You know you’re past the halfway mark when your local farmers market starts overflowing with bunches of leafy kale and heads of broccoli. Late winter and early spring are the best times of the year to indulge in these vitamin-rich veggies as part of your five-a-day, but given how versatile they are (see these umami-rich sprout recipes and budget-friendly cauliflower cook-ups), there’s never really a bad time to back the brassica family.
Whether you’re in the mood for a hearty winter warmer (hello, toastie packed with creamy cauliflower cheese) or looking for ways to sneak more greens into family dinner (this cavolo nero-packed pasta sauce is the ultimate Trojan horse), these recipes by some of the country’s best chefs have you covered.
Almay Jordaan’s fried brussels sprouts
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Old Palm Liquor’s Almay Jordaan offers up a charred, caramelised take on sprouts. Balancing the slight sulphuric taste that turns many off this brassica, the addition of plenty of garlic, salty anchovy fillets, earthy oyster mushrooms and umami mimolette cheese brings it home strong.
Darren Robertson’s cauliflower cheese toastie
The Blue Ducks co-founder Darren Robertson thinks this toastie is the “ultimate comfort food”. Use it as an excuse to make extra (indulgent) cauliflower cheese for your next Sunday roast. This sanga sees creamy, fromage-laden florets snuggled between two slices of sourdough, then fried in plenty of butter. You could eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack.
Ixta Belfrage’s sticky roasted cabbage with mango and harissa sauce
Ex-Ottolenghi Test Kitchen chef Ixta Belfrage brings a new groove to the humble savoy cabbage thanks to a punchy mango and harissa sauce. The leaves are roasted until the edges are beginning to brown and crisp. Then they’re plated up with generous spoonfuls of the deep red sauce, as well as lemon juice, fresh jalapeño, herbs and yogurt on the side. Plus, you can keep the sauce up your sleeve for later.
Botanica’s broccoli salad with cranberries and cashew nut garlic cream
Brisbane raw salad bar Bontanica has been serving up plant-forward plates for more than a decade. This slaw-inspired broccoli recipe is a constant favourite. There’s only a handful of ingredients needed, including dried cranberries, which bring a dose of sour and sweetness to the creamy vegan dressing. Serve with a protein of your choice.
Alice Zaslavsky’s KFC (Keralan fried cauliflower) with coconut chutney
A whole cauliflower might make a gorgeous centrepiece. But we’re pretty sure you’ll receive no complaints when you plate up these fried florets. Curry leaves, Kashmiri curry powder and chilli powder pack big flavour in every bite. And the coconut chutney served alongside amps it up even more. Use coconut yoghurt in place of the chutney if you’re catering for a vegan crowd, or evolve it into a breakfast dish by adding fried or scrambled eggs.
Clare Scrine’s creamy cavolo nero, risoni and mushroom bake
Lifted from the pages of Clare Scrine’s debut cookbook, The Shared Kitchen, this two-step dinner is perfect for weeknights – but special enough to plate up on occasions, too. The vibrant green pasta bake – vaguely pesto-scented thanks to kale, basil and lemon – is laced with golden mushrooms, melting burrata and a rich, silky sauce. If you can’t find cavolo nero, curly kale is a perfectly good substitute.
Ella Mittas’s cabbage rolls
Greek-Australian chef Ella Mittas delivers a classic that can be served as part of a spread or enjoyed solo: these aromatic cabbage rolls are made with the same meat sauce she uses for moussaka. Mittas reckons they’re even better in the days after they’ve been made. She’s also got a hot tip for leftovers: “If you have leftover cabbage leaves and rice mix, you can saute the cabbage in a little oil, add the rice mix and make a pilaf.”
Meera Sodha’s miso butter greens pasta
This vivid, verdant dish from Meera Sodha’s latest cookbook, Dinner, fits in an impressive 400 grams of cavolo nero. It’s a spin on US chef Joshua McFadden’s viral kale pasta sauce, which uses a whopping 450 grams of kale. The sauce is amped up with an umami miso hit, plus fennel and chilli. It all comes together to coat and fill orecchiette in under an hour.
Porteno’s brussels sprouts
Sydney Argentinian restaurant Porteno harnesses the nutty potential of brussels sprouts in this dinner-party-worthy recipe. Crisp sprouts give off a rich, deep flavour that’s tempered by fresh mint and parsley, as well as lentils and a mustardy dressing to cut through it all.
Samuel Goldsmith’s green shakshuka
Hailing from Samuel Goldsmith’s The Frozen Peas Cookbook, this bright and bold recipe brings a change of pace to the classic shakshuka. You might be used to a fiery red version of this North African dish – here, peas and kale, cavolo nero or chard do the heavy lifting. Serve it with a dollop of Greek yogurt and add a pinch of chilli flakes for the ultimate weekend brunch.
Sushil Aryal’s miso-baked cauliflower
Miso is the star of this beautiful whole cauliflower dish from former Tokyo Tina chef Sushil Aryal. Whether you’re using it as a vegetarian centrepiece or a hearty side, this cauli sits in a pool of walnut and tofu emulsion, is dusted with furikake, and finished off with zesty coriander and spring onions. Cue the “oohs” from your dinner party guests.
Dining and Cooking