How to make charred broccoli with kefir and avocado dressing

While people squabble about what is and isn't a superfood, Julia Platt Leonard suggests a great way to prepare one that definitely is – broccoli

The finished article (Julia Platt Leonard)

What is a superfood? It depends on who you ask. We all know what a superfood should be: a panacea that will help us age slower, heal faster, live longer, and look better. One problem: there is no scientifically agreed upon definition of what takes an ordinary food and elevates it to super status.

Superfood enthusiasts will recite a long list that includes everything from blueberries to goji berries with some familiar names like Brussel sprouts and broccoli, and some like acai and chia that aren’t. The premise is that a superfood should be nutrient-packed but with what and how much? The NHS website points out that while a lot of ‘superfoods’ undoubtedly contain nutrients that we know are good for us, we’d have to eat a lot of them to get any medically recognised benefit.

So what do we do? I think the American food writer Michael Pollan hits it spot on when he says: “Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognise as food” and “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” If we can follow those two rules, we’re pretty much sorted. I’d add one more thing: does it taste good? At the end of the day if it doesn’t, do we really want to bother?

Drizzle with avocado and kefir dressing (Julia Platt Leonard)

Charred Broccoli with Kefir & Avocado Green Goddess Dressing

You’ll find kefir in health food stores as well as many grocery stores.

Serves 3-4 as a side dish

Preheat oven to 220˚

1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets

2-3 tbsp olive oil

Salt

Green Goddess Dressing

15g chives, chopped

10g tarragon, leaves chopped

35g parsley, leaves chopped

½ avocado, diced

115ml kefir (or buttermilk)

1 tbsp olive oil

Generous squeeze of lemon juice

Salt & pepper

Garnish

Pumpkin seeds

Sesame seeds

Blanch the broccoli in boiling, salted water for 1 minute. Drain well and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil to coat and season with salt. Roast in the hot oven for around 15 minutes until well charred on all sides.

While the broccoli is in the oven, make the dressing. Place the chopped herbs, diced avocado and ¼ of the kefir in the small bowl of a food processor or a blender. You can also place them in a measuring jug and use a stick blender. Blend and then add the rest of the kefir in slowly. The mixture should be a light, bright green. Add the olive oil and blend again. Finally add the lemon juice and season generously with salt and pepper.

Place the broccoli on a serving plate and drizzle the dressing over it. Sprinkle with the seeds and serve hot or at room temperature.