Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomelo and Star Anise from "Plenty More"

For me Brussels Sprouts are synonymous with deep, rich flavors - achieved through roasting and/or the not-so-secret ingredient - bacon. So when I was flipping through Plenty More in search of my next recipe inspiration, I was intrigued by a citrus and winter-spice take on the beloved vegetable.

The citrus is achieved in two ways: the dish's sidekick, Pomelo and the lemon juice in the fabulous spiced syrup. The syrup is the vessel for the spices: Cinnamon and Star Anise.

The combination of these wintry spices and the mild zip from the lemon all blended in a sugary syrup made me want nothing more than my favorite wintertime treat - a Hot Toddy. Give me a shot of rum and a freshly brewed Early Grey tea, add the spiced lemon syrup and you have one heck of a cocktail.

But alas, it was not cocktail time, it was dinner time, so I had to stay focused on the task at hand.

The true intention for the spiced syrup was to act as a marinade for the pomelo. Now you may be wondering: isn't that just a grapefruit? And to you, I will answer - at a price tag of $3.50 per pomelo (thank you Whole Foods), I certainly hope not.

Pomelos are actually quite deceptive. They are very large and so you would think that the output of the pomelo is also quite large. This is not true. Instead, there is a very thick skin protecting the "delicate" citrus fruit. And while it even looks like a grapefruit on the inside, I noticed there were two key differences between the pomelo and the grapefruit (besides price):

1. The taste of the pomelo is much milder than the typically "sour" or "bitter" grapefruit. So while you will find yourself sprinkling sugar on a grapefruit, the pomelo is mild and sweet as it is.
2. The membrane around the pomelo segments is even more inedible than a grapefruit. It is quite thick and I can only imagine the disappointment if you try to actually eat it. The pomelo segments do, however, come out very easily and seem a bit more hearty than the grapefruit segments which tend to burst easily when dug into with a spoon. 

Ottolenghi says that you can substitute a grapefruit for the pomelo in the recipe - you'd just want to use a little less lemon juice in the syrup.

Up until this point, you would think that you were making a recipe for a dessert or fruit salad. But then come the brussels sprouts. Since I was a kid I have loved brussels sprouts. They are such a perfectly complex vegetable and a true delight when roasted.

In this recipe, you first blanch the brussels sprouts whole and then cut and roast them. The reason for this is to preserve the "green" of the vegetable and to prevent them from drying out during the high-heat roasting.

The brussels sprouts are blanched and roasted along with shallots. As you want to have them be consistent in size, I recommend looking for smaller shallots as they will be easier to manage than larger shallots that you would have to cut into several segments.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomelo and Star Anise from Plenty More 

page 170 in Plenty More

serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup/100 g superfine sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 5 star anise pods
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 pomelo (2 lb/900 g in total; 2 cups/300 g after peeling and segmenting)
• 1 1/3 lb/600 g brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 9 oz/250 g shallots, peeled
• 5 tbsp/75 ml olive oil
• 2/3 cup/10 g cilantro leaves
• salt and black pepper

Directions:

1. Place the sugar, 7 tbsp/100 ml water, the cinnamon, and star anise in a small saucepan and bring to a light simmer. Cook for 1 minute, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat, add 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, and set aside to cool.
2. Peel the thick skin off the pomelo and discard. Divide into segments, release the flesh from the membrane, then break the flesh into bite-size pieces and put in a shallow bowl, taking care to remove all the bitter white membrane. Once the syrup has cooled a little, pour it over the pomelo. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
3. Preheat oven to 425F/220C.
4. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, add the sprouts and shallots, and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water, and pat dry. Cut the spouts in two, lengthwise, and halve or quarter the shallots (so that they are similar in size to the sprouts). Place everything in a bowl with 3 tablespoons of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and some black pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the sprouts are golden brown but still retain a bite. Set aside to cool.
5. Before assembling the salad, remove and discard the cinnamon and star anise from the bowl. Drain the pomelo, reserving the juices. Just before serving, put the shallots, sprouts, pomelo, and cilantro in a large bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the pomelo marinade juices, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Gently mix, then check the seasoning - you might need to add another tablespoon of the marinade - and serve.

We served this dish with a simple roasted lamb and polenta. Just like the rest of Ottolenghi's dishes that I have had to date - these vegetables take on so much flavor that you don't want them to compete with anything too "exciting" with the rest of the dish. So a roasted piece of meat is a perfect compliment as it adds the substance and a change in texture without overpowering the roasted brussels sprouts.

To go with the lamb, we bought a bottle of Penfold's Syrah - about $24 at the local wine store. It was OK but nothing to merit a separate post on it. It was very fruity without being jammy - so think fresh, lighter red fruit as opposed to a deeply concentrated, cooked down fruit. Good but not great.

I would have prefered to make a rum cocktail with that awesome "simple syrup" left over from the pomelo marinade. It is fantastic. A bit of that simple syrup, lemon juice, dark rum, ice - shaken and served neat.....now that's a drink.

Cheers!