Used to hate… Brussel Sprouts!
Roger goes vegetarian...for a day
Used to hate… Brussel Sprouts!
That
is right. Brussel sprouts. Kid you not. Another ‘easy’ “5 ingredient” effort
from Jamie; from me.
“Why?” I hear you shout. Well, I have made a sprout recipe before – as the main ingredient, not a Christmas addition – all be it 10(ish) years ago and it was a nice surprise. A stir fry that worked. So, this healthy meat-free option sounded worth a go.
The
little cabbage-like green oddities that are generally un-liked, especially by
children I think. Going back a decade or 3 I remember not liking anyway, nor my
sister! The overcooking? Very possibly (sorry Mam!), ignoring the forget-me-not
forgotten pan full of sprouts that cooked, and cooked, and cooked… Sprout-mash?! Wasn’t the best advert for the little fellas! Accidents happen!
What
did I actually do? I recorded about a minute’s worth (in total) of ramble for
the first time; and it goes, a little
something like this!
“So, I’m full of cold today, being Tuesday
I’ve not gone to conductive education, I’m going to cook another thing from Jamie’s
5 ingredient thingy bobby. As I’ve eaten a lot of meat recently, I’m going to
have the gnarly Brussel sprout recipe. Going to try it anyway, having made a
curry thing with them years ago.
First job is peeling these pistachio
nuts that should be quite quick and easy, however, being quite ‘fingers and
thumbs’ it's taking longer than some do.
Gritting there getting there. Lots of pomegranate
juice and seeds sorted, I think. Next up – for me – is cutting the sprouts in half;
arse-about-face I know. However!
Getting there getting there getting
there! Sprouts are in, cooking away, cheese on a plate, kettle's on, job done.”
Hardly
a useful cooking method (↑) – see below for the real McCoy
– just a thing (recording) I did!
Expanding
my bleep into a more useful method, I will say it as it was in line with what to
really do. Staring from the start, obviously (well, to me anyway!) and with
what:
INGREDIENTS:
> 300g
Brussel Sprouts (I got a pre-prepared 250g
pack with a better best before date for a few pennies more and less mess)
> 2 (or 3 in my case) cloves of garlic
> 30g
shelled unsalted pistachios (50g shelled
with the finger and thumbs challenge!)
> 1
Pomegranate
> 2
heaped tablespoons cottage cheese (2nd
ever purchase?!)
METHOD:
> Trim
the sprouts, discard any tatty bits, cut in half.
Obviously
the first two were mostly done for me.
Chopping is fun, though due to the size of these mini-cabbages, extra care was
needed; I managed! Proper preparation prevents poor performance… etcetera!
> Place
in a single layer cut side down in a large non-stick dry frying pan on a high
heat and char for 5 minutes (mine took longer than 5)
This
is where the written method changed given that the nuts had already been
deshelled, another step in the process if needing done. All good on video when
done by a very experienced and excellent chef on camera with invisible editing…
> Meanwhile,
peel and finely slice the garlic.
> Crush
the pistachios in a pestle and mortar.
> Halve
the pomegranate, squeeze the juice of one half through a sieve into a bowl,
then hold the other half side down and bash with a wooden spoon (or similar) so
all the seeds fall out.
> Stir
the garlic into the sprouts with a splash of water and a tablespoon of olive
oil, cook for another minute (or a couple or 3!)
When
all of the above is done, that’s pretty much it cooking-wise. However, there is
always something else! Well, getting onto a plate or 2. Wouldn’t eat from a
frying pan, would you!
> Put
the cottage cheese onto the plates, spoon the gnarly sprouts on top, then
sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and pistachios (not forgotten!). Drizzle
over the pomegranate juice and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Season to
you hearts content; sorted!
Was
it worth it? Hell yes! Enough so that the first plate that I initially held as
the evening meal, served as a starter; to the second plate!
Sprouts.
Evil vegetable suited only to Christmas? That’s a big fat no from me! Fresh,
roasted on a dry pan, top down with simple additions or not, bloody lovely.
Winning texture and taste all over.
Thank
you for reading! Want to know more about the Brussel Sprout?!
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