KALE WITH OVEN-ROASTED CHESTNUTS AND GINGER

Christmas wouldn’t be the same without roasted chestnuts and here I’ve mixed them with kale – the vegetable of the moment. Add some ginger and you’ve got a spectacular side dish.

Serves 4-6

100g (3½oz) fresh whole chestnuts (or see tip, below right)

1tbsp olive oil

200g (7oz) cooked ham, flaked

250g (9oz) mixed kale leaves, roughly torn

50g (1¾oz) root ginger, peeled and cut into very fine matchsticks

A pinch of salt

Zest of 1 clementine or half a small orange

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ fan 180°C/gas 6. Lay the chestnuts on a baking tray and, using a sharp knife, make a slit crosswise on the tops. Roast for 30 minutes until the shells split, then remove from the oven and peel off the shell and skin as soon as they’re cool enough to handle – be very careful not to burn your fingers.

Heat a large wok with half the oil. Add the flaked cooked ham and fry until nice and crispy all over. Remove from the pan, drain on some kitchen towel and set aside.

Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining oil. Chop the chestnuts and fry in the oil until lightly browned. Stir in the kale and ginger and fry for 1-2 minutes, making sure you keep them moving so they don’t burn. Add a dash of water if needed.

When the kale has wilted, lightly season with salt and the clementine or orange zest, then toss the crispy ham through and serve immediately.

TOM’S TIP

If you want to save time, you can buy ready-prepared cooked chestnuts from supermarkets, so you can just chop them up and throw them straight into the wok with the kale.