Roasted Broccoli & Apple-Cranberry Sauce

Roasted garlicky broccoli, lemon-poppyseed dressing (with Greek yogurt, agave & orange zest), spiced cranberry-apple sauce, red onion, almonds, sunflower seeds, chili flakes & grated manchego

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Cranberry sauce is something I love eating and making, but really only have this time of year. And since we usually only get one (okay, maybe 2-3) Thanksgiving dinner, we wanted to try and find other ways to use this deliciously tart and sweet compote. As it turns out, cranberry sauce is more versatile than you might think. Broccoli, lemons and Greek yogurt might not sound like the obvious pairing, but somehow it all just works. The tartness isn't too tart, the broccoli isn't too broccoli-y, and the rest of it all sort of falls into place. (I'm not going to say 'FALLS, get it?!??' but you know I could have... and in the end, I just did.)

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Recipe

Ingredients:

1 ball of pizza dough

olive oil

salt & pepper

flour for dusting

semolina flour for pizza stone

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets

pinch of red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, smashed

pinch of salt

hunk of grated manchego

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds

For the cranberry sauce:

12 oz cranberries

1/4 cup water

zest & juice of 1/2 orange (or 1/4 cup juice)

zest & juice of 1/2 lemon (or 1/4 cup juice)

2/3 cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1 apple, peeled, cored & diced

pinch ground cloves

pinch of salt

For the dressing:

2/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons agave nectar

zest of 1 lemon

zest of 1/2 orange

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

pinch of black pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450° F. Add the broccoli and garlic to a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt & a pinch of red pepper flakes. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes until the broccoli is starting to brown, then take it out and drizzle the broccoli with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Meanwhile, prepare the cranberry sauce. Add all of your sauce ingredients to a large saucepan and stir it all together. Bring to a low boil, then let the mixture simmer for about 10-20 minutes, until the cranberries are starting to pop and the apples become tender.

Gently mash the ingredients with a potato masher, but leave the mixture chunky. Continue cooking at a low boil for at least 10 more minutes, stirring almost constantly, until it reaches your desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more jammy it will become, but it will also thicken more as it cools. When it's finished, remove the cinnamon sticks.

While that's cooking, whisk together the poppyseed dressing ingredients in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, soak the chopped red onion in cold water for about 5 minutes, then drain. This will give it a more mild flavor.

Next, combine the broccoli, onion, almonds and sunflower seeds with half the manchego in a large bowl. Add about half the dressing and toss so that it's all coated, adding more dressing if needed. Let the mixture hang out for about 30 minutes in the fridge if possible. Preheat your oven to 550° F, or as hot as it will go

While the broccoli is chilling and the oven is heating, you can prepare your dough using the instructions on the right. When it's all ready and you've baked the dough for a minute, take it out and brush it lightly with olive oil. Add an even layer of cranberry sauce, followed by the broccoli mixture and the remaining cheese. Pop it in the oven, bake until the cheese is melty and the crust is golden brown, then take it out and enjoy!

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