Best In Season - December - written by Chef Consultant, Celia Brooks
Brilliant Brussels
Ah, Brussels sprouts. One of the most divisive of all foods. These adorable miniature cabbages, each one designed as if for a doll’s house kitchen, have endured a maligned existence, mostly due to being overcooked. Light cooking is essential with sprouts; they quickly reach a stage where they release unappetising sulphur compounds.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, sprouts’ nutritional excellence simply cannot be overstated. Their superpower is a rich concentration of multiple phytochemicals which lower cholesterol, stimulate the immune system, support cardio and stomach health, and fight infection, inflammation and cancer.
These little nutrient powerhouses keep well in the fridge and are super handy for a brassica boost year-round. Slice or shred a few and add at the end of cooking to a stir-fry, a bowl of ramen, or eat them raw in a salad.
There are so many ways to make Brussels sprouts taste incredible, including oven-roasting them and, probably my favourite treatment - deep frying them and drizzling with a tangy glaze.
Here I’m sharing my 100% fail-safe Holiday sprout recipe - Zesty maple sprouts. It’s fail-safe both in the cooking and in the pleasing of the diners - you may just convert sprout-haters with these. No guarantees, but certainly worth a try. And with their sweet and zesty flavour, they are the perfect complement to all the Holiday table trimmings.
Plus a couple more options for you: have you ever tried Brussels on the barbie? Seriously - it’s a revelation. Fire up your gas or charcoal grill and try the two delicious and easy options below - each with very different results. If your Christmas meal components are hogging all the oven and hob space, delegate the task of cooking the sprouts to one of your grill-loving family members and send them outside on with sprouts duty, while you get on with finishing the rest of the feast.
BBQ skewered sprouts: Trim sprouts and stab each one all over a few times with the end of a skewer. Place in a bowl and drizzle over some soy sauce and toss. Leave for a few minutes. Thread the sprouts onto skewers through the base. Brush all over with olive oil. Cook over hot coals or gas flames, turning occasionally, until slightly charred and just tender.
BBQ balsamic parcel sprouts: Trim sprouts and halve if large; leave whole if small. Make a foil parcel by folding up the edges of a double or triple layered square of foil. Place the sprouts in it and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat. Scrunch the parcel to seal, allowing a little space for them to steam within. Place the parcel on the grill over hot coals or gas flames for about 10 minutes, until the sprouts are steaming, bright green and tender.
Zesty maple sprouts
From “SuperVeg” by Celia Brooks
For traditional roast dinners and festive feasts such as Christmas, this is my go-to sprout treatment – no fuss, just maximising the best of the Brussels. Plus when the oven is full, these don’t interfere, as they are cooked on the hob at the last minute. The key is to wait to start cooking them until very close to serving time so they are eaten while still bright green and barely tender. Just get it all together in the saucepan and set aside. Start the cooking when it’s about 10 minutes until feasting time.
Serves 4 / Prep 10 mins / Cook 10 mins
Ingredients
500g Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved if large
2 tablespoons water
50g butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
sea salt to taste
Special equipment: small to medium saucepan with a lid, that will fit the sprouts snugly
Method
1) Place the sprouts in the pan. Add the remaining ingredients.
2) About 10 minutes to serving time, warm a serving dish, either in the oven or by filling with boiling water. Cover the sprouts pan and bring to the boil over a high heat, then stir and reduce to a simmer. Keep covered and cook, stirring gently 2 or 3 times, until the sprouts are bright green and tender throughout, about 5 – 7 minutes.
3) Lift the sprouts out of the pan with a slotted spoon into the warm serving dish and cover. Place the pan with the juices back on over a medium to high heat and reduce for a couple of minutes until thickened, then pour over the sprouts and serve immediately.
