Broccoli Fantasia aka Fabulous Broccoli

1kg broccoli, cut into florets
2tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 leeks, trimmed and sliced
1tbsp plain flour
100ml double cream
200ml white wine
25g butter, plus extra for greasing
6tbsp parmesan cheese, freshly grated
salt and pepper

Parboil the broccoli in salted boiling water for a few minutes, then drain and leave to cool slightly. Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the garlic and leeks and cook over a low heat stirring occasionally until softened. Remove and discard the garlic. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 2 min until lightly browned. Stir in the cream, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Add the broccoli, pour in the wine and simmer for about 10 min. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200c. Grease an ovenproof dish with butter. Remove the pan from the heat, and transfer the mixture to the prepared dish. Sprinkle with the parmesan, dot with the butter and bake until golden and bubbling.

I got this recipe from The Silver Spoon, and with a name like that, I had to try it.

I’m making more of an effort to find new and exciting ways to prepare vegetables, it’s so easy to just serve them the same way over and over again, and even though that way may be a good way, it’s a shame when there is so much more out there. Hence, the Fabulous Broccoli.

It was, as the name said, fabulous. It’s a really high fat way to eat your greens, but it was so creamy, and tasty. As a matter of fact, my older son asked if he could have the sauce over everything on his plate, and then he ate his whole dinner (didn’t even leave room for dessert). Good stuff.

It was not hard to make, though it used a few dishes. One for blanching, one for simmering, and a third for baking. Still, it was totally worth it. It really dresses up a fairly plain dinner too, if you are just having a roast or chops or something.

It didn’t say in the recipe how long to bake it for, it just said, “until golden and bubbling”. Mine took about 15-20 min.

There is no doubt in my mind that I will be making this again.