Chantelle Nicholson's Easter Vegetable Recipes: Roasted Carrot Crumble and Broccoli

Chantelle Nicholson's Easter Vegetable Recipes: A Festive Celebration

Renowned chef Chantelle Nicholson, the chef and patron of Apricity in London W1, has crafted two exquisite vegetable recipes perfect for an Easter celebration. These dishes combine rich flavors, seasonal ingredients, and low-waste tips to create a luscious and memorable meal. The intense sweetness of roasted carrots paired with a savoury nutty crumble, alongside vibrant purple sprouting broccoli, offers a delightful twist on traditional Easter fare.

Roast Carrot Crumble with Wild Garlic Pesto

This dish showcases the underestimated sweetness of roasted carrots, enhanced by a savoury crumble topping. The recipe includes a wild garlic pesto, making the most of spring's beloved ingredient. Preparation takes 20 minutes, with a cooking time of 1 hour and 15 minutes, serving four people.

Ingredients:

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• 8 large carrots, well scrubbed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
• 2 bay leaves
• 5g fine salt
• 40g softened unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp white or brown miso paste
• ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves

For the pesto:

• 40g pumpkin seeds
• 30g wild garlic leaves, roughly chopped, or 2 peeled garlic cloves and 30g spinach, roughly chopped
• 10g parsley (flat-leaf or curly), leaves and stems roughly chopped
• 100ml olive oil
• 5g (1 small tsp) fine salt

For the crumble:

• 50g cheddar, grated
• 80g day-old bread, blitzed into chunky breadcrumbs
• 30g wholewheat flour
• 30g rolled oats
• 50g unsalted butter, melted
• 10g parsley (flat-leaf or curly), leaves and stems finely chopped
• 25g white sesame seeds
• 5g (1 small tsp) fine salt
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Place the carrots on a roasting tray, brush with half the olive oil, add garlic cloves and bay leaves, season with salt, and bake for 15 minutes until deep golden.
2. Reduce the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, bake for a further 10 minutes, then remove and let cool slightly. Turn down the oven to 175C (165C fan)/360F/gas 4½. Roast pumpkin seeds on a tray for 8-10 minutes until golden, then cool.
3. Slice the slightly-cooled carrots into 4mm rounds. Mix softened butter with miso and thyme, spread over the bottom of a baking dish, and arrange carrot slices in a fanned pattern.
4. Combine all crumble ingredients, sprinkle evenly over carrots, and bake for 20 minutes until golden and crisp.
5. For the pesto, blend roasted pumpkin seeds and remaining pesto ingredients until almost smooth. Serve alongside the hot crumble.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Almond Butter and Pickled Shallots

This side dish bursts with flavor, featuring purple sprouting broccoli, almond butter, and pickled shallots. It includes a low-waste tip: reuse gherkin brine for pickling. Preparation takes 5 minutes, with pickling requiring 6 hours or more and cooking 30 minutes, serving four.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil or rapeseed oil
• 200g purple sprouting broccoli
• ½ tsp fine salt

For the pickled shallots:

• 150ml pickle liquor from a jar of gherkins, or 50ml white-wine or apple cider vinegar, and 15g caster sugar
• 1 large banana shallot, or 1 small red onion, peeled and sliced into 2mm rings

For the almonds:

• 125g skin-on almonds
• 50g olive oil or rapeseed oil
• ½ tsp fine salt

Method:

1. For pickled shallots, best made the day before, gently heat gherkin pickle juice to 30C and pour over shallots. Alternatively, simmer water, sugar, and salt, then add vinegar and shallots, pickling for 6-8 hours at room temperature before refrigerating.
2. Heat oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, roast almonds for 10-12 minutes until deep golden, cool, then blend with oil and salt until smooth.
3. For broccoli, heat oil in a frying pan, add spears and salt, cook until well coloured, add water, cover, and cook for under 2 minutes. Transfer to a dish, drizzle with almond butter, and garnish with pickled shallots.

Chantelle Nicholson emphasizes using parsley stalks and reusing ingredients to minimize waste, making these recipes not only delicious but also environmentally conscious. These dishes are perfect for celebrating Easter with a focus on seasonal spring food and drink, including nuts, seeds, and pickling techniques.