Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Spiced Grapefruit (Ottolenghi)
We love Brussels Sprouts, especially when roasted to achieve that wonderful nutty flavoured, crunchy outer/soft inner textured mini-cabbage buds!
They might not be for everyone, so for those that may have been put off by the old-fashioned preparation of boiling them to an inch of their lives so they become soggy and most unappealing, this recipe might just bring some love back to the underrated sprout!
With them now coming into peak season here in Australia during winter/spring, we cooked this a few weeks ago after coming across Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe from his “Plenty More” cookbook. It’s a beautiful looking dish, and with the spiced-grapefruit segments tossed through, it is bound to bring some sunshine to an otherwise cold, winter’s night meal.
Ottolenghi’s recipe uses pomelo segments, which aren’t currently available in Perth, but the grapefruit worked equally as well. You could skip the blanching of the Brussels sprouts and shallots, which softens them slightly before roasting, resulting in the sprouts and shallots not burning or crisping too much.
Use your safest knife skills to segment the grapefruit, which will remove the tough membrane from outside of each segment. A little work, but you will be rewarded by making the pieces more vibrant, colourful and a better texture to eat.
We trust you enjoy the recipe! We always love to hear your feedback and comments so please follow us @nicomorettiaus or @urbanprovider and post up your photos of your creations, or simply drop us a short email at urbanprovider@icloud.com !
Buon appetito!!
Hi ya Nico, Had to tell you, I tried this salad for my parents who love Brussel sprouts. I don’t like Brussel sprouts, grapefruit or too much star anise yet this was one of the best salads I’ve ever eaten!! Haha, just goes to show we should try everything!! Hope you and Belinda are well and your world is under control! Take care…Kind regards, Carrie
600-800g brussels sprouts, stalk trimmed slightly and any loose outer leaves removed
250g shallots, peeled
80ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Spiced Sugar Syrup
100g caster sugar
100ml water
2 cinnamon sticks
5 star anise
1 tbsp lemon juice
300g pink grapefruit segments
2 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
small handful of coriander leaves
Method
- Prepared the Spiced Sugar Syrup by adding sugar, water, cinnamon and star anise into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer until the sugar has dissolved then remove from the heat and let cool. (TM: 3 minutes | VAROMA | SP2)
- To segment the grapefruit, using a very sharp knife (a small paring knife, works best if you have one) cut the top and bottom end of the grapefruit right to expose the flesh of the grapefruit. Stand the grapefruit onto one of the cut ends and cut the skin & pith away in sections so that the flesh is exposed. Ensure that all of the white pith is removed. You will have now exposed the segments of the grapefruit, so cut as close to either side of each membrane as you can to release each segment of the grapefruit flesh.
- Cut the grapefruit segments into bite-size pieces and place into a bowl. Pour over the cooled Spiced Sugar Syrup and let marinade for about one hour, while you prepare the sprouts and shallots.
- Preheat oven to 200C (Fan Forced).
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Blanch prepared sprouts and shallots for two minutes, then drain and refresh under icy cold water. Place onto a clean tea towel and pat dry.
- Cut the sprouts in half and, depending on the size of the shallots, halve or quarter them so they are about the same size as the sprouts. Place into a small mixing bowl, drizzle with oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Place onto a baking paper lined baking tray and roast for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and caramelised. Let cool.
- Assemble salad by draining grapefruit (use the reserved syrup to flavour up your next Gin/Vodka & Tonic, or whatever!). Place roasted sprouts, shallots, grapefruit and coriander leaves onto a large serving platter. Drizzle over fresh lemon juice and 1 tbsp of the reserved syrup, then gently mix together to combine and serve. Enjoy!!