My winters are thick with meaty stews and casseroles. During winter I feel more like a carnivore than an omnivore, but that’s all part of the yearly cycle, I guess. There aren’t many fresh vegetables in my garden over winter, so when they start appearing in spring I get more than excited. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined me, broccoli and excitement being used in the one sentence, but that’s my life now and it has been for a while. It’s a real no-bullshit appreciation of seasonality. It’s about eating what nature allows me to grow at any given point in time. Broccoli is ready to eat in early spring in my poly tunnel and late spring outside. I like to grow two varieties, one a non-sprouting broccoli that gives large single heads, and one a sprouting variety that allows you to pick small florets continuously over a period of a few weeks. I’ve had a few challenges with seed saving for both varieties, so I just buy seeds now. In any case, the large broccoli plants take up too much room when left to go to seed, and at this time of year I need all available garden real estate for the oncoming summer crops, which are crucial for my future food.
You can make this salad as a side, but quite frankly, after eating meaty stews served with a carb base like couscous or rice, I’m happy to eat a whole bowl of this wonderful plant. It’s light and fresh, and sets a benchmark for more light vegetable meals in the summer ahead.
Sriracha is a fermented chilli sauce you’ll find at Asian grocery stores – or you can have a go at making your own.