samhain seasonal
kitchen alchemy –
today’s feature: Braised broccolini and apple salad, with citrusy tahini poppy seed dressing
Prep Time: 40-45 min | Cook/Bake Time: 20-25 min | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 4 broccolini, whole stems, florets and leaves
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 opal apples
- 1/3 cup tahini
- ¼ cup yuzu juice
- ¼ cup satsuma orange juice
- 2 tbsp plant-based butter, room temperature
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- ½ tsp salt
Method
Preheat oven to 425° F.
Rinse the broccolini and apples under cold tap water. On a cutting board, halve the apples horizontally and slice the broccolini lengthwise leaving the small leaves and florets delicate florets attached to the stem. Place in a large oiled baking dish. Drizzle some salt and the olive oil over the broccolini and place in the baking dish. Rub the butter over the apple halves’ surface, place in the same dish as the broccoli, and season with the rosemary. Braise on a high oven shelf for 10-15 minutes.
Place the tahini, yuzu and satsuma orange juices in a small saucepan. Warm up the mixture to obtain a smooth cream. Remove from the burner before the dressing begins to simmer.
Pull the baking dish out of the oven and set the apples aside on a cutting board. Remove the seeds and cut the rest of the apples into cubes. Return the apple cubes back into the baking dish and season with the dressing and poppy seeds. Adjust the salt to your taste.
Serving suggestion: Serve warm as an accompaniment to a seitan roast.
EXTRAS AND TIPS
This recipe is also good with broccoli heads, instead of broccolini, and ½ cup of yuzu juice as opposed to a mix of yuzu and satsuma orange.
The reason for slicing the apple in half horizontally is to expose its star-shaped core to strengthen the kitchen alchemical connection to the Samhain season.
Last, you can substitute opal apples with MacIntosh or red delicious varieties. In full disclosure, I’ll admit that I’m not a big fan of either of those types, but they do make some good baked apples and pair well with the rest of the ingredients in this recipe.
