Del-icious!: Finally - success with purple sprouting broccoli

Purple sprouting broccoli, considered by many to be the ultimate harbinger of spring and as revered as asparagus in the UK is not for sale anywhere in Vancouver. Even the farmer's markets boasting their unusual vegetables and home grown produce have none. I have no idea why. The only way to enjoy this slightly sweeter and tender delicacy is to grow your own. In the past I have tried with little success, but this year, thanks to the city's policies on using your patch of sidewalk grass as vegetable patches, I proudly grew a bumper crop.

You can see what I mean when you compare the photo above to the one below. All the right conditions provided us with 3 months worth of continuing sprouts, (all grown from seed)....

....whereas a tiny, shaded balcony produced a plant that bore 6 shoots of the purple stuff. Lessons learnt and bitter disappointment felt.

Don't get me wrong, Vancouver markets do have a fair share of extremely beautiful vegetables, like this lilac coloured cauliflower picked up a few years ago, but I'm flummoxed as to why no one has yet grown and sold the more superior purple broccoli. Hang on, why haven't I......

Perhaps it is the novelty aspect that makes this vegetable so desired. People claim the sweeter, tenderer stalks are the lure and magazines are filled with 101 ways how to serve it, (poached egg, hollandaise, anchovies etc). Rather than using it as a side vegetable, like it's more ordinary cousin, it seems that to be truly appreciated, this little sprouting plant should stand on it's own. And so it did with us, boiled, steamed, fried and roasted with melted butter, lemon juice and salt, but it also featured as a guest in some dishes, one of which is shown below.

Raw, sweet and tiny florets were paired with a zucchini and shallot base, made savoury and salty with cheese and the simplest of dressings, a wisp of lemon and oil. The salad can easily be made into crisp fritters too as shown and explained at the end of the post.

Recipe : Spring salad of raw sprouting broccoli, shallot and zucchini
4 - 6 shoots of raw purple sprouting broccoli, separated into tiny florets
1 zucchini, grated and squeezed dry
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 handful each fresh dill and mint
large handful grated Cheddar cheese
salt
black pepper
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Mix everything together in a large bowl and allow to sit for a few minutes while the oil and lemon juice are absorbed. Serve and enjoy. See below for details on turning this into fritters...

For fritters, simply add 1 beaten egg and 1 - 2 tbsp flour into the salad and mix thoroughly. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to stiffen.

Take handfuls of the mixture and shape into patties a little smaller than the palm of your hand.

Fry in shallow oil over medium to high heat for around 4 minutes each side until golden brown and crisp. Serve with a dipping sauce such as sweet chili.