Love them or hate them, it wouldn’t be Christmas without Brussels sprouts. This vibrant dish offers a fresh take using crispy kale and pancetta for flavour and texture without forgetting the chestnuts.
Ingredients
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180C fan for the crispy kale.
Step 2
Place a large saucepan of water over a high heat. When the water is boiling, season it heavily with salt and add the Brussels sprouts. Bring up to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the Brussels sprouts through a colander and then place them directly into a bowl of iced water. When they are completely cold, drain again and spread them out onto some paper towel to dry out.
Step 3
Lay the kale out on a large oven tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Massage the oil and salt really well into the kale so that it’s evenly coated. Put it on the top shelf in the oven for 10 minutes or until the kale turns crispy.
Step 4
Meanwhile put a large sauté pan onto a high heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 6-7 minutes or until it turns a lovely golden brown. Add the chestnuts to the pan and stir for 2 minutes. Remove the pancetta and chestnuts from the pan and set aside.
Step 5
When you are ready to serve put the chicken stock and butter in the pan and bring up to the boil. Stir well until the butter melts and then add the Brussels sprouts and cook for 4-5 minutes. Next add the pancetta and chestnuts to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce reduces to a glaze.
Step 6
Transfer the glazed sprouts, pancetta and chestnuts to a serving dish and sprinkle the crispy kale on top.
Tom's Tips
Forget overcooked, mushy sprouts. Blanching them maintains their vivid colour and prevents them from losing their bite.
