I am quite aware that for some of you this is going tobe a tough sell, but please hear me out. Thisweek, you see, I'm spoutingabout sprouts in an effort to convince the wary that brussels sprouts aren't just for Christmas, they're for life – or at least for that cold and frosty bit of life that runs between late autumn and early spring.
I know that for many people unhappy memories of sprouts pastlinger like a kind of Proustian anti-madeleine. But I'm convinced the effects can be reversed. Boiled tooblivion, they are indeed depressing. But cooked correctly, brussels sprouts are sweetly, toothsomely tender and delicious.
Why were they ever so abused? And still are? It's surely part of a secret conspiracy designed to keep the precious bonsai cabbages for some malevolent sprout overlord and his sinister followers. That'll beme, I guess…
Honestly, I really do look forward to my first, frost-sweetened sproutsof the year. (Though, if I'm completely honest, perhaps not quite so much as I look forward to the first broad beans, though that may just be because they often come with a side order of sunshine.)I treat sprouts tenderly, boiling or steaming them until they're cooked but still retain a littlebite – about sixminutes shoulddo itfor small, walnut-sizedsprouts, which are theones we're hankering after hereanyway. The other benefit of choosing small sprouts – apart from their superior flavour – is that you don't have to bother with that fiddly nonsense ofcutting crosses in theirbases to ensure that they cookevenly.
Then it's often just acase of tossing the cooked sprouts in melted butter or olive oil with plenty of black pepper and/or somechilli flakes, ifyou're feeling daring. To draw attention to how much youcare forthem, a scatteringof toasted almonds or golden, fried breadcrumbs is a nicetouch. And formore adventurous seasoning still, it makes sense to incline towards thethings that so successfully accompany their big cousin, the cabbage – namely nutmeg, juniper, garlic, fennel or caraway seeds, saltysmoked or unsmoked bacon, lemon zest or juice and chestnuts, all of which work very well with sprouts, too.
If you love sprouts as I do, you may even fancy trying to grow yourown next year. Yes, they take up abit of space in the veg plot, butapart from that they're really not a very demanding crop. The advantage of growing your own is that by carefully choosing your varieties, you can spread the sproutlove from autumn until early spring. At River Cottage, we grow Noisette and Groninger to enjoy in Novemberand early December; Seven Hills to tuck into over Christmas; and Wellington and the beautiful, amethyst Winter Rubine to enjoy during the last, frosty glimmers of winter.
We start our sprouts undercover between February and April, nestled into Jiffy pots. Then, when the weather begins to cheer up a bit in early summer, we plant them out about 60cm apart. Water them wellduring dry patches and keep abeady eye out for cabbage whites and slugs, picking them off as you see them. If you play your cards right, you'll have a plentiful supply between November and March.
The other advantage of growing your own is that you get to enjoy thesprout tops, too – that is, the sheltering crown of foliage at the topof the plant. Sprout tops make pretty good cut-and-come-again greens provided you take just a few at a time during the growing season. Their taste is something between cabbage and brussels sprouts, andthey're very tasty shredded andeither tossed in butter or addedto stews, rather as you wouldwith the posher, more glamorous cavalo nero.
If, on the other hand, you're buying your brussels, look for small,tight, bright green sprouts with no hint of yellow about them. I'm a big fan of sprouts sold on the stem – an innovation started in farmers' markets and now adopted by greengrocers and even some supermarkets. This practice helps keep them fresh, because the sprouts continue to "live" off the nutrients in the stem.
However you buy them, though, your sprouts should smell sweet andappealing, not pungently cabbage-y – that means they've beenhanging about a bit too long. Cook them as soon as you can, and as swiftly as you can, to enjoy them at their tender and enchanting best.
Brussels sprout salad
Raw brussels sprouts have such terrific flavour and crunch, it's surprising that we don't enjoy them raw more often. Chose the freshest, smallest sprouts you can for this tasty winter salad. These quantities serve one to two.
50g hazelnuts, preferably skin on
150g brussels sprouts, trimmed, discoloured outer leavesremoved
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Good pinch of chilli flakes
1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
80g young, fresh goat's cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground blackpepper
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Scatter the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until fragrant and browned – about nine to 11 minutes. Remove from the oven, wrap in a clean tea towel and leave for a minute. Rub vigorously in the tea towel – this will remove the browned skins.
Cut the prepared brussels sprouts from top to root into slices about thethickness of a 50p piece. Put these into a bowl and toss with the lemon zest and juice, thyme leaves, chilli flakes, and a tablespoon of oil, and season with salt and pepper. Taste and add more olive oil, lemon juice and/or chilli flakes as desired.
Arrange on a plate, scatter the hazelnuts over and around and crumble on the goat's cheese. Trickle over a little more olive oil and serve immediately.
Roasted brussels sprouts with shallots and caraway seeds
This makes a delicious and easy sidedish – the earthiness of the brussels sprouts combines wonderfully with the sweetness ofthe shallots. If you like, add a handful or two of peeled, cooked chestnuts to the mix, too. Serves four.
750g brussels sprouts, trimmed
200g small shallots, peeled but leftwhole
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp caraway seeds
Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Tip the sprouts into a bowl along with the shallots, olive oil and caraway seeds, and season generously with salt and pepper. Tipthe lot into a roasting tin and roast for about 40 minutes, until thesprouts are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake thepan from time to time, so that everything cooks evenly. Season the cooked sprouts with a little more salt and serve immediately.
Creamed brussels sprouts with bacon
One of my favourite converter dishes, designed to turn many a sprout hater into a sprout lover. Serve it as an accompaniment to roasts or as a supper dish on its own.Serves six as a side dish, or two as amain course.
500g brussels sprouts, trimmed
20g butter
2 tbsps double cream
4-6 rashers streaky bacon, each cut into 5-6 strips
1 tsp groundnut oil
200g peeled, cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
Bring a large pot of well-salted waterto a boil, and cook the sprouts in it until just tender– this should take no more than about six to eight minutes. Drain, then tip into the bowl of a food processor along with the butter and cream. Pulse until you have a rough, creamy purée.
Fry the bacon in the oil until crisp. Scrape the creamed sprouts into a saucepan with a spatula, stir in the chestnut pieces and gently heat through. Spoon into a warmed dish, sprinkle over the crispy bacon bits and serve at once.
