Broccoli, pancetta, mint & macadamia salad

Lifted from goodfood.com.au, this salad is a meal in itself.  The addition of macadamias is genius, so flavoursome, it just keeps giving with every mouthful; and in light of the large volume of broccoli, it has to be healthy, right?  I love the ‘waste not, want not’ use of the broccoli stalk in the sauce which adds so much flavour.  We served the salad it with white fish, but it would be equally good with salmon or chicken or just on its own.  It keeps pretty well too, so would work well over a couple of nights.  Omit the pancetta for a vego version, it’ll be all good either way, although I’d be less likely to exclude the anchovies which really make the dressing.

Ingredients

200 g pancetta, cut into thin strips (omit for a vegetarian version)

1 tbsp grapseed oil

1 broccoli head (keep the stalk for the dressing)

1 cos lettuce, leaves cut into thirds

1 granny smith apple, quartered and finely sliced

2 spring onions, both white and green parts, finely sliced

1 handful mint leaves, torn

60 g roasted macadamias, crushed

30 g parmesan, finely grated

Broccoli yoghurt cream:

1 broccoli stalk, chopped

100 g natural yoghurt

2 anchovies

½ clove garlic, roughly chopped

1 handful flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

30 g parmesan, coarsley grated

½ lemon

salt flakes & freshly ground black pepper

Method

1.  Fry the pancetta in the grapeseed oil until crispy.  Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Chop the broccoli head and fry in the same pan for 2 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons of water and cook for another minute with a lid on to steam.  Leave to cool.
3. Toss the broccoli with the pancetta, cos, apple, onions, mint and nuts.
4. To make the broccoli yoghurt cream, steam the broccoli stalk until just tender but still bright green.  Cool, then put in a blender or food processor along with the yoghurt, anchovies, garlic, parsley, extra-virgin olive oil and parmesan.  Squeeze in the lemon, season with salt and pepper and whiz until smooth.
5. Top the salad with the the broccoli cream and serve.

Serves 4-6