I don't think it's too much of an exaggeration to say that Brits have pretty much completely ruined the humble sprout. Not only does their eternal association with the festive period no doubt leave many feeling tense just at the thought of cooking that family dinner, but boiling or steaming these bad boys does absolutely nothing for them taste wise. Please believe me when I say that roasting or sauteéing sprouts instead of boiling them is utterly transformative. Even those of you particularly sensitive to bitter tastes may well come round to the idea after you've tried these.
The lemon and chilli really lifts the flavours here, and who can go wrong with a bit (ok, a lot)of garlic? When it comes to the garlic in this dish, you've got two options. For those of you with a bit more time and inclination, caramelising the garlic cloves will take about 10 to 15 minutes, but is well worth it. If you don't have the time, black garlic is a great substitute - if you can find it that is (if not, just chuck 5 standard cloves into the pan for roasting with the sprouts). Black garlic is just normal garlic that's been slow roasted until caramelised into squidgy, balsamicky goodness. It's sold either in cloves, or pre-peeled in tubs, and available in some larger supermarkets and health food shops.
What's the A to V?
Sprouts are a fantastic source of vitamin C and vitamin K, as well as vitamins B9 (folate) and B6. As a member of the cruciferous family, they're also a brilliant source of choline.
Ingredients (Serves 4 as a side):
500g brussels sprouts
5 shallots, peeled and halved
2 small preserved lemons, finely chopped
2 pickled chillis or 1 red chilli, finely chopped
7 cloves of garlic (with 2 tbsps of balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze, 1 tbsp of olive oil, 90 ml of water, and 1 tsp of sugar if caramelising) OR 4 cloves of black garlic, chopped.
Generous handful of coriander, chopped
2 tbsp's of olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
Squeeze of lemon, to finish.
Method
Wash your sprouts, and place in a baking tray. You might want to trim the tough stalk bits at the end, but there's no need to piss about putting crosses in the bottom of your sprouts as with boiling. I tend to halve the larger sprouts and toss the smaller ones into the tray whole.
Add your shallots, season with your salt, pepper and olive oil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 180 degrees, or until golden brown and soft.
Meanwhile if you have the time to caramelise your garlic, first blanch the cloves in a pan of boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove the cloves and briefly rinse in cold water. In a dry pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and on a high heat fry your cloves until golden brown for roughly 2 minutes. Add the water, vinegar, sugar, and a generous pinch of sea salt and turn the heat down. Simmer for roughly 10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced down to a syrupy mixture.
Once your sprouts are cooked through, remove from the oven and mix in your garlic (with the syrup if you've opted for the caramelising method), chilli, lemon and coriander and mix well. finish with a squeeze of lemon and serve.