Broccoli

Calabrese is ordinary green broccoli, available year round with imports.

The best of the lot is purple sprouting broccoli, as special as asparagus, and available here only during its short UK season. There is also a rarer white variety.

When buying sprouting broccoli, avoid limp looking specimens and pick over your purchase carefully when you get it home, cutting off tough ends and coarse leaves. For long perfect specimens, tie in bundles and boil or steam as for asparagus so that the stems are tender and the flowering heads just cooked, then serve with a dipping sauce of melted butter stirred through with a little lemon juice and black pepper, or home-made hollandaise. Otherwise, just steam or boil for 3-4 minutes so that the leaves remain bright green and the flowering heads haven’t reached beyond a purpley-copper colour, then serve as a vegatable, perhaps dribbled with a little butter.