutes.

Add the potato, stock, cannellini beans and parmesan rinds, if using. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potato is fork-tender.

Take the pot off the heat, stir in the shredded cavolo nero leaves, season to taste with salt flakes and freshly cracked black pepper, then squeeze in some lemon juice to finish.

Garnish with a final twist or two of cracked black pepper and some grated parmesan.

Cauliflower and burnt butter macaroni cheese

When it comes to versatility, you can’t go past cauliflower. Thickly sliced and fried like a steak, blitzed into “rice” or starring in salads and sides, I’ve come to think of it as the chicken of the soil. Plus, it can last for two weeks in the crisper.

Serves 4

500g macaroni (or gluten-free pasta)
½ head cauliflower, chopped into florets, stalks and leaves chopped
3–4 bunches of asparagus (about 600g), woody ends snapped off and reserved, spears cut into bite-sized pieces
100g butter
300g comté (or gruyere or cheddar), grated
250g parmesan, grated
Olive oil, for drizzling

For the beurre noisette (brown butter)
80g butter
1 handful raw or roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Fill a large saucepan three-quarters full of water, add plenty of salt and bring to a boil. Add the macaroni, setting a timer for three minutes less than the cooking time on the packet. When your timer goes off, pop the cauliflower florets and stalks into the pot, then reset the timer for another two minutes. When it goes off again, add the asparagus spears, then reset the timer for one minute more. Scoop out and reserve a mugful of pasta water, then drain the asparagus, cauliflower and pasta mixture.

For the beurre noisette, pop the reserved asparagus ends and chopped cauliflower leaves in the emptied pasta pot with the butter and hazelnuts. Brown over medium heat until the pot smells like you’re baking cookies in it. Reserve for garnish.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large non-stick saucepan. Sprinkle all the comté and about 200 grams of the parmesan into the pan, then add the cooked pasta, vegetables and mugful of reserved pasta water. Stir well and season to taste.

Serve in bowls and spoon the beurre noisette on top. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan, another couple of cracks of black pepper, drizzle with olive oil and serve.