Overcomplications and Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Purple Sprouting Broccoli Over Creamy Tomato Buttery Beans

I once had a critic who told me I lacked simplicity in some of my recipes. I overcomplicated my dishes by putting too much into them: too much spice, too much sauce, too much thought. According to them, bacon egg and cheeses don’t need beetroot pesto. Bold, I know. That's not to say that there is no wonder in simple dishes; simplicity is sometimes the most beautiful aspect of food, encouraging freshly sourced ingredients, highlighting how well someone can cook a steak, or proving an oysters reputation with a flavor profile of the sea (if you're into that kind of thing). But I do have to say, I disagree with the person who says ‘complicated’ can never lead to brilliance. In the right circumstances, more is more, and acts of overcomplication result in outcomes awarded with this is my favorite thing you’ve ever made me’s. 

In the case of this recipe, the humble purple sprouting broccoli became inspiration for overcomplications; i.e., I had no idea what I was making until it was plated. The dish faced embellishments on embellishments, and my cabinets and refrigerator saw my face at a rate of over 2 times per minute. Not in panic, but in search, a plea to find something so that beans and broccoli might get more interesting. Some might have looked at or tasted whatever I had in my skillet and said, well, that tastes fine! Why overcomplicate it? No, not me. I have a tendency to give more, sometimes to my detriment. Still, usually, my best successes are products of these so-called overcomplications. In my language, these are efforts at making something stronger than just purple sprouting broccoli over butter beans; overcomplications are character-building. 

The first step involves the roasting of tomatoes as the base for the sauce. In fifteen minutes, those tomatoes saw the introduction of three different pan mates, all at different times. I sacrificed my breath for a whole head of garlic and in doing so, all hell broke loose. The onions in my kitchen were practically screaming at me to get involved. And how could I have left out the entire concept of herbs? Then, further down the line, it wasn’t a tomato base without tomato paste, and a tomato base can sometimes be dull without some sort of spice; then, spice needs acid, and who doesn’t want a comfort dish without some sort of cheese? Now the sauce isn’t doing exactly what I want it to, color-wise, so maybe it wants cream? I could stop here, but the texture is begging for some sort of salty, crunchy thing. 

I suppose my point is that the way I got to this seemingly simple end result was a genuine chaotic overthinking based on an honest appreciation for flavor and goal, the goal, in this case, being a comfort dish that could act as a vessel for an ingredient I wanted to use to promote The Tree (purple sprouting broccoli). If I’m honest, these thoughts on overcomplication could be paired with any one of my recipes, but I went with this one for two reasons. One, this is the style in which I cook. The kitchen is my center for guessing, trying, experimenting, and complicating to make things feel like they are really my own. I feel as though I might forewarn you all of that in case you ever decide to use one of my recipes, which often don’t use measurements and may include question marks or maybe’s. And two, this is a recipe that I am proud of. 

Purple Sprouting Broccoli Over Creamy Tomato Buttery Beans

Ingredients 

• Tomatoes, roughly cut into chunks 

• Thyme 

• Onion*, cut into wedges

• Parsley, chopped

• 1 head of garlic, cut in half to roast 

• Olive oil 

• 2 cans butter beans with some of the liquid 

• 2 tbsp butter 

• 2 tsp tomato paste

• Cream? 

• Chili flakes 

• Purple sprouting broccoli* 

• Finely grated parmesan 

• Zest and juice of a lemon 

• Prosciutto 

*Provided by The Tree St Andrews

Procedure 

• In a deep pan, add your tomatoes, thyme, onion, parsley, and the head of garlic. Salt generously and douse in olive oil, ensuring the garlic is coated. Roast at 170C for about an hour. 

• While roasting, crisp up your prosciutto in a pan until stiff. 

• Once the tomatoes are roasted, squeeze out the garlic and discard the skin, stir in your butter beans, bring the heat up to 190, and place back in the oven for about fifteen minutes. 

• Once the butter beans are hot, place on the hob at medium-high heat and stir in the butter and tomato paste. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce is nice and creamy. Maybe add some cream if you want. Add in the lemon juice and chili flakes to taste. 

• Coat the purple sprouting broccoli in olive oil and salt. Put in the oven for about 15 minutes until starting to crisp, then add grated parmesan and lemon zest. Place back in the oven for about 5 minutes. 

• Plate the dish with the purple sprouting broccoli over the butter beans and the prosciutto crumbled atop. Garnish with more grated parmesan, lemon zest, and parsley.