Dinner party number six - with complex broccoli!

The sixth dinner party was in fact a Sunday lunch, and was the afternoon after the fifth dinner party.

The menu (which, now that I look at it, contains lots of things cooked in wine):

Cheese plate – oozy camembert and local gruyere with spiced red wine plums and crackers

Beef and red wine pie

Roasted sweet potatoes and potatoes

Smoky-savoury roasted tenderstem broccoli, tossed with baby greens

White wine-poached pears with thick chocolate sauce and toasted almonds

Sunday lunch in progress

Aside from the fact that I managed to slightly burn some of the potatoes and sweet potatoes, I think it all turned out well and was a good cold-day meal. But what I really loved most about this dinner (aside from the chocolate sauce, of course; chocolate sauce always wins) was the broccoli. It’s so simple, but tastes complex. And who doesn’t love complex broccoli?!

Smoky-savoury roasted broccoli florets

Toss together:

250g tenderstem broccoli

2tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp sweet smoked paprika

1 tsp canola oil

¼ tsp salt

Spread the broccoli out evenly on a roasting tray, and slide into a hot (200C) oven. Roast for ten minutes – the broccoli should still have a bite to it. Serve as is, or toss with baby greens.