Maple-chilli broccoli steaks

Broccoli ‘steaks’ with chilli maple butter and tarragon breadcrumbs

Main Vegetarian

Serves 2 as a main, or 4 as a side

Prep 10 min

Cook 20 min

I proposed the case for vegetable ‘steaks’ in my Substack - here I’ve put theory into practice. Make sure to let those cut sides of your broccoli properly caramelise before adding any liquid. This creates that lovely contrast: crisp, almost nutty exterior against a tender heart. The maple-chilli butter seeps into all those little floret crevices, creating pockets of sweet heat.
If you can’t find Calabrian chillies, don’t worry. Jarred roasted red peppers and a good pinch of chilli flakes work well too! Just make sure your burrata's at room temperature when you tear it, so it melts ever so slightly when you add the steaks on top.

Ingredients

60g	butter
20g	panko
3	garlic cloves, crushed
10g	tarragon leaves, finely chopped
½	lemon; zested and juiced to get 1 tbsp
1 large	head of broccoli (450g)
40g	Calabrian chopped chillies (or 70g of chopped roasted red peppers from a jar + 1 tsp chilli flakes)
30ml	maple syrup
1 tub	burrata (150g), drained and torn apart
	flaked sea salt and black pepper

Method

Place a large non-stick saute pan (for which you have a lid) over medium high heat. When hot, add 20g butter, panko, 2 garlic cloves, plenty of black pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the panko is evenly golden brown. Remove from the heat, mix through the tarragon and lemon zest, then pour the panko onto a paper towel lined plate and set aside. Wipe the pan clean.
Prepare the broccoli by peeling the outer woody layer of the stem. Quarter the broccoli. Place the same pan over medium high heat. When hot, add 10g butter and press the broccoli into the pan, flat side down. Cook for 3 minutes, then flip and cook on the other flat side for 3 minutes.
Add about 50ml of water to the pan and immediately cover with a lid. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add the remaining butter, calabrian chilli, maple, remaining garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt, and baste the broccoli with the sauce. Remove from the heat and squeeze over the lemon juice.
To serve, spread the burrata onto the base of a serving platter. Arrange the broccoli on top. Spoon over the contents of the pan, and season each steak with a pinch of salt. Finish by liberally sprinkling the breadcrumbs over the steaks.