Vinegar Salt Smashed Broccoli with Crispy Parmesan Edges

Difficulty: Easy | Prep: 10 min | Cook: 25 min | Total: 35 min | Serves: 4 | Dietary: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian

Broccoli doesn't get a fair go. Boil it quick, smash it flat, bury it in parmesan and roast it hard, and the cheese melts into lacy little crisps that grab onto every ragged edge. A hot shake of Chooki's Vinegar Chicken Salt at the end gives it that salt and vinegar chip tang, so the whole tray tends to vanish before the first over is bowled.

Step 1: Blanch

Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan) and line your biggest tray with baking paper. Drop the florets into a pot of boiling salted water for 3 minutes, just until they go bright green and a knife slides in with a bit of push. Drain them and leave them in the colander for a couple of minutes to steam dry. Wet broccoli steams in the oven instead of crisping.

Step 2: Smash

Tip the florets onto the tray, toss with the olive oil and garlic, then spread them out with plenty of room between each. Press each one flat with the bottom of a mug or a glass until it splits open, about 1cm thick. Don't tidy them up. The ragged bits are the bits that go crunchy.

Step 3: Cheese and Roast

Scatter the parmesan over and around each floret so some of it pools on the paper underneath. Roast for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is deep golden and lacy and the broccoli tips are charred at the edges.

Step 4: Season Hot

Straight out of the oven, shake over the Chooki's Vinegar Chicken Salt and the chilli flakes, then squeeze over a lemon wedge. Leave it on the tray for 2 minutes so the parmesan sets crisp, then lift each one off with a spatula, cheese and all.

Tip: Season after the oven, not before. The parmesan is already salty and the vinegar tang fades in the heat, so a shake on the hot tray keeps it sharp and the steam helps it stick.