The virtues of the hardy, seasonal variety of the roast dinner staple – plus a tasty recipe.

“It can’t go out of fashion if it’s never been in fashion,” said a friend of mine to me when I was part way through growing my hair a couple of years back. I was aiming for a shaggy, _Game Of Thrones-_style mane, but in reality was sporting a pretty unattractive set of curtains that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a mid-1990s episode of Home And Away.

The same could be said of broccoli. It’s never exactly been on the vegetable hotlist. Unlike the exotic bok choi, rustic cavolo nero, or anything preceded by the premium-sounding but meaningless term “heritage”, broccoli has always just been… broccoli.

The most widely available variety is “calibrese”, named after the southern Italian region of Calabria, although it’s become so ubiquitous on our supermarket shelves we now know it simply as broccoli. Calibrese is the one with the bulbous head of florets and thick stalk; a staple of midweek stir fries, one of the veggie accompaniments to my mum’s roast dinners, and a general stalwart of the vegetable aisle, no matter how basic.

Looking back, I think I really started to appreciate broccoli at university (don’t ask me how long ago that was…). My housemates and I discovered it had detoxifying properties, and without giving away too much of my student lifestyle, let’s just say it was a key ingredient in most of our Monday night dinners.

When I started cooking professionally, I came across the “purple sprouting” variety. Unlike its hybridised cousins, purple sprouting is a genuinely seasonal green that thrives in colder weather. It’s a staple on the menus at my London restaurants Salon and Levan from October to April.

Ours is grown by Mr Martin Sanders, whose family have been meticulously tending crops at their Worcestershire farm for more than 50 years. In that time, his plants have become fully acclimatised to the local soil and climate, producing tender stalks, juicy florets and a rich, minerally flavour. Not only are they good for you, they’re also incredibly tasty.

I’m pleased to say that purple sprouting is now much more widely available in farmers’ markets, greengrocers and lots of supermarkets, and if you haven’t already, I’d highly recommend you trying it in place of the more common green variety. With a little trimming, the stalks are almost entirely edible and the flavour is deeper, bolder and far more complex.

Below is a recipe that combines this particularly wholesome vegetable with some slightly more indulgent ingredients, with delicious results.

Purple sprouting broccoli with nduja, goat’s cheese and parmesan

Serves two

250g purple sprouting broccoli Sourdough toast, to serve A clove of garlic and a little more olive oil 50g soft goat’s cheese 50g nduja – or chorizo sausage, cooked until the fat renders A drizzle of olive oil Juice and zest of one lemon A drizzle of honey (optional) Sea salt and black pepper 50g parmesan, grated

Bring a medium sized pan of salted water to the boil. Trim any tough ends from the sprouting broccoli stalks, then blanch in the boiling water for three to five minutes.

Meanwhile, rub the toast with the garlic clove and drizzle with a little olive oil. Spread the goat’s cheese on the toast and set aside in a warm place.

 When the broccoli is cooked to your liking, transfer to a mixing bowl and add the nduja, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, honey (if using) and salt and pepper. Stir to combine so the nduja begins to melt and the broccoli is dressed in the sweet, spicy, oily juices.

 Divide the broccoli between two plates, on top of the toast, top with parmesan and serve.