Nigella Lawson has shared her secret to making Brussels sprouts taste even better just in time for Christmas.
The TV chef, who controversially admitted that she won’t be cooking turkey for Christmas, has now shared her sprout recipe, that will even make the haters love them.
The 60-year-old spruces up her festive dish by adding chestnuts, pancetta and parsley.
‘There is a lot of parsley, I know, but think of it as another vegetable ingredient rather than a garnish,’ she told the Daily Star.
‘Obviously, if you can’t get your hands on pancetta, it’s fine to use bacon.
‘Just scissor it up, and fry it in a little more oil than you need for the pancetta, before proceeding.’
This recipe feeds 8 to 10 people, which is also perfect for storing in the fridge for Boxing Day.
Ingredients:
- 1kg Brussels sprouts
- 250g pancetta (rind removed, cut into 1cm cubes)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 30g butter
- 250g vacuum-packed chestnuts
- 60ml Marsala
- 1 large bunch of chopped fresh parsley
Method:
- Start by trimming the bottoms of the sprouts and making a small cross-shaped cut into each as you go along
- Pop them into a pan of salted boiling water and cook until tender (around five minutes) – make sure to taste one to make sure they’re cooked through
- In a pan, cook the pancetta cubes in oil until they are brown and crispy
- Then, add butter and chestnuts and press on them with a wooden spoon
- When they’re warm, turn up the heat and add the Marsala, letting it bubble away
- Add the drained sprouts and turn well, sprinkling in half the parsley as you go
- Nigella says at this stage you shouldn’t need any more salt as the pancetta comes with a lot of it, but add a sprinkling of pepper
- Finally, add the Brussels to a serving place and add the remaining parsley
If that wasn’t enough, throughout lockdown Nigella has been sharing all her favourite cooking hacks on her TV show, Cook, Eat, Repeat.
One of her latest secrets showed us how to make bread using a shower cap.
Yes, seriously.
Rather than using a moist tea towel or a cling film, Nigella covered her bowl with the snazzy elasticated cap and it helped the dough to rise like a dream.
And, how can we forget about her iconic pronunciation of microwave.
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