Ingredients
| ⅓ cup hazelnuts | |
| 1 thick slice sourdough (or other good quality bread, gluten-free if required) | |
| 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided | |
| 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped | |
| 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried sage) | |
| ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes (optional) | |
| salt and pepper | |
| 400g Brussels sprouts | |
| juice of 1 orange |
It’s taken me a long time to forge a relationship with Brussels sprouts but, as they say, good things take time. I’m now a big fan of the cute wee things, and I love throwing a handful in the air fryer or a hot pan to char them around the edges. For me, the key is that they need colour and char and to still be fairly firm or crisp in the centre. I always have a part loaf of sourdough hanging around, so pangrattato, or Italian fried breadcrumbs, is something I make often. The two things together are quite magical!
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Instructions
| 1. | Start by toasting the hazelnuts in a 180°C fan bake oven (or 200°C conventional oven) for 7-8 minutes until golden brown. |
| 2. | Allow to cool for a few minutes, then rub the nuts inside a clean tea towel to remove their skins (this doesn’t need to be perfect; just remove what you can). Roughly chop the nuts. |
| 3. | Blitz sourdough in a food processor to create fresh, chunky breadcrumbs. |
| 4. | Place 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the garlic in a cold frying pan. |
| 5. | Bring up to medium heat, and once the garlic starts to sizzle, add the hazelnuts, breadcrumbs, sage and chilli flakes. |
| 6. | Season with a little salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes – until the crumb mixture is golden, crisp and smelling amazing. |
| 7. | Remove the pangrattato to a bowl and wipe out the pan. |
| 8. | Prepare the Brussels sprouts by removing any loose or yellowed leaves and slightly trimming the stalk end. Then, cut the sprouts in half lengthways. |
| 9. | Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the frying pan over medium-high heat. |
| 10. | Add the Brussels sprouts, cut side down, and cook for a few minutes without stirring – until they begin to caramelise and go golden on the bottom. |
| 11. | Now, toss the Brussels sprouts around a bit to get colour on other parts. |
| 12. | Season with a little salt and pepper, and squeeze in the juice of an orange. |
| 13. | Allow this to cook off and caramelise around the edges of the Brussels sprouts. |
| 14. | If the pan looks wet, turn up the heat for a minute. |
| 15. | Scatter the pangrattato over the Brussels sprouts and serve immediately while hot and crisp. |
This is an edited
extract from Simply
Veg by Amber Bremner
© 2025. Published
by Upstart Press.
Photographs by
Amber Bremner.