Roasted Brussels sprouts with medjool dates and hot tahini
Roasted Brussels sprouts with medjool dates and hot tahini
Brussels sprouts are my Christmas miracle. When my husband and I lived in London during the 2000s, our top floor apartment overlooked the produce section of Portobello markets and I can’t describe how happy it made me to live amongst the buzz and bustle of the markets. I always looked forward to Christmas time, when the darkness of the days were lightened by the twinkle of the fairy lights from the market stalls below. This is where I first fell in love with Brussels sprouts. We served them at Christmas lunch, roasted, drizzled with lemon, dotted with mint, and topped with roasted almonds. Brussels sprouts have been a constant offer on our Christmas table ever since (even when they were out of season during Australian Christmas). This roasted Brussels sprout dish is very simple but it is brought to life by the addition of syrupy, sweet dates and a hot sauce-spiked tahini dressing. This is exactly the type of unfussy yet crowd pleasing dish which makes festive cooking so much more enjoyable.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 700g (1.5 pounds) Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1 red oak or butter lettuce, leaves picked and washed
- 4 medjool dates (or 5-6 regular dates), seeds discarded
- 2 tbsp toasted white, sesame seeds
- ½ lemon
Hot tahini sauce
- ½ cup tahini
- ½ tsp sea salt
- black pepper
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce (or chilli oil)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about ½ lemon)
- ¼ cup water, or more
Preheat oven to 220˚C / 425˚F.
Place the brussels sprouts on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Scatter with sea salt and black pepper and roast for 20-22 minutes until golden and tender.
Meanwhile, make the hot tahini sauce, place the tahini, hot sauce, salt, black pepper and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk to combine (it will become too thick to stir). Add ¼ cup of water and whisk until smooth. If it’s too thick, add more water, a tablespoon at a time, until it is a thick, pourable consistency.
Shake off any excess water from the lettuce and wrap in a large, clean kitchen towel to absorb any excess water. Cut the dates into thin slices.
Place the lettuce onto a large platter or serving plate. Top with brussels sprouts and add a few dollops of the hot tahini. Give it a light toss and then scatter over the dates and sesame seeds. Drizzle with olive oil, and give it a final season of sea salt and black pepper. Squeeze over the lemon juice and serve.