brussel sprouts

Brussel Sprout Tabouleh

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Even though winter is still here, we’ve got spring and salads on the mind. So to meet in the middle a brussel sprout tabouleh, a twist on the traditional, but super tasty and quick to throw together in the middle of the week.

Ingredients: 100g cherry tomatoes, 20g curly parsley, 200g brussel sprouts, 1 spring onion, 1 baby cucumber, sprig of mint.

From the Larder: 100g couscous, 5 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 200g halloumi, pinch of salt and pepper, (optional lamb or grilled chicken).

Instructions:

  • Gather all the veg and herbs. Quarter the tomatoes, grate or finely chop the brussel sprouts removing the outer leaves, chop the spring onions, and the cucumber, finely chop the mint and parsley. Place all in a salad bowl.veggies-600pxtabouleh-veggies-600px
  • Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust according to preference and then pour over salad.
  • Make the couscous by using the same volume of water as couscous. Pour freshly boiled water over the couscous in a bowl and cover with a plate or cling film for 5-10 minutes and then fluff with a fork. During this time grill meat if using.
  • While waiting for the couscous to cook, slice the whole block of halloumi into thin slices approximately ½ cm thick and fry on both sides until turning golden.
  • Mix couscous into the salad, ensure that the dressing is mixed through.mixing-tabouleh-veg-by-hand-600pxtabouleh-veg-2-600px
  • Serve tabouleh with halloumi and optional meat, adding more oil or lemon if desired.

Roasted Veg with Lentils and a Kumquat Dressing

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Nothing much can beat roasted veg. We have a new found love of brussel sprouts, and roasting them makes them all the more delicious. They are roasted along with beetroot, carrots; all served with lentils and a tasty kumquat dressing.

Ingredients: 2 carrots, 150g brussel sprouts, 1 beetroot, a few stems of flat parsley, 4-5 kumquats.

Larder: 100g puy lentils, ½ a stock cube, olive oil, 1 tsp honey/sugar (optional extra: grilled salmon or chicken).

Instructions:

  • Trim the ends and peel off the outer layer of brussel sprouts. Quarter the sprouts and chop the beetroot and carrots into small chunks.
  • Place in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for 25-30 minutes.roasting-veg-in-tin-600px
  • Cook the lentils in 3 times their volume of water, crumble in half the stock cube and cover. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes until lentils are soft, but still have a little bite to them.
  • If using, grill salmon or chicken while the lentils and veggies cook.
  • While the lentils are cooking and veggies roasting, make a kumquat dressing. Without peeling, thinly slice the kumquats, place in a small sauce pan and cover with water (approximately 150ml), add 1 tsp honey or sugar and simmer until slightly syrupy. Taste for sweetness and add more honey/sugar if desired.
  • Chop flat parsley leaves.
  • When veggies and lentils are ready, mix the parsley into the roasted veg and serve on a bed of lentils with the kumquats on top.

Brussel Sprout Risotto

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You can’t get much more wintry than a brussel sprout focussed meal. This risotto is delicious and made better by buttery brussels sautéed with sage and thyme and optional bacon and almonds, creating the perfect savoury salty combos.

Ingredients: Shallots, garlic, brussel sprouts, lemon thyme, sage, and spinach.

From the larder: Butter, 170g Arborio rice, 600-ml stock, 30g Parmesan, 40g almonds and/or 2 slices bacon chopped into pieces (optional).

Instructions:

  • Chop the shallots and garlic. Sauté in butter for 2 mins then add the Arborio rice and cook until it looks slightly translucent.
  • Prepare stock and add to the rice ladle-by-ladle and cook until rice is al denté and risotto creamy. Stir and allow stock to absorb between each ladle. This process should take about 20 minutes. Half way through cooking, add the lemon thyme leaves stripped off the stems.
  • While the risotto is cooking, slice the brussel sprouts, and chop the almonds and sage leaves. Melt a large knob of butter in a frying pan and fry the sprouts until they are soft and starting to brown. When sprouts are softening, add the almonds and sage and fry altogether.frying-brussel-sprouts-and-almonds-600px
  • If using bacon, start frying that first and add the sprouts followed by almonds and sage.
  • When risotto is ready, take off the heat, mix in spinach and grated Parmesan, allowing Parmesan to melt and spinach to wilt.
  • Stir the brussel sprouts, almonds, sage and optional bacon into the risotto and serve immediately.

Parsnip Fritters with Shredded Sprouts

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We decided to mix things up a little and take a step away from tradition when it came to brussel sprouts this week. This recipe calls for shredding those sprouts and adding mint. It’s are a delicious variation of slaw and a great winter salad.

Ingredients: 1 parsnip, 2 shallots, 2 garlic cloves, 250g potatoes, 200g brussel sprouts, 2 sprig of mint, 2 stems of flat parsley.

From the larder: 4 eggs, 1 tbsp flour, salt and pepper, olive oil, juice of half a lemon (optional: chopped almonds).

Instructions:

  • Parboil the potatoes in a saucepan of water for 5 minutes.
  • Peel and grate the parsnip and grate the potatoes into a bowl. Finely chop the garlic cloves, shallots and parsley and add to the bowl.
  • Add 2 lightly beaten eggs, flour, salt and pepper; mix together.
  • In a frying pan start cooking the fritters. Heat the oil on medium heat, then add serving spoon-sized spoonfuls of fritter mixture to the pan and spread out so that they are around 1cm thick. Fry for 4-5 minutes on one side until golden and then flip over to cook the other side until golden as well.fritters-second-side-600px
  • While the fritters are cooking, remove the outer layer of leaves on the brussel sprouts and then grate or finely slice them. Finely chop the mint and if using, chop almonds. Place all in a bowl and combine with lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a glug of olive oil.
  • Poach 2 eggs and serve the fritters with shredded sprouts on the side and poached eggs on top!