Broccoli Tonnato with Crispy Fried Capers and Sunflower Seeds

feeds 6 with broccoli alone, feeds 8 with the other greens

½ recipe tonnato sauce (page…)

2 heads of broccoli, about 650g

Or 800g long-stemmed broccoli

150g edamame beans or peas (optional)

100g asparagus (optional)

50g capers

1 cup oil for deep-frying

30g sunflower seeds, toasted (optional)

40g rocket

Cut the broccoli in florets using as much stem as you can shape into the floret.

Heat the oil in a wok and once hot, deep-fry the capers until crispy, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towel.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and blanche the broccoli for 3 – 5 minutes (no longer!). Have a large bowl of cold water at the ready. Use a slotted spoon to remove the broccoli florets to their cold bath, thereby arresting the cooking process. In a large bowl, toss the broccoli with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.

The edamame beans require nary a brief submerging in the blanching pot (20 seconds) and asparagus no more than 1 minute.

To plate, spread the tonnato sauce on a platter or serving plate, leaving a good border. Arrange the broccoli on top of the tonnato sauce and layer up the edamame and blanched asparagus if using. Drizzle with more olive oil and season with Maldon Salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle the salad with the fried capers and toasted sunflower seeds.  Arrange the rocket leaves on a heap on top of the salad so that you can still see all the lovely greens beneath.