Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts

Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts
27th October, 2018

Can I let you into a little secret? I hated Brussel sprouts. I mean hated. Real hatred. I called them the devils testicles. My mum forced me to eat one every Christmas and my family have continued that tradition.

Why the hate? They were boiled and served plain and tasted horrible. Then I decided they have to be made edible and this is the recipe that followed and now I have TWO brussels sprouts a year!

Ingredients

500g Brussels sprouts, trimmed

150g diced pancetta

200g cooked chestnuts, broken into large pieces

25g butter

50g Parmesan, grated

Salt and Pepper to season

Method

This dish can be prepared a few hours before service and kept in the fridge. All you have to do is warm the dish through in the oven.

In a large sauce pan, bring salted water to the boil and add the Brussel Sprouts and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, strain the sprouts in a colander and cool quickly in cold water to stop them cooking.

In a large frying pan add the pancetta and cook until very crisp. Drain the cooled sprouts and add to the frying pan. Fry off for about 3 to 4 minutes and then add the butter and chestnuts and cook for another 2 minutes.

Take off the heat and transfer the contents to a baking dish and cover with foil. I usually put the dish in the fridge for later and warm it back up in the oven.

When the dish has been warmed, season and sprinkle over the grated parmesan.