Broccoli salad

• 1 1/2 lbbroccoli · cut into small florets, stalks diced
• 3/4 cupplain Greek yogurt
• 2 tbspmayonnaise
• 2 tbspapple cider vinegar
• 1 tspDijon mustard
• 1/2 cupdried cranberries
• 1/3 cupsunflower seeds · toasted
• 1 smallshallot · thinly sliced
• salt and black pepper · to taste

Method

1. 1

   Cut the broccoli small, and use the stalks

   Break the crowns into small, bite-size florets, no bigger than a thumbnail, because big raw florets are what make broccoli salad a jaw workout nobody enjoys. Peel the thick stalks and dice them too; they are sweet and crunchy and throwing them out wastes half the head. Cutting everything small also means more surface area for the dressing to cling to, so every forkful is coated rather than dry. A sharp knife gives cleaner florets than tearing.

2. 2

   Blanch briefly to take off the raw edge

   Fully raw broccoli can taste harsh and bitter, so drop the florets into boiling salted water for just sixty to ninety seconds, then plunge them straight into ice water. This quick blanch mellows the raw sulphur bite and sets a vivid green colour while keeping a real, snappy crunch. Do not overcook it into soft, army-green mush, which is the opposite of what this salad wants. If you genuinely prefer it raw, skip this and cut the florets extra small.

3. 3

   Dry the broccoli completely before dressing

   This is the step that makes or breaks the salad. Spin or pat the blanched, ice-cooled broccoli bone dry before anything else touches it, because water clinging to the florets thins the dressing into a watery slick and leaves the whole bowl sitting in a puddle by the time you serve it. Wet broccoli is the number one reason a make-ahead salad turns sad in the fridge. Take the extra two minutes here.

4. 4

   Build a Greek-yogurt dressing with real acid

   Whisk plain Greek yogurt with a spoon of mayo for richness, a good splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon, a little Dijon, salt, and pepper. The yogurt swap keeps the creamy tang everyone wants from the classic while cutting most of the saturated fat and calories of an all-mayo dressing. The acid is not optional; a proper hit of vinegar is what makes the dressing taste bright and savoury instead of flat and heavy. Taste and adjust before it hits the bowl.

5. 5

   Sweeten with fruit, not a cup of sugar

   The classic recipe hides a shocking amount of sugar, often a quarter to a half cup, and you do not need it. A handful of dried cranberries or halved red grapes, or a diced crisp apple, brings all the pops of sweetness the salad wants against the savoury dressing. The fruit does the job the sugar used to do, with fibre and flavour attached. If you want a whisper more sweetness, a small drizzle of honey in the dressing is honest and still a fraction of the original.

6. 6

   Add crunch and a little savoury depth

   Fold in toasted sunflower seeds or chopped almonds for crunch and a thinly sliced shallot or a little red onion for a savoury sharpness that cuts the creamy dressing. If you are not keeping it vegetarian, a scatter of crisp bacon or diced sharp cheddar is the traditional route and works, but toasted seeds carry the salad honestly on their own. Toasting the seeds in a dry pan for a couple of minutes wakes up their flavour and is worth the tiny effort.

7. 7

   Toss, then let it rest to marry

   Combine the dry broccoli, dressing, fruit, seeds, and onion and toss until everything is evenly coated. Then leave it: this salad is genuinely better after thirty minutes to an hour in the fridge, which softens the onion, lets the broccoli drink in the dressing, and marries the sweet and savoury. Serving it the second it is mixed sells it short. That rest is exactly why it is such a good make-ahead for a lunch or a cookout.

8. 8

   Refresh leftovers and hold the crunch

   The salad keeps three to four days in the fridge and only improves for the first day. To keep the crunch across the week, hold back the toasted seeds and stir them in fresh each time you serve rather than letting them soften in the dressing. If the salad tightens up or dries out on day three, loosen it with a spoon of yogurt and a splash of vinegar and it comes right back. Give it a good stir from the bottom, where the dressing settles.