100g stale bread, crusts removed
100g grated Cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 heaped tablespoon pesto
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)
400g-500g broccoli florets, stalks removed
Method
1 Tear up the stale bread and blitz it in a food processor to make breadcrumbs. Blitzing fresh bread results in claggy, doughy bits that don't absorb much moisture. That's why you need stale bread. I keep unused and/or stale bread in a freezer bag, so I can go to the freezer and have stale bread to make these brocco bites at a moment's notice. Otherwise, you'll need to plan for stale bread!
2 In a bowl, add the breadcrumbs, the grated Cheddar cheese, the beaten eggs, the pesto, and a few twists of the salt and pepper mill. (You can omit the seasoning if you're making these for kids).
3 Briefly steam the broccoli for two minutes - it should still be bright green and firm. Pulse into 'rice' using your food processor.
4 Add your blitzed greens to the bowl of ingredients and combine well. Mould into 25 balls and freeze them on a tray lined with non-stick parchment. Bag them and label them for your freezer. Alternatively, cook the broccoli bites in a preheated oven at 180C, 360 F, Gas 4, for10 minutes, or for 18 minutes if you're cooking them directly from frozen.
