Broccolini with roasted pepper relish and feta

Broccolini is a great alternative to broccoli; the stalks are thinner, so it needs less time to cook. It’s also mellower in flavour.

MAKE AHEAD: The relish can be made, covered and refrigerated up to a week in advance. Adapted from Mike Isabella’s Crazy Good Italian, by Mike Isabella (Da Capo, 2012).

Servings 4, small-plate

Ingredients

For the relish

2 large red bell peppers (may substitute 3/4 cup diced jarred roasted red bell peppers)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for roasting the peppers

1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more for roasting the peppers

1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped (see NOTE)

3 pickled Peppadew peppers, finely chopped

1 pickled red cherry pepper, stem and seeds discarded, finely chopped

1 tbs vinegar

For the broccolini

2 tbs kosher salt

16 stalks broccolini (340g-455g)

For serving

1/4 to 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Position an oven rack in the second-highest position; preheat the broiler. Brush the bell peppers with oil and season them lightly with salt. Place them on their sides on a baking sheet, leaving about 8cm between the tops of the peppers and the broiler flame or unit, and broil for 5 minutes on each side. This should take 20 to 25 minutes. The skins will become charred and the flesh soft. Place the peppers in a heatproof bowl; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let them sit for 20 minutes. Finely dice the pepper flesh, discarding the skin, ribs and seeds, and transfer it to a medium bowl. (The yield is 3/4 cup.) Add the walnuts, Peppadews, red cherry pepper, 1/4 cup olive oil, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, stirring to incorporate. For the broccolini, bring 3.8l of water to a boil with the salt in a large pot over medium-high heat. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Trim about 2.5cm from the end of each broccolini stem and discard it. Add the broccolini to the boiling water and blanch for 1 minute, then transfer to the ice water until thoroughly cooled. Pat dry with paper towels. To serve, arrange the broccolini on a serving dish. Top with the pepper relish and the feta (to taste). Serve at room temperature. NOTE: Toast the nuts in a small skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan often to prevent burning, for 7 to 8 minutes or until they are fragrant and browned.

NUTRITION Per serving: 300 calories, 7g protein, 12g carbohydrates, 25g fat, 4g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol, 520mg sodium, 5g dietary fibre, 6g sugar

— Washington Post