Quick question on cooking sprouts....

knithryn

When you cut the cross in them, in the bottom, the idea is to let the base cook fairly quickly, so make the cuts quite deep. i don't think that was mentioned.
You can eat them raw too (apparently)... though I'm not a huge fan of them.
You can also save any leftover cooked ones and use them fried with bacon and any mashed potato.

tandraig

Bongedone wrote: »

Open packet and tip them in the bin. You do not have to suffer sprouts.

you have obviously been subjected to badly cooked sprouts. prepared properly and cooked properly - sprouts are delicious!

sprouts should be prepared by taking off discoloured or loose leaves. the stalk should be trimmed closely. then taking a sharp knife cut a cross in the stalk. (ignore chefs who say this is old-fashioned). then boil a good amount of water, add a teaspoon or so of salt, and put sprouts in, boil for about 6 - 8 minutes- fish one out and check if its cooked! larger sprouts may need 10 minutes.
I like to drain them then toss in some butter and black pepper.

my fave sprout recipe tho is
remove loose leaves
slice them up
heat up some sunflower oil
toss in some sliced onion, grated ginger and crushed garlic
toss in the sprouts
heat for one minute then add soya sauce
stir for another minute - and serve!
doesnt go with xmas dinner tho!

jexygirl

lol the great sprout debate!

I have a friend who insists they are "gods revenge for commercialising christmas!"

And another who insists on having one on his plate, but he wont eat it!

OT, I peel off the outer leaves, trim the bottom, cut an X in it, and boiling (not to death, they should still shine lovely and green, and be quite firm!) I toss them in a little nutmeg and butter.

Mine have been prepared for about 3 days already and left in a tub in the fridge! (not in water!)

Enjoy!
Jex

leed

Oh the joys of Christmas food! Last year in the Telegraph they has a recipe of Sprouts with Pecans and mapel sypup - it was lovely.
quantites serves 8-10 so reduce as appropriate
1kg sprouts trimmed
100g butter plus a knob
2tblsp maple syrup
100g pecan nuts coarsely broken

cook spouts 3-4 mins until tender with a crisp bite (although how you would know this without tasting one I don't know!)
beat butter and maple syrup together
melt remaining knob of butter in frying pan, when foams add pecan nuts, stir once or twice to warm.
Add sprouts, fry for a minute, season with Salt and pepper.
Add maple butter to pan, roll sprouts in butter until well coated.
Serve and enjoy.

beth1230

Me and the kids hate sprouts and DH only eats a couple, we love bubble and squeek on boxing day though, I mash all left over veg and potatoes up and fry, we have it with all the left over turkey and pickles yummyxx

beth1230

" And another who insists on having one on his plate, but he wont eat it!" hah thats me!!!

jillymit

Just to add. I boil the water in the pan before putting the sprouts in as this keeps them lovely and bright green.

b4be

antenna wrote: »

Sprouts.........spawn of the devil.....cut out the middle man and flush them straight down the toilet

dont think they flush as they float in water :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

[Deleted User]

I think sprouts are a bit like the Marmite thing, you either like 'em or loathe 'em. Myself I quite like them, but then I will eat anything virtually that's been put before me on a plate ,especially if I haven't had to cook it. My youngest DD will cook them, but my eldest hates them with avengence (probably my fault for insisting she ate the four I would put on her plate when little at Christmas). My late Mum always said it was a great way to sort out your digestive system if you have over indulged at Christmas;) I like then slighly under cooked with a bit of a crisp crunch to them I would peel off the outside leaves and trim up the stalk at the bottom and slice a cross in it. One of my elderly relatives swore this was to let the devil out,(she was a little odd at times ) I also do the same if I cook a whole cauliflower,I think it helps the water to cook the middle of them a bit. Mind you I like cauli, raw in salads.
shame fresh are only really available during winter months I can't stand the frozen ones as they seem to have little taste at all

paddy's_mum

Can I just add that there's a sound reason for cutting a cross in the base of sprouts but it's misunderstood by most people. Here's what my local grower taught me :-

The logic of cutting the base is to let the heat into the heart of the piece and prevent over-boiling, where the heart is still raw but the outer leaves are boiled to a slimy pulp. It also effectively allows sprouts of different sizes to be cooked and ready all at the same time.

A sprout as big as a walnut should have a two armed cross cut down to half its depth. Another sprout from the same bag which is the size of a large grape should have the cross cut down to about one third of its depth, smaller still and cut only one arm .. and so on down the sizes until you get to small sprouts which don't need cutting at all.

If you bear in mind that the slits open out while cooking, it stands to reason really, that the bigger ones will then be done at the same time as the smaller ones.

Incidentally, they should be dropped into already boiling water, not started from cold. I keep my ready prepared ones in the fridge, dry, and they are fine for two or three days. Sprouts bought on the stalk and stored in a cool place (garage, shed ..?) will be fresh for much longer, easily up to two weeks and longer if you're willing to trim a little more. Hope that helps someone in the rush and run-up of today.