Red onion and purple-sprouting broccoli with chilli and garlic

This recipe for purple sprouting broccoli produces a dish that is absolutely stunning.  It has flavours from the Middle East which add to those of the broccoli.  It is an excellent accompaniment for meat dishes and fish.

Preparation Time: 15 Mins

Cooking Time: 70 Mins

Total Time: 85 Mins

Ingredients

For 6 servings…

790 gms          Broccoli  - purple sprouting, trimmed      

6 sprigs           Mint  - leaves from   

170 ml             Yoghurt  - natural     

2                    Chillies  - chopped    

1                    Onions  - red, halved and sliced into crescent shapes

2 bulbs            Garlic  - outer skin removed     

                      Olive oil    

Method

Put the garlic heads into a small ovenproof dish and drizzle with a little olive oil.  Pour in enough water to come about half way up the side of the bulbs.  Bake these in an oven, preheated to 18O°C for one hour.  Check every so often to make sure the water has not completely evaporated and spoon the juices back over the bulbs as they cook.

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onions until coloured.

Cook the broccoli in boiling salted water until almost tender.  Drain well.  Put a little more olive oil in the frying pan then add the broccoli and the chillies and seasonings.  Stir everything around and cook quickly for about a minute and a half, until the ends of the onions start to char a little and the broccoli looks seared in places.  Check the seasoning.

Squeeze the roasted garlic pulp from the two heads of garlic.  Put the onion and broccoli on to a serving-dish, dotted with some of the garlic.  Daub some yogurt over the top then put the rest of the garlic flesh on top of that.  Finally, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and quickly fry the mint leaves.  Pour the oil and leaves over the yogurt and serve.