Purple sprouting broccoli

Finally, our purple sprouting broccoli is ready to be consumed! We sowed it in March last year and were getting pretty desperate to:

1) eat it
2) get the space ready to prepare the vegetable patch for this year's crop


One thing is sure is that the taste is DIVINE. It is unbelievable how tasty and good it is. For a start, I ecould smell the broccoli whilst picking and cooking it. Then the cooking water was bright green, as if grass juice, which probably means that there are millions more nutrients and goodness in these than the ones we buy from the greengrocer.


I really recommend growing purple sprouting broccoli. It sure takes a lot of space (over 1 m2 per plant) and it does take up your space for at least a year, but it is well worth it if you have the space. We will be growing them again this year for sure!

Broccoli enchiladas

If you are using ready-made flour tortillas, which I did, this recipe takes no time at all and is really tasty. A must try for broccoli fans like me!

Serves 4

450g broccoli florets
250g ricotta cheese
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
200g cheddar cheese, grated
1 egg, lightly beaten
6 flour tortillas
225ml vegetable stock
3 tomatoes, diced
Chilli sauce

1. Cook the broccoli florets in boiling water. Drain well. Mash roughly and mix with garlic, cumin, ricotta and half of the cheddar. Add the egg and season with salt and pepper.

2. Fill the torillas with the broccoli mixture and arrange on a greased ovenproof shallow dish.

3. Sprinkle with the chopped tomatoes and chilli sauce. Pour over the stock. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar and place in the oven (pre-heated at 180C) for 30 minutes.

Serve with hot salsa and a green salad if you wish.

Broccoli soup

This soup has nothing special in it. It tastes simple and is simply tasty ;)

Ingredients for 4 bowls of soup:

1 big broccoli, cut into florets + stem diced
2 tsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely diced
5 TBSP wholegrain rice
900ml boiling water
1-2 bay leaves
1 pinch of nutmeg
4 TBSP double cream
100g full-fat soft cheese (type Philadelphia. I have tried this recipe with reduced-fat cheese but it does not quite work and does not taste as nice)

1. Fry the onion, leek and carrot for 3-4 minutes until softened.

2. Add the broccoli stem, rice, water, bay leaves and a pinch of sea salt. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Add the broccoli florets and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

4. Stir in the cream and cheese. DO NOT BOIL. Serve into warm bowls.

Cauliflower and Broccoli soup

Time for a bowl of soup after cheesy spaetzle and rich cakes in Austria!

Serves 4:

2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 broccoli (same size as cauliflower), cut into small florets
1 TBSP plain flour
600ml milk
300ml vegetable stock
75g grated cheese (Gruyere/Cheddar/Comté)
pinch of paprika
150ml single cream

1. Sauté the onion, garlic, cauliflower and broccoli in the oil for 5 min. Add the flour and cook for another 1 min.

2. Gradually add in the milk and stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 min.

3. Remove a quarter of the vegetables and set aside. Put the rest of the soup in a liquidiser.

4. Return to the pan, add the reserved vegetables and heat through. Add the cheese, single cream and paprika. Cook for another 5 minutes without boiling.

5. Serve in warm bowl.


Soupe de chou-fleur et broccoli


Pour 4 personnes


2 c. soupe huile d'olive
1 oignon, haché
1 gousse d'ail, écrasée
1 chou-fleur, coupé en petits bouquets
1 broccoli, (meme taille que le chou-fleur) coupé en petits bouquets
1 TBSP farine
600ml lait
300ml bouillon de légumes
75g fromage rapé (Gruyere/Cheddar/Comté)
pincée de paprika
150ml créme légere liquide

1. Sauter l'oignon, l'ail, le chou-fleur et le broccoli pendant 5 minutes. Ajouter la farine et cuire en remuant pendant 1 min.

2. Ajouter le lait et le bouillon, faire bouillir, puis réduire et cuire en remuant pendant 20 minutes.

3. Retirer un quart des légumes et mettre de coté. Mettre le reste de la soupe dans le mixeur.

4. Remettre la soupe et les légumes dans la casserole. Ajouter le fromage, la creme et le paprika. Réchauffer sans bouillir et servir dans des assiettes préchauffées.