Food & Wine
Roasted broccolini, kale and chickpeas with herbed ricotta
The beauty of this dish lies in the grilling – don’t be afraid to char the broccoli a little, as it delivers a great flavour. You can serve this as an individual starter, or as a main with grilled ciabatta.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 350 g broccolini, stems cut in half lengthways
- 400 g tin chickpeas
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 60 ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale, about 550 to 600 g, cut into 2.5 cm pieces
- 250 g smooth ricotta
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Pinch of chilli flakes
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced). Preheat the grill (broiler) to medium.
- In a mixing bowl, toss the broccolini, chickpeas and garlic with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spread the mixture onto a baking tray.
- In another bowl, toss the kale with the remaining olive oil, then spread over another two baking trays.
- Place the broccolini mixture under the grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, then turn the broccolini over and cook for a further 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely chargrilled. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, transfer the kale trays to the oven and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until starting to brown, then turn the kale over and bake for a further 2 minutes, or until crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, dill, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice and chilli flakes. Season with salt and mix together with a spoon.
- Smear the ricotta mixture onto a serving plate and top with the kale and broccolini and mixture.
- Drizzle with a little extra olive oil and serve.
This is an extract from The Vegetable: Recipes that celebrate nature by Vicki Valsamis and Caroline Griffiths, published by Smith Street Books, RRP AU$49.99 or NZ$59.99. Image credit: Chris Middleton.