STALK FLOWERS RECIPES

Steps:

• Put the cheese puffs in a food processor and process until finely ground. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
• Combine the cream cheese, Cheddar, chives, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and mix to combine. Mold the mixture into a ball, pressing the top of the ball with your hand to flatten it. With the tip of a butter knife, carve lines down the sides to resemble a pumpkin. 
• Roll the cheese ball in the ground cheese puffs. Remove the entire bell pepper stem with a paring knife and put it on top of the cheeseball as the pumpkin stem. Seed and slice the bell pepper. Serve the cheeseball on a plate with crackers and slices of bell pepper.

Steps:

• 1. Use a small knife to remove the broccoli florets and cut them up into smaller ones. Basically, this is your opportunity to make the broccoli really delicate and more salady-looking, so spend a bit of time doing this. You’ll be left with the stalk, so discard the thick dry base, then cut the remaining stalk in half lengthways and finely slice.
  2. Blanch your broccoli florets and sliced stalks really quickly in boiling salted water for 60 seconds, just long enough to soften the broccoli but still leave it with a bit of a bite. Drain it in a colander, then spread it around a clean tea towel to steam dry (this is important because it will help the dressing cling to the broccoli). Once completely dry, transfer to a serving dish.
  3. Finely slice the bacon and fry on a medium heat with a small splash of olive oil until crisp and golden, then spoon most of the bacon bits over your broccoli.
  4. Any leftover fat in the pan can be used in your salad dressing. Pour it into a mixing bowl, then peel and finely grate in the garlic. Add all the other dressing ingredients, season with sea salt and black pepper, and whisk.
  5. Halve, deseed and finely slice the tomatoes and chop the chives, reserving the flowers. Add to your broccoli and bacon bits. Dress it all really well, and check the seasoning. If it needs pimping up, add a splash more vinegar. If you’ve got any chive flowers, sprinkle those over the top and serve straight away. It’s beautiful on its own or served next to any grilled or roasted meat or fish.