Garlic alert! This sauce is VERY garlicky – probably not one for a week-day, and you should check that all involved are enthusiastic garlic lovers.

But this is a terrific recipe. Romanesco, though beautiful, doesn’t have a truly memorable flavour. It does, however, happily take on flavour and this is a very successful pairing.

Blanch small florets of romanesco (two small to medium romanesco with do for four as a starter) for about three minutes, refresh and drain. Serve anointed with this heady mix.

Following a feast of this you may be able to clear cable cars and railway carriages but take heart! Unless you’re Dracula this sauce doesn’t just have breath-taking flavour but it’s got to be good for you. Garlic, as we all know, cleanses the blood. Olive oil is good for practically everything, and this sauce is best served with healthy vegetable florets. The ideal, as I mention above, is romanesco, but cauliflower will do, as will broccoli, purple-sprouting and broccolini.

If you have any sauce left over, store in an egg cup and add to dressings.

Pungent Parsley And Garlic Completely Wonderful Guiltless Sauce

Serves about 4

Ingredients

• 4 tsps anchovy paste (or Patum Peperium) or 4 anchovies
• 12 cloves of garlic
• 4 tbsps breadcrumbs (not Panko, from a good quality white loaf). This will be approximately one small roll or a slice of white bread – see step 1 below
• 8 tbsps/or ½ cup and two tbsp olive oil
• small bunch chopped parsley – 25g/1 oz
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp smoked sea salt
• lots of grinds of black pepper

Method

1. In a small blender make the breadcrumbs.
2. Peel the garlic by squashing down with the flat of a big knife. Add to the breadcrumbs.
3. Add the anchovy paste or the anchovies if that is what you’re using.
4. Very slowly mix in most of the oil, not quite drop by drop but that sort of idea.
5. Add vinegar and most of the parsley.
6. If it seems a bit too solid mix in a little extra oil.
7. Garnish with a few snips of parsley and some grinds of pepper.