I’m pretty sure this recipe came into my repertoire because either no one wanted to tuck into tired ol’ sprouts over Chrimbo dinner or mum went leftfield. What we ended up with was a show stopper and has been recreated every year since, and can be served throughout the year as long as you can get hold of sprouts. I even shred spare sprouts and freeze them fresh for a summer’s day.
Boiling a sprout pretty much kills it. Steaming comes a crawling second. Eating them raw-likes-thems-grows means you get all that cholesterol lowering goodness. I’m uneasy to use the word ‘bile’ whilst talking about food, but the fibre in sprouts binds really well with bile acids that carries out the cholesterol busting task. In a quest for ‘vein vanity’, that sounds pretty sweet. Cautious to take all the credit (!) I’m pretty sure this is a recipe that deserves credit to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
Makes a side serving for 6
20 sprouts, outter leaves discarded and inside shredded
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
150ml olive oil
A bunch of flat-leafed parsley, chopped
A small bunch of tarragon, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp fresh horseradish, grated
1 rounded tsp of capers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
All the effort that is needed for this dish goes into shredding the sprouts. Do get rid of the root and the outer leaves. Then slice the sprouts as thinly or thickly as you like crunch. It takes a short while but it’s worth it. Then add the rest of the ingredients and serve fresh. I love this as a side to something hot, like a roast, or even as a stand alone for a lunch.
Mr BEAVER'S KITCHEN 