This recipe for roast broccoli and courgette with feta and preserved lemon is the latest in a monthly series of recipes I have created in partnership with Suma. Each of these recipes is inspired by products from Suma’s extensive range of organic and ethically sourced products, and the recipes appear both here on my blog and on the Suma website.
All the elements of this delicious dish work so well together – the spicy zing of the roast vegetables, the crunch of fried sunflower seeds and the salty tang of feta – but it is the rich lemony dressing pulling it all together that for me is the real star of the show.
roast broccoli and courgette with feta and preserved lemon
Ingredients
1 head broccoli, broken into 2-3cm florets
4 courgettes, cut into 2-3 cm chunks
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sea salt
30 ml extra virgin olive oil
2 ripe avocado pears
1 red onion, finely sliced
small punnet cress
100 g mixed salad leaves (I used homegrown lolla rosa, rocket and little gem)
200 g feta, crumbled
15 g fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
for the crispy sunflower seeds
30 g sunflower seeds
5 ml extra virgin olive oil
for the preserved lemon dressing
2 preserved lemons, seeds removed
30 ml lemon juice
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
10 ml agave syrup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. For the roast broccoli and courgette, whisk together the olive oil, cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika and sea salt. Place the courgette and broccoli florets in a roasting dish and pour the oil over the top. Toss to combine, then place in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the the broccoli florets are just tender but retaining a little bite and starting to catch. Use tongs to remove the broccoli florets from the tray. Place the courgettes back in the oven for a further five minutes. Drain the broccoli and courgette on kitchen paper.
2. While the courgette and broccoli are roasting, prepare the crispy sunflower seeds. Place a frying pan over a medium heat. Add 5 ml of olive oil and swirl it around the pan. Once the oil is hot, add the sunflower seeds. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes or until they are golden and crispy. Drain the seeds on kitchen paper and set to one side.
3. For the dressing, place the deseeded preserved lemons, lemon juice, olive oil, maple syrup and Dijon mustard in a blender and process until smooth. Set to one side.
4. Peel and stone the avocado pears and chop into 2-3cm pieces. Place in a bowl with the roasted broccoli and courgette, the red onion and cress. Add half of the dressing and toss gently to coat all the ingredients.
5. To serve, place a bed of mixed salad leaves on each plate. Top with the broccoli and courgette mix, followed by the crumbled feta. Drizzle over the remaining lemon dressing and scatter with the crispy sunflower seeds and the chopped mint.
Categories: dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian
Tags: Suma
This looks really delicious! A feast of the season.
Thank you Dorothy x
You have just answered what I should do with the next picking of courgette. Thank you. It will be delicious I’m sure, all the summer flavours we like.
Thank you 😊
Oh wow, and I have all the ingredients on hand.
How much cauliflower did you use? It’s not in the list of ingredients.
Thank you Peggy for spotting this error. My recipes often go through a number of iterations before I am content with them, and in an earlier version of this recipe I did include cauliflower but it should not have appeared in the final version. I have now changed the instructions to reflect this. My apologies for the confusion. Steve x
No worries. I was an editor in a previous life.
I have the proverbial hundred recipes for my favoured zucchini and love broccoli to bits – but thank you for encouraging me to roast them : not the first technique which comes to mind !! I look at the compilation and want to make sure I have all the ingredients at home to try !! . . . . I have a strange feeling you really enjoy creating these wondrous ideas others may not have put together afore . . . bestest . . .
Thank you Eha. I do indeed enjoy creating new recipes, and I’m very pleased with this one. Steve x
I made this tonight. Absolutely delicious. I couldn’t find preserved lemons so used some zest instead which was probably rather a different flavour but still good. I love your recipes. Thank you
Thank you Alison, and well done with your adaptation! 😊 Steve