when i read about adam’s “best broccoli of your life” i knew i had to try it. i’m a long time fan of roasted broccoli – there is a delia smith recipe which roasts broccoli and cauliflower with lots of garlic, olive oil and crushed coriander seeds which i love.

adam’s recipe (actually it belongs to someone called the barefoot contessa, whoever she is) has lots of similarities with the broccoli and anchovy (or bacon) orrechiette but, instead of relying on anchovies or bacon to add depth of flavour gets the brocccoli to do all the work, by roasting it until the edges brown and go crunchy.

i didn’t have much broccoli in so decided to bulk this out with pasta which was delicious. the broccoli on its own is really good too and i’m planning another batch to go with a roast chicken we’ll be having over the weekend.

roasted broccoli with spaghetti*

cut your broccoli into florets (i used purple sprouting broccoli and just trimmed it so all pieces were a similar size) and place on a lined roasting tray. add some sliced garlic, chilli flakes, olive oil, salt and pepper. roast at 180c for 10-20 minutes, until the broccoli is “crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned” and in the meantime, cook your spaghetti.

remove the broccoli from the oven and squeeze over some lemon juice. add grated parmesan, toasted pinenuts and shredded basil. toss with the spaghetti.

*no proper recipe, sorry. adam has quantities in his blog post if you need them.