Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes for alternative Christmas vegetable sides | Food (2024)

Gingery beetroot with peanut dressing, black sesame and chives (pictured above)

This dish, in which the earthy, sweet beetroot pairs very well with the salty peanut dressing, is all about the drama in flavour and appearance. If you want to get ahead, roast and marinate the beetroot the day before.

Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr 40 min
Marinate 30 min
Serves 4 as a side

For the peanut dressing
60g smooth peanut butter
1 tsp maple syrup
1½ tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice

Heat the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9. Lay the beetroot on a large sheet of kitchen foil, drizzle over a tablespoon of oil and sprinkle with a half-teaspoon of salt, and wrap tightly, so the beets are completely covered. Transfer to an oven tray and bake for an hour and a half, until a knife goes through the beetroots easily, then remove the foil and leave until cool enough to handle. Once cooled, peel with a small knife.

While the beetroot is roasting, make the marinade. In a large bowl, mix the vinegar, maple syrup and ginger with a third of a teaspoon of salt and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Put the peanut butter, maple syrup, soy sauce, lime juice and two tablespoons of water in a small bowl and stir until smooth.

Arrange the beetroot and any remaining marinade on a lipped platter, spoon over half the dressing and the remaining tablespoon of oil, sprinkle with the chives and sesame seeds and serve at room temperature with the rest of the peanut dressing on the side.

Chipotle roasted pumpkin with pumpkin seed salsa and chipotle oil

Prep 35 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 8 as a side

For the pumpkin seed salsa
3 spring onions, trimmed and roughly chopped (30g)
30g coriander, roughly chopped
60ml olive oil
50g pumpkin seeds, toasted, 20g left whole, the rest roughly broken in a mortar
45ml fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)

For the chipotle oil
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp chipotle flakes
Flaked sea salt

Heat the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9. Soak the chipotle chillies in 150ml boiling water for 20 minutes, until softened, then put in a food processor with two tablespoons of the soaking water. Add the miso paste, oil, maple syrup, garlic cloves and tomato paste, then blitz for four minutes, until completely smooth.

Meanwhile, make the salsa. Put the spring onions and coriander in a food processor and pulse four or five times until coarsely chopped. Scrape the onion mix into a large bowl, add the oil, the 30g cracked pumpkin seeds and half a teaspoon of flaked salt, stir in the lime juice and mix well.

To make the chipotle oil, heat the oil in a small frying pan on medium heat. for two minutes, until hot but not simmering. Stir in the chipotle flakes and an eighth of a teaspoon of flaked salt, then take off the heat.

Put the roast pumpkin in the salsa bowl, toss gently to coat, then arrange on a large platter. Pour over the chipotle oil and serve warm or at room temperature with the reserved whole pumpkin seeds scattered on top.

Charred brussels sprouts with lime dressing and basil

Prep 1o min
Cook 45 min
Serves 4

Put the shallots, garlic and half a tablespoon of oil in a small bowl and toss to coat. In a large frying pan on medium-high heat, char the shallots and garlic for 10-15 minutes, turning them regularly and transferring the garlic to a bowl halfway through, once the cloves have softened. Tip the shallots into the bowl and leave to cool.

Turn up the heat under the pan. In a large bowl, toss the sprouts with a tablespoon and a half of oil and a half-teaspoon of salt, then cook in the hot pan, in two or three batches, for 15 minutes on both sides, until softened and nicely charred, then tip into a large bowl.

Pour the marinade into the sprout bowl, mix in the torn basil and half the chilli, then leave the sprouts to soak up the marinade for at least 10 minutes.

Spoon the sprouts and all the dressing on to a platter and serve topped with the whole basil leaves and the remaining chilli.