Brussels sprouts and hazelnut salad

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

350-400 grams Brussels sprouts

2-3 rashers pancetta or streaky bacon, diced

2 oranges

� cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped

Orange and pepper dressing

� cup extra virgin olive oil or orange flavoured olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon cracked white peppercorns

� teaspoon prepared mustard

� teaspoon minced fresh garlic

Method

1. Trim the rough outer leaves from the Brussels sprouts. Cut each into quarters and cook in boiling salted water until crisp and tender. You still want them to have a nice bite and be bright green. Drain, refresh in cold water and drain well.

2. Pan fry the pancetta or bacon until crisp and golden. Use a citrus zester to zest off the rind of both oranges. Cut away the thick bitter white pith and segment the oranges.

3. In a salad bowl toss together the Brussels sprouts, bacon, orange rind and flesh and hazelnuts with the dressing.

Orange and pepper dressing

1. In a lidded jar, shake together the oil, vinegar, peppercorns, mustard and garlic.

- Choose small and firm Brussels sprouts. They should have a light head - where the leaves are firmly held together. They should not be limp.
- Choose green vegetables, with no sign of yellowing.
- Remove the coarse outer leaves and trim the stalk end.
- Make a cross-cut in the base (core end) of each sprout. This allows the heat from the water to penetrate into the firm centre of the Brussels sprout, ensuring that the centre cooks at the same time as the outer leaves.
- Plunge into boiling salted water and boil for about 6-8 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the size of the Brussels sprouts. Ideally they should be just tender and a small knife can be easily inserted into the centre of the Brussels sprout.
- Drain well and toss in butter, salt and pepper before serving hot. There are no comments for this recipe. You can leave a comment below.

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This salad idea can be served cold, during summer or warm in winter with roasts and grills. Chopped chives can be added for a mild onion-bite but otherwise keep it simple.