Brussel sprouts and pancetta in a mustard cream sauce

Ingredients:
1.5 oz Pancetta
1 small onion, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup cream
3 teaspoon mustard (Beaver Creek deli) or other mustard with whole seeds.
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved and very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon white wine tarragon vinegar

Directions:
Cook onion in olive oil at medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.
Add pancetta and over medium heat cook 5 - 10 minutes more.
You want the onion to carmelize a little and the pancetta to be cooked.
Add brussel sprouts, salt, and 1/2 cup of water and cook, stirring often, until tender, 6 to 10 minutes.
Stir in vinegar, cream and mustard and cook until sauce thickens a little.

Recipe submitted by msojka

Brussel sprouts dijonaise

Submitted by eartha

Ingredients:
1 Tree of brussel sprouts
1 head Romanesco Broccoli, broken up
2 clove garlic, minced
sea salt and pepper to taste
4 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2-3 teas. Dijon mustard
1/4 C. capers well drained
grated zest of 1 lemon
3 Tablespoons of fresh marjoram or oregono
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Steam or blanch in boiling water the brussel sprouts and romanesco for 5 minutes.
Toss with remaining ingredients with desired amount of grated Parmesan cheese.
Steam brussel sprouts and romanesco broccoli for 5 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and toss with desired amount of Parmesan cheese.

Parsnip Purée with Sautéed Brussels Sprouts Leaves

Ingredients:
3 pounds parsnips, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups whole milk
10 ounces Brussels sprouts
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons water

Directions:
Cook parsnips in a 5-to 6-quart pot of boiling water with 1 tablespoon salt, covered, until very tender, 15 to 20 minutes, then drain.
Purée hot parsnips with butter, milk, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a food processor until smooth.
Season with salt, then transfer to a serving dish and keep warm, covered.
Meanwhile, remove and reserve all but smallest leaves from Brussels sprouts, trimming stem ends as necessary.
Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook leaves, tossing occasionally, until browned in patches, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add water and cook, tossing, until leaves are slightly wilted and water has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
Season with salt and scatter leaves over parsnip purée.

Cooks’ notes:
Parsnip purée can be made 1 day ahead and chilled.
Reheat in a heavy saucepan over low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes.
Leaves can be separated 1 day ahead and chilled in a sealable bag.

Cauliflower and Brussels Sprout Gratin With Pine Nut-Breadcrumb

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed, quartered lengthwise through core
1 1/2 lbs heads cauliflower, trimmed, cut into small florets
2 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup chopped shallot
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 cups grated parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:
Fill large bowl with ice and cold water.
Cook brussels sprouts in large pot of generously salted boiling water, 2 minutes.
Add cauliflower to same pot; cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes longer. Drain. Transfer vegetables to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain well.
Combine cream, shallots, and sage in large saucepan.
Bring to boil.
Reduce heath; simmer until mixture is reduced to 2 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes.
Season with salt.
Remove from heat. Cool slightly.
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Add breadcrumbs; stir until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.
Transfer to bowl; cool.
Stir in pine nuts and parsley.
Season with salt and pepper.
Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish; arrange half of vegetables in dish.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then 1 1/2 cups Parmesan.
Arrange remaining vegetables evenly over, then sprinkle with remaining 1/12 cups Parmesan. Pour cream mixture evenly over.
(DO AHEAD Breadcrumb topping and gratin can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.)
Preheat oven to 375.
Cover gartin with foil.
Bake covered 40 minutes.
Uncover; sprinkle breadcrumb topping over and bake uncovered 15 minutes longer.

Golden Crusted Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:
24 small brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice

Directions:
Wash the brussels sprouts well.
Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves.
Cut in half from stem to top and gently rub each half with olive oil, keeping it intact (or if you are lazy just toss them in a bowl with a glug of olive oil).
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your largest skillet over medium heat.
Don’t overheat the skillet, or the outsides of the brussels sprouts will cook too quickly.
Place the brussels sprouts in the pan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning.
Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they’re tender throughout.
If not, cover and cook for a few more minutes.
Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized.
Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side.
Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a dusting of grated cheese.
While you might be able to get away with keeping a platter of these warm in the oven for a few minutes, they are exponentially tastier if popped in your mouth immediately.

Indian-Style Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed, and cut in half
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. cumin powder
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 cup water
juice of 1 lime
a small handful fresh cilantro, washed and chopped

Directions:
Saute Brussels sprouts in olive oil for a few minutes. Add garlic, ginger, sugar, and spices, continuing to stir. Add water and lime juice, and cook, stirring occasionally until sprouts are nearly done to your taste. Add cilantro and finish cooking. Taste and adjust seasonings.

This is also excellent with the addition of a few red potatoes, peeled and chopped fine, and sauteed with the Brussels sprouts in the first step.

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.

Flatulance

Love 'em or hate 'em - you just can't have Christmas dinner without having Brussels sprouts! The problem is they do tend to have unpleasant side effects on the digestive system... read on to find out how to cook your spouts without gassing your gran!

Sprouts have an unfortunate reputation for causing flatulence.

This is because of their high content of carbohydrates, which are difficult for the body to digest. Microbes in our large intestine take advantage of the undigested carbohydrate and ferment it, producing large quantities of methane that escapes in the natural manner.

But you can make them easier on the system by blanching them first.

Before cooking, plunge them into boiling water for sixty seconds, then plunge them into freezing cold water (seriously - put ice cubes in it!) for sixty seconds. This will stop the cooking process immediately. You can leave them in the cold water until you're ready to cook them. Then cook as usual.

Brussels Sprouts in Riesling with Bacon

In Alsace cabbage is often braised in Riesling, a wine that also has an affinity with Brussels sprouts. If you can get tiny button sprouts for this so much the better, but in any event they should be tight and firm and not too large.

Ingredients:
1½ lb (700 g) Brussels sprouts, prepared
6 fl oz (175 ml) Riesling
4 oz (110 g) smoked bacon rashers with rinds
1 level dessertspoon butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Directions:
Cut the rinds off the bacon rashers and, in your very largest frying pan, melt the butter over a gentle heat.
Keeping the heat to a minimum, add the bacon rinds to the pan and let them gently cook and release their fat, which will permeate the butter.
Meanwhile snip the bacon rashers into small pieces, then add them to the pan along with the shallots and garlic to begin cooking.
While that's happening, place the sprouts in a steamer, sprinkle them with salt, and steam them over boiling water for 4 minutes or so which should be enough just to half-cook them.
After that turn the heat up under the frying pan, add the sprouts and toss them around for 2 or 3 minutes or until they begin to take on a little colour.
Now turn the heat up high, pour in the wine and let it bubble and reduce while you constantly turn the sprouts over and over to soak up the flavour of the wine.
As soon as the sprouts are tender and the wine has reduced to about 2 tablespoons, transfer them to a serving dish, add a little freshly milled pepper and serve straightaway.

This recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Christmas.

Brussels Sprouts, Apple and Juniper Berry Recipe

Ingredients:
1 lb/ 250g Brussels sprouts, cleaned and trimmed
1 eating apple, Cox's are best
8 fl oz/ 250ml apple juice
1 tbsp juniper berries
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Prepare the brussels sprouts by cutting a cross in the bottom of each each.
Cut the apple into quarters, remove the core and slice thinly.
Pour the apple juice into a pan and bring to the boil.
Add the sprouts and the sliced apple.
Crush the juniper berries, add to the pan and season.
Simmer gently, uncovered for 5-6 minutes, or until the sprouts are tender.
Serve straight away.

Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios

Ingredients:
1 pound Brussels sprouts
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
3 shallots
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, divided
1 tsp. sugar
kosher salt, to taste
1/4 cup chopped pistachios

Directions:
Trim Brussels sprouts and cut an X in the bottom, at the stem.
This will ensure even cooking.
Put in a large pot and cover with water.
Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low.
Let Brussels sprouts simmer for 6 minutes or until tender.
Be careful not to overcook. Drain.
Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat.
Add shallots and saute a minute or two.
Add 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar and continue cooking until shallots brown.
Stir in the Brussels sprouts, making sure to coat with shallots and olive oil.
Sprinkle sugar on top of sprouts, then add remaining olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Continue cooking until Brussels sprouts are tender and browned.
Season with kosher salt and top with pistachios.

Brussels sprouts with chestnuts and orange herb butter

Ingredients:
40g unsalted butter, softened
Finely grated zest of ½ orange
Small handful of fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
1kg fresh Brussels sprouts
200g pack cooked and peeled whole chestnuts, roughly chopped

Directions:
Make the orange butter:
Put the butter, zest and parsley in a bowl, season, and beat until smooth.
Wrap in greaseproof paper and chill for 15 minutes.

Wash the sprouts in salted water.
Drain, rinse, and discard any damaged leaves.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the sprouts and blanch for 3-4 minutes.
Drain and plunge into cold water.
Repeat, until cool, then drain and set aside.

Just before serving, melt half the orange butter in a frying pan over a medium-high heat.
Add the sprouts and chestnuts and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, until tender.
Season and put in a serving dish.
Dot the rest of the butter over the top to serve.

Recipe with thanks to Mitzie Wilson

Festive sprouts Recipe

This is an ideal accompaniment to Christmas dinner, but can be used with other strong meats such as game.

Ingredients:
900g fresh baby sprouts washed and halved

200g streaky bacon (smoked or unsmoked depending on taste)

300g fresh chestnuts shelled (or use canned)

Soy sauce

25g butter

salt and pepper to season

Direction:

Chop the bacon crosswise into 0.5cm strips then fry in a little oil for 2–3 minutes, or until opaque then add the sprouts and stir-fry for about 4 minutes.

Add the chestnuts and stir-fry for 2 minutes (for a richer flavour 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce can be added at this point).

Then add the butter and allow to melt and coat the sprout mixture.

Penne with Bacon and Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:

8 oz. penne, cooked al dente
4 pieces of bacon, chopped and cooked until crispy

1/2 red onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 red pepper, minced

salt and pepper to taste
1 cup-ish brussel sprouts, quartered

mozzarella cheese, to taste

Directions:
While the bacon is cooking, start your pasta boiling and chop up the veggies.

Add the onion, garlic and red pepper to the bacon pan, salt and pepper to taste.

Turn the bacon down low to caramelize the onion and pepper and steam the brussel sprouts until they are softened, about 5 minutes or so, drain.

Layer pasta, brussel sprouts and top with the bacon-onion-pepper mixture and a handful of mozzarella cheese.

Roasted brussel sprouts in a pool of butternut squash puree

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash, halved lengthwise and pulp/seeds scooped out
1 tablespoon margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds of brussel sprouts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
To make the squash puree:

Place the squash, cut side facing down, on a greased baking sheet and place in preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes, until the skin can be quite easily pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven.

While the squash is roasting, saute the onion in the margarine.

When squash is cooled, scoop out the flesh and place it in the food processor along with the sauted onions, nutmeg, maple syrup, and salt and pepper to taste.

Puree until smooth.

Place in a microwave-safe container and refrigerate until ready to use.

To roast the brussel sprouts:

Wash and cut off the stalk ends of the sprouts, and place in a large bowl.

Toss with the oil, salt, and pepper.

Spread in a single layer on a baking pan, and roast in a preheated 375 degree F oven for about 35 to 45 minutes.

The outside will be crisp and the inside tender.

Choose a decorative serving dish.

Re-heat the squash puree in your microwave oven, and carefully spoon the puree onto the serving dish.

Gently and decoratively place the roasted brussel sprouts on top of this.

Serve immediately.

Makes 6 - 8 side servings, depending upon your eaters’ appetites.

Recipe with thanks to "Got No Milk"

Cauliflower and Brussels Sprout Gratin with Pine Nut-Breadcrumb Topping

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed, quartered lengthwise through core
1 1 1/2-to 1 3/4-pound head of cauliflower, trimmed, cut into small florets
2 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
11/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:

Fill large bowl with ice and cold water.

Cook brussels sprouts in large pot of generously salted boiling water 2 minutes.

Add cauliflower to same pot; cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes longer. Drain. Transfer vegetables to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain well.
Combine cream, shallots, and sage in large saucepan.

Bring to boil.

Reduce heat; simmer until mixture is reduced to 21/2 cups, about 10 minutes.

Season with salt. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Add breadcrumbs; stir until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to bowl; cool.

Stir in pine nuts and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish; arrange half of vegetables in dish.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then 1 1/2 cups Parmesan.

Arrange remaining vegetables evenly over, then sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 cups Parmesan. Pour cream mixture evenly over.
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cover gratin with foil. Bake covered 40 minutes.

Uncover; sprinkle breadcrumb topping over and bake uncovered 15 minutes longer.

Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts, stem ends sliced off, outer layer of leaves removed, sprouts halved lengthwise through the core

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted in the microwave in 10-second increments

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup heavy cream

Topping:

1/2 cup panko

1/4 ounce fresh Parmesan, grated

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Toss the Brussels sprouts with the butter, salt and pepper.

Arrange in a shallow baking dish just large enough for a generous single layer. (The sprouts do shrink while roasting so some overlap is good.)

Roast for about 35 minutes (stirring well after 15, 25 and 35 minutes) until the sprouts are very nearly cooked through and brown in spots.

Pour the cream over top and return to the oven for 5 - 10 minutes (stirring after 5 and 10 minutes) until cream thickens, coats the Brussels sprouts and darkens slightly.

Remove from oven, switch oven to the broiler.

Mix topping ingredients and spread evenly over top.

Place under broiler for 5 - 10 minutes until topping turns crisp and golden.

Brussels Sprouts with Toasted breadcrumbs and Lemon

Recipe by Susan from Food Blogga

Ingredients:
3 cups Brussels sprouts,halved

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Pinch of lemon zest

¼ cup breadcrumbs, toasted

Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

Peel off any marked outer leaves of the sprouts and trim the bottoms; slice in half.

Boil for 3-4 minutes.

Drain and plunge into a bowl of ice water; this will stop the cooking and maintain the sprouts' vibrant color.
To toast the breadcrumbs, place in a dry skillet over medium-low heat.

Cook for 2-3 minutes, while giving the pan handle a few shakes to toast the breadcrumbs evenly. Once they begin to turn golden, remove them from the heat and place in a bowl, as the heat from the pan will continue to toast them.

Meanwhile in a skillet over medium heat, sauté the garlic in the butter.

Once the butter begins to bubble up and the garlic starts to jump a little, add the sprouts.

Cook about 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown spots start to appear on the sprouts. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.

Add the toasted breadcrumbs into the skillet and toss gently.

Add more breadcrumbs on top before serving; sprinkle with lemon zest if desired.