Brussels Sprouts Soup with Tofu Sour Cream

Ingredients:
500 grams (1 1/4 lbs) brussels sprouts, trimmed.
1 large onion peeled & chopped.
1 large potato peeled & chopped.
4 cups chicken style (vegetarian) stock.
200 mls (large can) coconut cream.
silken tofu
lemon juice

Directions:
Blend Silken Tofu with lemon juice to taste.
This is the tofu sour cream.
Put the first four ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil.
Simmer covered for 10 minutes, or till vegetables are tender.
Cool until the temperature is suitable for a processor or blender.
Process till smooth.
Return to pan and add coconut cream, reheat and serve.
Put a dollop of tofu sour cream into each serving.
This is also good served as a chilled soup.

Brussels Sprouts and Barley Soup

Ingredients:
12 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped fresh green beans
1 1/4 cups cubed turnips
1/2 cup chopped leeks
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/3 cup barley
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
Measure the chicken broth into a large soup pot.
Bring to a boil.
Add the beans, turnips, leeks, carrots and barley; simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts and green pepper.
Season with salt and pepper.
Simmer until the sprouts are tender, about 30 minutes more.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until it starts to brown. Whisk in the flour until smooth.
Stir this into the soup and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Brussels Sprouts with Lemon-Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:
1 pound Brussels sprouts
salt (optional)
freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup + 2 tbsp. vegetable broth
juice of half a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. agave nectar, or other liquid sweetener

Directions:
The trick to great Brussels sprouts is in the pre-cooking stage.
Trimming off about 1/8-1/4-inch of the stem end and removing any discolored or shriveled leaves will make them much more tender.
Then cut the sprouts in half, from top to bottom (through the stem end), to make them cook more quickly.
Spray a non-stick skillet lightly with oil and heat it over medium-high.
When it's hot, toss in the sprouts and sprinkle them lightly with salt (optional).
Stir and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, just until they brown slightly on the cut side.
Add the pepper and vegetable broth and cover.
Cook, stirring every minute or so, for about 3-5 minutes, just until they are barely tender but still bright green. (I always grab one and taste it to check.)
They should taste cooked, but not over-cooked, and the broth may have mostly evaporated.
Mix the remaining tablespoons of broth, lemon juice, mustard, and agave nectar, pour it over the sprouts, and heat just until warm throughout.
Serve immediately for best color and taste.

Brussels Sprouts Soup

Ingrediënten:
1 lb. Brussels sprouts
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 sm. onion, chopped
2 tbsp. medium-dry sherry (optional)
3 c. chicken broth
Freshly grated nutmeg
Salt & pepper

Direction:
Preheat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes, until soft and lightly colored, but not brown.
Stir in sherry, if using, then add broth.
Bring to a boil, add the sprouts, a pinch of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
Lower the heat slightly, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Pass the soup through a strainer, or leave to cool slightly, then puree in a food processor. Return the soup to the rinsed-out pan and warm through.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Sprinkle nutmeg or croutons on each serving.
Alternately, swirl a little light cream in the soup before serving.

Soupe Flamande with Creme Fraiche and Frizzled Sprouts

Like parsnips and celery, sprouts also heighten considerably in flavour after a hard frost. I like to cut them on the whole stalk and leave them attached outside the kitchen door so I can just pick off a few as and when I need them. Tiny, hard, tight button sprouts are best of all, needing only brief cooking to retain their full flavour and vibrant green colour. Before the joys of the kitchen garden, by far the hardest task at Christmas was to trek around, battling with the rest of the Christmas shopping, to try to find enough small sprouts to last over the holiday. Not so now. But higher up on the stalk there will always be a few large, fat, open-textured golf balls which, though not suitable for long cooking, are just perfect for making this classic Flemish soup from Brussels. So creamy and subtle is it that even determined sprout haters have been known to succumb to its charms.


Ingrediënts:
12 oz (350 g) potatoes
2 large leeks
12 oz (350 g) Brussels sprouts
2 oz (50 g) butter
15 fl oz (425 ml) hot stock made with Marigold Swiss vegetable bouillon powder
1 pint (570 ml) milk
2 rounded tablespoons crème fraîche
squeeze of lemon juice
salt and freshly milled black pepper
4 level tablespoons crème fraîche
8 large sprouts, trimmed and shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil

Bereiding:
Start by peeling and thickly slicing the potatoes. When the leeks are trimmed and washed, cut them all the way through, vertically; then chop them into 2.5 cm (1 in) pieces. Then trim the base of the sprouts, discard any damaged outer leaves and quarter the larger sprouts and halve any smaller ones. Next, melt the butter in a good large saucepan, add the potatoes, leeks and sprouts, and stir well to coat them nicely in the butter. Add some salt and freshly milled black pepper, turn the heat to low, put a lid on and allow the vegetables to sweat gently for 5 minutes. Then add the stock and milk bring everything up to simmering point and cook very gently for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Because of the milk, it is best to put the lid only three quarters on, to prevent everything boiling over, and to keep the heat really low.

After that, liquidise the soup and then return it to the pan; add the 2 rounded tablespoons of creme fraiche, then reheat the soup gently, taste and add a good squeeze of lemon juice, and more seasoning if it needs it.

Make the garnish while the soup is reheating. To do this, heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over a high heat, and when the oil is really hot and shimmering, add the shredded sprouts and fry them, stirring occasionally so they don't catch on the base of the pan. When they are crisp and golden brown, which should take 2-3 minutes, lift them, using a draining spoon, on to crumpled kitchen paper to drain. If you want to make the garnish in advance, you can re-frizzle the sprouts in a hot frying pan just before serving. Serve the soup in hot bowls with a little crème fraîche spooned on top of each one and garnished with the frizzled sprouts.

Brussel Sprouts Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. Brussels sprouts

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 sm. onion, chopped

2 tbsp. medium-dry sherry (optional)

3 c. chicken broth

Freshly grated nutmeg

Salt & pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes, until soft and lightly colored, but not brown.

Stir in sherry, if using, then add broth.

Bring to a boil, add the sprouts, a pinch of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

Lower the heat slightly, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Pass the soup through a strainer, or leave to cool slightly, then puree in a food processor.

Return the soup to the rinsed-out pan and warm through.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Sprinkle nutmeg or croutons on each serving.

Alternately, swirl a little light cream in the soup before serving.