January #2 - Brussel sprouts & a delicious winter salad

Brussel sprouts, salad, and delicious all in one sentence, you'll have to taste it to believe me.

Jan 25, 2025

HISTORY:

Are Brussel sprouts really from Brussels?

Yes they are, well to be precise they were originally bred in Saint-Gilles, a suburb of Brussels. In the 17th Century, the Belgian capital was overpopulated and farmers were tasked with finding a way to increase their yield with the same small amount of land. They looked at the Savoy Cabbage and a long stemmed variety which grew along the Atlantic coast, previously used only as animal feed, and they created a cross which produced little cabbage ‘apples’ in clusters along the stem. Making them an ideal vegetable to grow on small plots.

They became very popular in Belgium and their popularity then spread across Northern Europe as a hardy winter crop.

In the 19th Century, immigrants brought them across to Australia and the USA, particularly California, they never blew anyone away but are still grown today.

In the past 50 years, a lot of breeding work has been done to reduce their bitterness which has helped increase their consumption.

FUN FACTS:

Once they cracked the code for sprouts, Brussels became very protective over them. Up to the 19th Century, seeds had to be bought directly from the royal family if you wanted to grow them abroad.

There are 110 different Brussel sprout varieties, only 35 of them still grown for market today.

The UK is the biggest consumer of sprouts worldwide and is the only culture to love them enough to include them in Christmas dinner. Although it does still seem to be a love or hate relationship, even in the UK.

Although tradition dictates you should score the bottom of them before boiling, this isn’t actually needed and can even mean that they absorb too much water during cooking, spoiling their texture. The tradition actually comes from an old belief that evil spirits resided in sprouts and the cross would allow the cooking process to destroy them. So up to you if you still want to score them.

HOW TO COOK THEM:

Raw: They taste more bitter raw but less sulphurous.

Thinly slice them to add to coleslaw or salads.

Cooked:

If you struggle digesting sprouts, boiling them for 5 minutes in salted water before any other step should help.
Ok no surprise here really, but I think the tastiest way to eat a Brussel sprout is fried. If you make a star indent at the top using the tip of a knife and deep fry them, they open up like a pretty flower and crisp up really nicely. You can then cover them in a nice seasoning, dip them in hummus, and they make a great snack/starter.
Sprouts are also really nice when sliced in half and roasted with olive oil and garlic until crispy. You can also pan fry them and finish them off with a touch of maple syrup and vinegar.
There’s a time and place for a steamed sprout, cook until al dente and top with sea salt, EVOO, lemon juice (or vinegar) and a bit of chilli.

Some of my other free sprout recipes to try:

Brussel sprouts pair particularly well with sugars, fats and strong flavours. Some pairing to keep in mind are spices such as mustard, chilli, garlic, ginger, rosemary, juniper, caraway, coriander and nutmeg; meat and in particular bacon and pork, beef, lamb, chicken and smoked fish; cheeses like mozzarella or blue cheese; fruit and in particular oranges, limes, cherries, raspberries, pear, apple and chestnut; other vegetables such as leeks, sweetcorn, cabbages, carrots, beetroot, onion and truffle.

MOOD FOOD - HAPPY:

All these nutrients play a part in producing good mood hormones such as serotonin and noradrenaline.

This week’s recipe:

Honey & Pomegranate Brussel Sprout Salad

Go-to crunchy satisfying winter salad

This Brussel sprout salad is full of nutritious ingredients and will keep you going all afternoon, great lunch if you're looking to eat over 30 plants a week too!

Fluffy quinoa, raw and caramelised sprouts, crunchy cauliflower, crispy shallots, apple, pomegranate and a honey mustard dressing. Perfect meal prep for easy nutritious lunches.

Ingredients (4 portions):

Brussel sprout salad recipe:

250g quinoa
200g Brussel sprouts
1/2 cauliflower
3 shallots
1 red apple
1 pomegranate
1/2 lemon, juiced
30g mixed nuts

Honey mustard dressing recipe:

2 tsp honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp pomegranate molasses
4 Tbs EVOO
1/2 lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Cook the quinoa according to pack instructions (boiled in salted water) then drain and rinse with cold water.
Remove the cauliflower leaves and keep them for a stir fry.
Peel the shallots and chop off the base of the Brussel sprouts.
Thinly slice the cauliflower, Brussel sprouts and shallots, making sure to keep them all separate.
Cover a baking tray in oil, top with 1/3 of the cooked quinoa, a pinch of salt and spread out thinly. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown all over then leave to cool down and crisp up on the side.
In another baking tray, add 1/3 of the chopped sprouts and all the shallots. Toss in oil and salt before spreading out and baking on another shelf for 40 minutes also.
Grate the apple, skin on, with a box grater then cover in the 1/2 lemon juice to stop the flesh from browning.
De-seed the pomegranate, I find the easiest method is to top and tail it then quarter and open it up.
Measure all the dressing ingredients into a jam jar, close the lid and shake until it's emulsified (the oil is evenly mixed in).
Roughly chop the mixed nuts.
Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl, drizzle over the dressing, stir until evenly distributed then it's ready to enjoy. Store this for up to 4 days in the fridge, bon appétit!

Shortcuts:

I recommend batch cooking this on Sunday night and storing in containers ready for lunches throughout the week. It keeps well, even with the dressing stirred in, as it doesn't contain any salad leaves.
If you don't have pomegranate molasses, use balsamic vinegar glaze instead.
You can buy the pomegranate already deseeded if you wish to save time and hassle on that, although I will say they tend to taste nicer and last longer when freshly de-seeded.

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