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Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Little Brown Lentils

When you want vegetables to sit patiently and ready on the table while you get on with other things, this is the way to do it. When I made this originally, I liked it a lot, but when I ate the leftovers as I did the washing up I liked it ten times more – so make in advance and leave it. Do not refrigerate; if it is served chilled, the flavour is lost. For a warm dish, reheat any leftovers the next day, when the broccoli will darken and the whole thing amalgamate. Eat with red chilli and lumps of fresh acidic cheese.

Choose broccoli that feels tender right down to the tip of the stem and whose flowers are still closed. The leaves should not be enormous, but young enough for the flower heads to be visible.

Serves 4

200g/7oz small brown lentils

2 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed with the flat side of a knife to crack them a little

2 wineglasses of red wine

water or chicken stock

2 sprigs of thyme

450g/1lb purple sprouting broccoli

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the lentils in a pan with the garlic and wine, then cover with enough water or stock to come about 1—2cm/½—¾ inch above the pulses. Add the thyme, bring to the boil and simmer for about 25–35 minutes. Test – the lentils should be soft in the centre but the skins should not be falling off.

Strip any big tough leaves from the broccoli, and peel away any tough skin on the stalk using a potato peeler. Bring 4cm/1½ inches of salted water to the boil in a large pan and add the broccoli. Cook until just tender, then lift out with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on a dry cloth.

Put the broccoli in a bowl. Stir the oil and vinegar into the lentils, then season with salt and black pepper if necessary. Tip this mixture over the broccoli and leave the whole dish to perform its alchemy.