At Saardé we believe that a simple homemade meal is one of the key ingredients to living a Good Life. Here we will be sharing some of our most loved recipes sourced from our cookbooks collection, family & friends.
This recipe comes from a book called "Home" by Stephanie Alexander - a celebration of the sensual and social delights of food and essential addition to any kitchen shelf.
«Home» by Stephanie Alexander is available for purchase from the Saardé cookbooks collection.
Ingredients (serves 4):
16 Brussels sprouts
100 g sliced fat pancetta (preferably smoked)
2 tablespoons duck fat or extra-virgin olive oil
8 cooked chestnuts
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan-forced). Make a cut across the base of each Brussels sprout. Several leaves will immediately become detached. Set these leaves aside. Loosen a few more so that you have about 5-6 loose leaves from each sprout.
Cut the rind from the pancetta and then cut each slice into 1 cm pieces. Select a flameproof heavy-based casserole with a tight-fitting lid. Heat the duck fat or oil over medium heat and add the chopped pancetta and the chestnuts. Stir and sauté until the pancetta is sizzling and becoming translucent. Drop in the sprout hearts and grind on a little pepper. Put the lid on the casserole and transfer it to the oven for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, bring the saucepan of lightly salted water to a simmer. Check the sprout hearts in the oven - if they are tender, remove the casserole, give the sprouts and chestnuts a good stir, then scatter in the parsley and set aside for a few minutes. Drop the loose leaves into the simmering water for just 3 minutes. Scoop out while still brilliantly green and add to the braised hearts and chestnuts.
Serve in a wide bowl so all the autumnal colours can be admired. A perfect dish to accompany roast duck or grilled duck breasts or other autumnal vegetable dishes.
