JULIE BIUSO
In season: Brussels sprouts.
These mini cabbages have come a long way since the days of serving them up as soggy dull green balls. Here’s why now is the perfect time to rustle up some sprouts
Brussels sprouts were developed by the Romans but made hugely popular in the city of Brussels, hence the name. They’re at their best after a frost as the starches are converted to sugars on freezing, making them taste sweeter. They’re not everyone’s favourite, though overcooked, metallic-tasting green spheres are (hopefully) a thing of the past. Perky crunchy buds, seasoned and brightened with spices, citrus and nuts, scattered with crunchy crumbs, nuggets of sizzled bacon and grated parmesan are much more appealing. And roasted? Simply scrumptious!
Of course a good sprout is a fresh sprout. Look for green compact ones, avoiding those with wilted leaves or starting to yellow. Store in an open-ended plastic bag in the fridge and use as soon after purchase as possible.
Brussels are a great source of vitamins C and A and contain fibre and folate, calcium and iron. Before cooking, trim the base of the sprouts, but keep the outer green leaves on as they contain more nutrients.
Cutting a cross in the bottom of sprouts allows boiling water to reach the denser part in the centre, ensuring it cooks at the same time as the outer leaves. Plunging them into boiling water, rather than putting them in a pan of cold water and bringing them to the boil, will help keep their colour.
A classic idea, and a great accompaniment to a roast, is to toss halved, blanched sprouts with sizzled buttery shallots, grated nutmeg, salt and pepper and a handful of grated parmesan. Easy. Or give black garlic a try. Sizzle a little chopped rosemary in olive oil, add blanched sprouts and thinly sliced black garlic, toss and serve.
Small, tightly furled sprouts are delicious cooked until crisp-tender, drained and tossed in yuzu- or lemon-infused olive oil. They’re also tasty tossed with garlic or smoked butter.
Bigger ones require a different approach.
Trim and peel away leaves until it becomes hard to remove any more leaves, re-trim and carry on. Once you have a mountain of leaves (reserve centres for another recipe) plunge them into a pan of boiling salted water, cook for 1 minute, drain and plunge into a bowl of icy cold water. Drain, and spread on paper towels. You can do this up to 1 hour in advance. Toss leaves in a hot pan with a knob of butter, seasoning with pepper and crushed coriander seeds, or the squeezed juice of a little grated ginger. Or cook them in a little walnut oil with freshly grated nutmeg.
Perhaps the best way to prepare brussels sprouts is to roast them as they develop a
“The best way to prepare them is roasted”
deeply satisfying nutty flavour. Blanch sprouts, dry with paper towels, cut in half, place on a lined flat tray, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, black pepper and parmesan, toss to coat evenly, then roast at 200°C for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with more cheese to serve. Putting the sprouts cut-side down will give more of a browned surface (that equals more flavour!). Add sliced garlic or herbs such as sage and rosemary halfway through cooking.