Sprout, carrot and parsnip salad with aji sauce
Griddling your sprouts creates something as bold in presentation as in flavour. The slight bitterness of the brassicas is nicely offset here by the wholesome sweetness of the accompanying roasted veg and bright, aromatic dressing.
Serves 6
200g carrots, sliced diagonally
200g parsnips, sliced diagonally
1 onion squash, sliced into wedges
200g sprouts, parboiled, halved
3 tbsp sunflower oil
Flaky sea salt
For the aji sauce
2 fresh jalapeno chillies, roughly chopped
3 spring onions, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp parsley
2 tbsp coriander
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp palm sugar
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Toss the carrots, parsnips and squash in the oil, season generously, then roast for 30-40 minutes or until well caramelised.
2 Heat a griddle pan to high. Toss the sprouts in a little oil and griddle them cut side-down until char marks appear.
3 Blitz all of the aji dressing ingredients in a food processor with some salt. Taste and adjust the flavours, by adding more vinegar or sugar to achieve the perfect sweet and sour balance.
4 Mix the vegetables on a platter and spoon the sauce on top.
Olia Hercules, oliahercules.com
Deep-fried sprouts with goat’s cheese and black chilli flakes
A good deep-fried sprout is a thing of beauty (shallow frying or roasting will work too, but for optimum crispiness deep frying is best). Black chilli flakes are sweet and not excessively spicy, but can be tricky to find – use red chilli flakes if you can’t find any.
Serves 4
30-35 sprouts, bases trimmed, outer leaves removed
4 tbsp soft goat’s cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp grain mustard
A dash of milk
Salt
2 sprigs of parsley
Black chilli flakes, or red chilli flakes
1 If your sprouts need washing, pat them with kitchen paper, making sure they are really dry. Then score both ends, from the top to almost halfway down.
2 Mash or blitz the goat’s cheese with the olive oil and mustard. Add milk until a thick drizzling consistency is achieved. Season with salt to taste – fried food takes a lot of seasoning, so make sure that the flavours come through really well.
3 Deep-fry the brussels sprouts at about 165-170C/330-340F, until the outside few layers of leaves are going golden brown, but the inside is still green.
4 Drain and tip on to kitchen roll and leave, preferably in a warm place, for a minute or two. Season with fine salt.
5 While the sprouts are resting, wash and chop the parsley, arrange the sprouts on a big plate, drizzle with the goat’s cheese dressing and sprinkle with chilli flakes and the parsley. Serve while warm.
Oliver Rowe, oliver-rowe.co.uk
Best brussels sprouts ever
Very often, simplest is indeed best. These sprouts are dressed with a humble helping of either butter or olive oil, then seasoned judiciously.
Serves 4-6
450g medium-sized brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed, cut in half lengthways
600ml water
1½ tsp salt
25-50g butter or extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper
1 Put the water and salt in a saucepan (it’s really important to add enough salt) and bring to a fast, rolling boil. Toss in the sprouts, cover for 1 minute, until the water returns to the boil, then uncover and continue to cook for 3-6 minutes (depending on size), until the sprouts are cooked through, but still have a slight bite. Drain very well. If you are not serving the sprouts immediately, refresh them now under cold water, then, just before serving, drop them into boiling salted water for a few seconds to heat through.
2 To serve, melt a little butter or heat some extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan. Roll the sprouts gently in the butter and season with salt and lots of freshly ground pepper. Taste and serve immediately in a hot serving dish.
Darina Allen, A Simply Delicious Christmas (Gills and McMillan)
Sprouts with lentils and herbs
This recipe wins by virtue of its sheer unexpectedness. Imagine these flavours for a moment: nutty lentil; clean, bright mint and parsley; darkly sweet vincotto; and a kick of mustard. They may sound like unlikely partners, but you’ll soon see how well they work together.
Serves 8
75g dried green lentils
1kg brussels sprouts, bases trimmed, outer leaves removed, wiped clean – not washed – this is important!
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Flaky salt
40g mint, leaves picked
40g flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
For the dressing
1 tbsp hot English mustard
50ml vincotto
100ml extra virgin olive oil
Flaky salt and black pepper
1 Cook the lentils in simmering water for 8-10 minutes, or until just tender, then drain and set aside. Meanwhile, whisk together all the dressing ingredients.
2 Cut the sprouts in half lengthways, then fill a large, deep, heavy-based saucepan a third full (no more) with the cooking oil.
3 Heat the oil to 180C/350F then deep-fry the sprouts in batches until they’re golden and crispy. (Stand back! They will spit as they fry. This is also why you don’t wash them, as it traps water beneath the leaves that can be dangerous when it hits the hot oil.)
4 Drain the fried sprouts on paper towels, then place in a large bowl and season with the salt flakes. Add the dressing, lentils, mint and parsley, then toss to coat and serve.
Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz, Recipes for a Good Time (Murdoch Books)
Sprouts with juniper berries and pancetta
The rich saltiness of the pork, the spice of the chilli and the fresh coniferous notes that juniper brings to the sprouts make this a seasonal delight.
Serves 4
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, halved lengthways
50g thinly sliced pancetta (about 6 slices)
450g medium sprouts, outer leaves removed, bases trimmed, halved lengthways
1 tsp flaky salt
3 dried pequin chillies or a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
2 juniper berries, smashed and finely chopped
1½ tsp thyme leaves, chopped
½ a lemon
1 Pour 3 tbsp of the olive oil into a large pan and set it over a high heat. When you see the oil ripple, add the garlic, give the pan a shake and watch it sizzle, turning each piece over after 30 seconds or so. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Retrieve the garlic cloves from the pan, and set aside on your chopping board.
2 Lower the heat to medium and add half the pancetta to the pan. Once the rashers have shrunk a little, add the rest, shifting the first batch so they all have equal space in the bottom of the pan. Cook, turning once or twice, until golden brown at the edges and just threatening to crisp; about 3 minutes. Transfer the rashers to paper towels to drain.
3 Fry the sprouts in the pan in one layer, cut sides down. Use tongs to peek underneath them occasionally to make sure they’re getting coloured. Once the bottoms are a nice dark golden brown, turn the sprouts over and keep cooking until they’re as crunchy or soft as you’d like; 8-12 minutes in all.
4 Sprinkle with the salt and chillies, if using, crushing them between your fingers as you go, then add the juniper and toss in the reserved garlic cloves. Toss it all together and take the pan off the heat. Sprinkle in the thyme, add a good squeeze of lemon (you want a bit of brightness, not tartness) and drizzle on about 1 tbsp of olive oil. Tear the pancetta slices in half and toss them with the sprouts. Have a taste and add more salt, lemon or oil, if needed. Leave to cool for a few minutes and serve warm, not hot.
April Bloomfield, A Girl and Her Pig (Canongate)
Pan-roasted sprouts with anchovy butter
The key to a good sprout – whatever the method or the pairing – is being generous with the salt. This rosemary and mustard-laced anchovy butter more than sees to that.
Serves 6-8
750g sprouts
Juice of ½ lemon
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
For the anchovy butter
250g salted butter (at room temperature)
50g tin of anchovies in olive oil
1 bulb of garlic
1 small bunch parsley, whole
1 tbsp dijon mustard
Black pepper
Leaves of 3 sprigs rosemary
3 tbsp extra-dry vermouth
1 To make the anchovy butter, place the block of butter into a food processor. Add the anchovies and their oil. Smash the bulb of garlic open, de-skin the cloves and add all of them to the mix. Put the whole bunch of parsley and the rest of the anchovy butter ingredients into the food processor and blend until all the ingredients are just flecks going through the butter. If you don’t have a food processor, this can be done by finely chopping all the ingredients and beating them into the butter.
2 Reserve 100g of the butter for this meal, and store the rest either in the fridge for five days or in the freezer for up to a month. If you’re crafty, you can use an ice-cube tray to freeze individual portions, or roll it in clingfilm to cut off slices as you need it.
3 Prepare the sprouts, removing the tough base and discarding any yellowing outer leaves. Wash and dry them on a clean tea towel and cut them all in half.
4 Take half the reserved butter (50g) and place in a solid-based frying pan. Place over a high heat and let the butter melt, making sure it doesn’t burn. Add the sprouts to the pan and roll them around in the butter. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until the sprouts are just cooked.
5 Add the remaining reserved butter (50g) to the pan and allow it to melt into the sprouts, cooking for a minute or so. Add the lemon juice and chopped parsley to the pan and give everything a good toss. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy.
Alex Bluett, Friska
Macaroni with sprouts, parmesan and pine nuts
Briefly simmered sprouts add a chunky green crunch to this creamy, zesty pasta dish flecked with fresh basil.
Serves 4-6
400g brussels sprouts, sliced
400g macaroni
2 tsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 anchovies (canned in oil), chopped
50g parmesan, plus extra to serve
A small handful basil leaves, torn
150ml double cream
Grated zest of ½ lemon
4 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1 Bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the sprouts to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes until the sprouts are just tender. Drain and refresh with cold water.
2 Bring a second, large pan of salted water to the boil and add the macaroni to the pan with a splash of olive oil. Cook until al dente or according to packet instructions.
3 Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the garlic and anchovies. Fry for 1 minute until the anchovies dissolve, then add the parmesan and cream. Simmer briefly to thicken the sauce, then season generously with salt and pepper.
4 Drain the pasta, then stir it into the cream along with the sprouts, basil, lemon zest and pine nuts. Serve on to warm plates and top with extra parmesan and olive oil.
Rosie Ramsden, The Recipe Wheel (Ebury)
Brussels sprouts with gorgonzola
Blue cheese brings out the sweetness of the sprouts, and spars handsomely with crisp-fried pancetta and velvety crumbled chestnuts.
Serves 2
16 brussels sprouts, roots trimmed and washed
2 or 3 rashers of pancetta
1 tbsp gorgonzola dolce
½ tbsp creme fraiche
2 or 3 chestnuts (de-shelled and cooked)
A small handful of parsley, chopped
A good glug marsala wine
Real chicken stock (preferably not cubed)
Duck fat
Salt and black pepper
1 Crisp the pancetta under a grill or in a frying pan. Leave on a metal rack to cool and crisp even further, then break it into small bits.
2 Coarsely chop the chestnuts into little pieces, then fry them in butter on a low heat until crispy. Drain on kitchen paper.
3 Melt the duck fat over a medium heat. When hot, fry the sprouts until golden. Add the marsala and reduce for a minute. Add enough stock to cover the sprouts by ¾, then season. Cover and cook on a low-medium heat for about 12 minutes, until soft, but not squidgy – that leads you to farty town.
4 While they’re cooking, melt the gorgonzola and creme fraiche in a pan over a very low heat until they have completely combined.
5 Place the brussels sprouts on hot plates and gloss with the cooking liquid; pour the gorgonzola mixture on top and sprinkle with the chestnuts, pancetta and parsley.
Tim Siadatan, Trullo
Sprouts in blankets
Our third offering to pair sprouts with pancetta, which goes to prove what a winning combo it is, and how little of anything else is needed.
Makes 20
2 litres water
1 tbsp salt
20 medium sprouts, bases trimmed flat, outer leaves removed
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
25 thin smoked pancetta slices (or dry-cured smoked streaky bacon), roughly chopped
2 tsp sherry vinegar
1 Add the water and salt to a pan and bring up to a rolling boil. Drop the sprouts in and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and plunge into iced water to cease the cooking. They should take about 5 minutes to cool – they can be drained as soon as they have returned to room temperature. Leave to dry on a couple of sheets of kitchen towel.
2 Set a medium-size frying pan on the stove with the rapeseed oil over a medium heat. Toss the pancetta into the hot pan and fry it until it is gently caramelised, all the fat has rendered and the bacon is a deep brown. This shouldn’t take too long, so it is essential to keep a close eye on the process.
3 Once ready, remove from the heat. Remove the pancetta with a fork carefully – you want to leave all the fat and cooking juices behind.
4 Place the pan back on the heat and add the sprouts. Once they begin to sizzle, add the sherry vinegar and cook for a further minute, rolling the sprouts in the fat and vinegar.
5 When the minute is up, tip the sprouts on to a plate and set aside until they are cool enough to handle.
6 Once cool, wrap the sprouts in the pancetta, secure with a co*cktail stick and place on a baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 190C/375F/gas mark 5 for 6 minutes, or until the pancetta begins to crisp around the edges.
Matt Dryden, Blacks Club
Healthy Boxing Day salad
Any sprouts knocking about unused after a Christmas roast can be used raw to surprising effect in this crisp, fresh, seed-filled salad. Serve with leftover turkey for a light, invigorating lunch.
Serves 4
200g sprouts, cleaned, trimmed and finely sliced
2 satsumas, peeled and segmented
4 celery sticks, roughly sliced
1 red onion
6 sprigs mixed herbs, such as mint and parsley
50g mixed nuts and seeds, such as poppy seeds and hazelnuts
Extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, to dress the salad
1 Combine all the ingredients. Season with a little salt and dress with the oil.
Tom Hunt, The Natural Cook (Quadrille)
