Davina’s broccoli, spelt and orange salad

A beautifully bright, spelt grain salad with bursts of chilli and citrus flavour. Taken from Davina McCall’s latest cookbook, Sugar-Free in a Hurry, the filling salad recipe – made with spelt, an ancient grain full of fibre – is brilliant for a light dinner, a sharing side dish to impress guests or for lunch al desko. We love the rich, textured flavour provided by the tahini and sesame seeds, plus the addition of crunchy broccoli adds a dose of vitamins A, B6 and C.

Davina says: ‘A bit of citrus in a salad perks it up beautifully and gives it a lovely tangy flavour. I use a pack of ready-cooked spelt for speed, but you can, of course, cook your own if you prefer or use any other smart carbs you like, such as cooked quinoa, pearl barley, brown rice or barley couscous. So yummy.‘

Serves 4
300g ready-cooked spelt
300g tenderstem or purple sprouting broccoli
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 tbsp sesame seeds, to garnish

Dressing
1 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 oranges
1 tsp rice vinegar
Salt and black pepper

Method
1 Heat up the spelt according to the packet instructions and tip it into a serving bowl.
2 Put the broccoli in a steamer or a colander over a pan of boiling water and steam for 2 minutes, then set it aside. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the broccoli and cook it gently for 2–3 minutes. Add the chilli and garlic and fry for another minute.
3 To make the dressing, whisk together the tahini, sesame oil, juice of half an orange and the rice vinegar in a small jug and season with salt and black pepper. Peel and segment the remaining oranges, discarding the pith.
4 Mix the sautéed broccoli with the cooked spelt and add the orange segments. Pour over the dressing, scatter with sesame seeds and serve.

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Summary

Recipe Name

Davina’s Broccoli, Spelt and Orange Salad

Author Name

Francesca Specter

Published On

2017-01-18