Kalette noodle salad with savoury granola

The glorious lovechild of kale and Brussels sprouts takes centre stage adorned with a savoury seed granola you will eat by the handful.

The kalette harvest is here. Finally.

And just in time because there’s not much else to eat in the patch. The kalettes have been in the ground as plug plants since May, which was far too early to plant them out, but I was over eager. Jumping the gun like this meant they were left hanging around in late Autumn, exhausted having used up all the nutrients in the ground, and waiting for the cold which encourages them to made sweet, beautiful buds. But they clung on, standing like huge wonky, slightly blown over tree trunks in the patch all winter; they fought off wind, rain, marauding puppies and pigeons; and, finally, they sprouted.

If you've not met kalettes before, they're also known as 'kale sprouts' or 'flower sprouts' being, as they are, the glorious lovechild of kale and Brussels sprouts. They grow like a sprout tree but the buds on the stalk look more like flowers than solid, hearting sprouts. They make a terrific entry-level brassica (a gateway drug to cavolo nero, you might say) - mild, sweet, tender and very pretty.

They can be steamed or roasted just like most leafy, winter brassicas. But they are, I think, too pretty to be simply a bit on the side (though the pretty ones are often the bit on the side, I suppose) and lend themselves to all sorts of deliciousness:

Parmesan crusted: I saw this done with sprouts by

Gut Feelings with Professor Tim Spector

’s Zoe team on their Instagram and thought it be even more glorious with kalettes since their lovely petals catch the parmesan and crisp up. I warn you, they are addictive. (But, since you’re interested, also score 86 out of a possible 100 for me on Zoe’s personalised nutrition app, so I’m all in.) Just toss raw kalettes in a little olive oil, toss in grated parmesan, press onto a silicone baking sheet and roast at 190C for 15 minutes.

With citrus: blood oranges (or any oranges) love kalettes. Add some goat’s cheese and a few flaked almonds too if you have them.

With miso: like their parent, kale, kalettes love umami flavours like soy (see recipe below), miso etc. They make an excellent addition to a miso and noodle soup.

Once you’ve tried those, and if you can drag yourself away from the siren call of cheesy carby January comfort food, try this accidentally vegan salad which is, I hope, both nourishingly, you might say smug-makingly, wholesome, but also hearty and delicious.

Kalette noodle salad with savoury seed granola

For the granola, I must warn you: make more than you need – maybe double the amounts below – because it’s so addictive there is a high attrition rate between making and serving up. Also, it keeps in a sealed container for a few days. If it lasts that long. Use any noodles you prefer or none at all.

Serves 2