Now we have so much more of time on our hands, we can be more mindful of our friends, family and neighbours which is lovely but cooking continues to be my solace and I’m taking my time. I’m reminding myself of happier times – when we could travel – by designing simple menus that remind me of a particular culinary experience. Last Sunday, my head was on a Greek Island and our late lunch was similarly themed. It included this super simple salad of blanched broccoli with chopped sun-dried tomatoes and shallots dressed in a Greek honey and lemon dressing and garnished with toasted almonds and a scattering of the smoked chilli flakes I found in Corfu last spring. Here’s the recipe.

Serves 4-6 as a side

Ingredients

400g Tenderstem broccoli, each stem trimmed and cut in half
80g sun-soaked tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
60g shallots, finely chopped
60g slivered almonds, lightly toasted
200g barrel-aged feta (optional)
Fresh dill, finely chopped, to garnish
Smoked chilli flakes, to serve (you can also use pul biber)

For the dressing:
4tbsp Raphael’s Cretan extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Raphael’s Organic Greek thyme honey
1 clove garlic, grated
½ tsp Raphael’s organic Greek oregano
½ tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp sea salt flakes
A pinch of red pepper flakes

How I make it

Bring a large pan of generously salted water to the boil and add the broccoli. Blanch for four minutes and drain immediately. Set aside to cool.

Put a small frying plan on a medium heat. When hot, add the slivered almonds and stir around continuously until they are lightly golden. Set aside to cool.

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and set aside to allow the flavours to mingle.

In a large bowl, mix together the cooled broccoli, the sun-soaked tomatoes and chopped shallots. Add the dressing and gently combine. Turn the salad out onto a pretty plate and garnish with the toasted almonds, dill and chilli flakes. For a more substantial meal, crumble in 200g of barrel-aged feta.

For more information about Raphael’s Mediterranean Deli products, please click this link.