Eating broccoli is eating properly. I am a pretty big broccoli fan, and generally just eat it barely steamed with a squeeze of lemon. Overcooked broccoli is the actual worst, with the one exception of when it is slowly cooked and combined with anchovies, lemon, and mixed through orecchiette. Then it’s okay.

This salad is a blend of two recipes: one from Smitten Kitchen, the other from Ripe Recipes: A Fresh Batch. Deb’s buttermilk and mayonnaise dressing is lighter and tangier than Ripe’s full mayo one, but I like Ripe’s toasted pumpkin seed and lemon zest additions.

Make this for lunch and eat it sitting in the spring sunshine, feeling proud of your sensible choices (and thinking about what you’re going to have for dessert).

Broccoli slaw with buttermilk dressing

Adapted from a Smitten Kitchen recipe and a Ripe recipe.

For the salad:

broccoli 2 heads, the freshest you can find

toasted pumpkin seeds 1 cup

dried cranberries 1/2 cup, chopped (or you could use currants instead)

zest of a lemon zest

Wash broccoli heads and chop off the stems. Use a small paring knife to separate the broccoli florets and finely slice into bite-size pieces. Peel the broccoli stem and finely dice it. Put chopped florets and stem into a large bowl. Add the toasted seeds, chopped cranberries and lemon zest and pour over the dressing. Stir until everything is well-coasted with dressing and grind over some extra black pepper.

For the dressing:

mayonnaise 1/3 cup, homemade or bought

buttermilk 1/2 cup 

apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons (I use Mela)

freshly ground black pepper 

sea salt

Put all ingredients into a clean jar and shake it all about until combined.