2UE Brussels sprouts recipes

Oven-baked Brussels sprouts

Once you try baked Brussels sprouts you’ll probably never bother with steaming or boiling them again.

10-12 Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, crushed (see options, below)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Cut the Brussels sprouts into halves (vertically) and place in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and add the crushed garlic. Drizzle over extra-virgin olive oil, add stir to coat the sprouts with olive oil and garlic.
3. Place onto a flat metal baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, or until done to your liking (20 minutes for well done).
Options: you could use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic if you like. We tried both, and preferred the result with fresh garlic, but the garlic powder worked OK. And you could add even more fresh garlic if you like!

Brussels sprouts salad

Sliced cabbages make great salads (think of coleslaw) and so it’s no surprise that Brussels sprouts can make a tasty salad, too.

5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 Brussels sprouts, very finely sliced (see note)
80g mixed salad leaves (eg, baby rocket, baby spinach)
small red onion, finely sliced
50g prosciutto ham, grilled until crisp, broken into pieces (see note)
50g walnuts, chopped
60g parmesan cheese, coarsely grated, or shaved

1. Combine the olive oil and the lemon juice in a jar, add salt and pepper to taste, then shake.
2. Place all the other ingredients in a salad bowl and toss to combine. Shake the dressing once more then drizzle it over the salad. Toss gently once more, then serve as a side dish.
Notes: the trick with this recipe is to very finely slice the Brussels sprouts. It’s not hard to do with a small, sharp knife. First up, sharpen your knife! Then, start finely slicing at the soft, head end of each sprout and stop when you see slices of the thick, white stem showing. Slicing with a knife give you best control. As soon as you see some white stem in a slice, flip over the sprout and cut on the side. Discard the tough stem pieces. A slicer such as the Zyliss slicer (available from Peter’s of Kensington, for example) or a mandolin (from specialist kitchenware shops) will give great results.

Brussels sprouts and chilli stir-fry

Blanch the Brussels sprouts in boiling water to soften them up, and then they combine beautifully with the robust flavours of Asian cuisine.

6 Brussels sprouts, cut into quarters , vertically
125g beef, pork, lamb or chicken, finely sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 green chilli, deseeded and sliced

1. Put the Brussels sprouts in to a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over to cover them. Let them stand in the water for 3 minutes, then drain in a colander. In a separate bowl, pour the soy sauce over the meat slices, stir to combine and set aside until needed.
2. Heat a wok or frying pan, add the oil, then stir-fry the onion, garlic and chilli for 1-2 minutes, until the onion softens.
3. Add the Brussels sprouts and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the meat strips and soy sauce, and continue stir-frying for 2-3 minutes more. Serve with rice or noodles.

Copyright 2008 CTC Productions