Brussels sprouts with butterbean aioli
More than just a bowl of sprouts.
Pan-fried Brussels sprouts on a bed of butterbean aioli, topped with pangrattato and a fresh herb salad. This recipe from Kali (@kalicooking, founder of Palm Greens) is rich, decadent and worthy of being a standalone meal.
There are a few steps, but it’s worth it! Most can be prepared in advance just leaving the sprouts to cook when you’re ready to serve. If you do want to simplify, the dish is adaptable, you can leave out the butterbean aioli and it will still be delicious.
As always, I [Kali] love plenty of herbs, their brightness, balances the richness beautifully, and the pangrattato adds a lovely texture. I like to do a mix of breadcrumbs and pumpkin seeds here for extra flavour and nutrients.
And finished with a good drizzle of Small Batch Tuscan EVOO, which works beautifully here with the rich creaminess of this dish.
Here's the method:
Serves 4
- Set your oven to 220°C.To make the dressing, zest half a lemon and half a grapefruit. Add to bowl with 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tbsp of sumac, 3 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp of honey/agave and 1 tsp of fine salt. Mix well and set aside.
- Slice your radicchio, fennel, persimmon and peel and slice your orange and grapefruit. Set to one side. For the confit garlic oil
- Peel the garlic cloves and place in a small pan that fits them snuggly, with bay leaves and lemon peel.
- Cover with olive oil and gently simmer on the smallest hob at the lowest heat for about 40 minutes, until the garlic is golden and very tender.
- Use a heat diffuser if you have one to maintain the low temperature.
- Pumpkin Seed Pangrattato
- Heat a large dry frying pan on medium heat, add the pumpkin seeds and toast, toasting occasionally until they start to pop, this should take a few minutes.
- Set aside to cool.
- Blitz the bread in a food processor to create a rough crumb.
- Place the frying pan back on the heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil, add the breadcrumbs and toast over for about 5 minutes until golden and crispy.
- Pulse the cooled pumpkin seeds in the food processor until you have a rough crumb.
- Mix this with the breadcrumbs and lemon zest.
- Set aside to use now or store in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Make the Butterbean Purée.
- To make the puree, simply blend all purée ingredients until smooth, adding just enough water to achieve a creamy consistency.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Prepare the Herb salad.
- In a small bowl, mix the herbs and red chilli. Dress with a squeeze of lemon and toss lightly.
- Cook the Brussels sprouts.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and then the Brussels sprouts, with a splash of water - a couple of tablespoons. Cook for 5 minutes until the sprouts have a nice colour on the outside but still have bite.
- To Plate, spread the butterbean purée over the base of your plate, top with the sprouts, a good drizzle of [Small Batch Tuscan] extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle over the pangrattato and finish with the herb salad on top.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Top tips
This recipe makes more confit garlic than you'll need, but it's such a versatile ingredient that I highly recommend making the full amount—or even more! It keeps well in the fridge and can be used to elevate dishes like roasted vegetables, spread on toast, or add to dips, it gives mellower garlic flavour compared to raw.
Garlic peeling tip: Trim the ends of the garlic cloves, place them in a heatproof bowl, and cover with boiling water. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then drain. The skins should slip off easily.
If using pre-cooked beans, note that some may already be well-salted. Hold off on seasoning until you've blended everything, as additional salt may not be necessary.
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