My father had a huge garden and used to grow all sorts of vegetables. We loved practically all of them, but even the way Mum and Dad cooked them, we kids never really took to Brussels sprouts. They are tricky to cook well. They can be tough or unevenly cooked. Overcook them and they can turn mushy. Worst though is that it is difficult to remove the unpleasant metallic/chemical flavour common to the cabbage family.
Yet we still persevered with steaming, boiling and baking them as they are meant to be good for you. So we often lamented at the greengrocer, and brought them into the house, in order to have some greens and a goodly dose of roughage.
Here are some ways we use to make Brussels sprouts edible, the second one being a shortcut using bought curry sauce.
Braised Brussels Sprouts
There are others who have discovered this method of cooking Brussels sprouts. The braising softens them, making them quite delicious especially with some cream or Parmesan.
We have written this recipe/method up a little differently. Note that the ingredients are marked with a “>>”.
>>Three to four cups Brussels sprouts.
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- Trim the sprouts as per normal. Make a cross in the bottom of each, even if you are going to cut them into quarters. Then cut in half or quarters depending on size.
- Take a frying pan for which you have a lid.
>>2 tbsps olive oil (or equivalent, such as butter or duck fat)
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- Heat the oil in the pan, to quite hot.
- Add the sprouts and turn them to a cut side to start with.
- Once they have browned, turn with a spatula to get some colour on the other sides, cut or rounded.
>>1 to 2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
>>(optional) 1 small hot chilli chopped or ¼ tsp chilli flakes
>>Salt and pepper to taste
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- Toss the garlic (and chilli) through, and season
>>1 to 2 cups of vegetable stock, chicken stock or water and/or white wine
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- Pour into the pan
- Bring to a simmer
- Cover with a lid for ten minutes or so to steam through and soft enough to pierce with a knife
- Remove the lid and reduce the liquid to a few tablespoons
>>(optional) cream, sour cream
>>(optional) parmesan cheese, grated
>>(optional) lemon juice
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- Add some cream to the sauce and stir through
- Add some parmesan cheese to serve
- Instead of cream and/or parmesan, add lemon juice to taste.
Serve immediately.
Degree of difficulty: 2/5 (not difficult).
Brussels sprouts in a curry sauce
This method happened by “accident”. We have to admit we had on hand a supermarket curry simmer sauce. You will have seen them – they come in jars or in plastic packs. We also had on hand some Brussels sprouts. So we decided to combine the two. You can easily make your own simmer sauces using your favourite commercial curry paste, or using fresh spices and yoghurt. We bake these, but you could try to simmer them in a saucepan.
And try it with cauliflower (in florets) or other vegetables that curry well or try a mix of vegetables. (No photo given.)
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- Turn your oven to 150C.
>>Three to four cups Brussels sprouts
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- Trim the sprouts as per normal. Make a cross in the bottom of each, even if you are going to cut them into quarters. Then cut in half or quarters depending on size.
- Take a dish suitable for baking (or a saucepan).
- Add the sprouts.
>>350 ml to 400 ml curry sauce
>>salt and pepper to taste
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- Tip the sauce over the sprouts, season and toss the sprouts to coat.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until tender. Stir once or twice. (Or simmer on the stove top until tender.)
Serve with rice, or as an accompaniment to other curries.
Degree of difficulty: 1/5 (very easy).
Brussels sprouts microwaved with walnuts or almonds
Our friend, Cyn, gave us this method. The sprouts are perfect as an accompaniment, but we have also had a bowl full by themselves for lunch. She uses walnut oil and walnuts, but make substitutes as appropriate. In our photo we have used olive oil and flaked almonds.
>>Take three to four cups Brussels sprouts
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- Trim the sprouts as per normal. Then cut in half or quarters depending on size.
- Take a dish suitable for the microwave.
- Add a tablespoon or two of walnut oil (or substitute)
- Add the sprouts.
- Add a good handful of walnuts roughly chopped (or substitute)
- Season with salt and pepper
- Toss to coat
- Dot with one or two tablespoons of butter
>>Lightly cover bowl and microwave on high for four to five minutes, or until sprouts are tender.
>>Stir once or twice if desired. Allow to sit covered for a few minutes.
>>Serve immediately.
Serve as an accompaniment or try them as is.
Degree of difficulty: 1/5 (very easy).
Contributions welcomed!
If you have something that you believe is impossible (read ‘very difficult’) to do at home, please be in touch, especially if you can provide your method and a summary as to why it turned out so well. (Not essential, but provide good quality photos if you have any.)