Sprouts with Pancetta, chestnuts and shallots
This is a recipe mostly by Nigella but with a little Good Housekeeping thrown in (the shallots aren't in Nigella's recipe but I like them in there!). If it seems faffy, cook the pancetta, shallots & chestnuts as per recipe on Christmas Eve, allow to cool and leave in fridge (takes 5 minutes tops.........mine are already sitting in my freezer awaiting defrosting christmas morn). You can then just add them to cooked sprouts on christmas day . Also, use loads of parsley......Nigella says to use it as an extra vegetable in this dish rather than a garnish and it is delicious. If you have any leftovers from this on boxing day, Nigella's Boxing Day Bubble & Squeak is fab and will utililise all leftover veg.
Ingredients
brussels sprouts (quantity dependent on how many you are feeding)
250g vacuum packed chestnuts
250g pancetta (rind removed, cut into 1cm cubes....altho I cheat and buy cubetti di pancetta from Waitrose/Tesco so its ready chopped)
1 tbspn veg oil
30g butter
3 or 4 shallots
60ml marsala
large bunch parsley, chopped
Prep sprouts as per usual (trim bottoms and cut a cross into bottom). Tip into large pan of salted boiling water and cook until just tender but retain a bit of bite - about 5 mins or so.
Drain sprouts and set aside, using the original pan to now cook the pancetta cubes until bronzed and crisp (but not dried out).
Add butter, shallots and chestnuts, breaking up chestnuts with a wooden spatula as they cook.
Once warmed through, turn the heat up, add marsala and let bubble away until reduced to syrup.
Add drained sprouts, mix well and add half the parsley as you do so, together with freshly ground pepper (no salt needed due to pancetta content).
Decant to warm serving plate and sprinkle over remaining chopped parsley.