Calabrese recipes

A Southern Italian-style pasta where calabrese is cooked down until tender and saucy, absorbing the deep savouriness of anchovy and garlic. Toasted chilli breadcrumbs add crunch and heat in every forkful. This is weeknight food that tastes like you tried much harder than you did.

A proper weeknight frittata that lets a whole head of calabrese do the heavy lifting. The florets are briefly sautéed until just tender, then set in a deeply savoury egg and mature cheddar base with a little chilli heat running through it. Cut it in wedges straight from the pan and it feeds four in under half an hour.

A fast, fiercely hot stir-fry that treats calabrese the way a Cantonese kitchen would — high heat, minimal fuss, bold sauce. The florets stay just slightly crisp, the sauce coats every piece with deep savoury sweetness, and the cashews add crunch where it counts. On the table in twenty minutes, better than a takeaway.

A single whole head of calabrese, roasted until deeply caramelised and nutty, then draped over a smoky Catalan romesco sauce made from roasted peppers, almonds, and tomato. Scattered with capers fried until crackling crisp, this is the kind of dish that makes people forget there is no meat on the table. Serve it as a dramatic centrepiece side or a generous vegetarian main.