Cuisine – Hide-n-seek with Brussel’s sprouts

Last winter I decided that since I was now a grown up I should really give Brussel’s sprouts a chance to prove my perceptions wrong. There had to be a way to turn this horrid, bitter vegetable into something I’d gladly eat.

Stir-frying it with lashings of garlic and bacon is one good way to hide the flavour. I also found that I didn’t mind them tossed in a little ground cumin and coriander and then roasted. But the recipe below was by far my favourite as it totally hid the Brussel’s sprouts, so I didn’t really know I was eating them.

I did give the sprout a chance, but to be perfectly honest, it never will be my favourite vegetable. I think I will only ever tolerate it if it is cunningly disguised; but that doesn’t mean I will give up trying to find a way to like them more.

Warm Winter Coleslaw
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 stalks celery, thinly sliced on angle
2 carrots, grated
1 cup sliced cabbage or Brussel’s sprouts
2 cup sliced silverbeet &/or spinach &/or kale
½ cup thinly sliced capsicum
¼ cup parsley, chopped
Zest & juice of ½ lemon
Pepper & salt
Water, wine or stock

Method
In a large pan, heat the olive oil and cook the onion and garlic until the onion is soft.
Add the rosemary, celery and carrot and cook for two minutes, add the Brussel’s sprouts and kale cook for a further two minutes. Add a splash of water/wine/stock if it starts sticking to the pan. When the vegetables soften, stir through the parsley, lemon and season to taste with pepper and salt.

Variations
Add or subtract different vegetables depending on what is in season, what you have on hand, or what you like. Use bokchoy or other Asian greens instead of kale or silverbeet, with a dash of soy and chopped coriander to go with an Asian inspired meal. Use red cabbage instead of green for a bit more colour; or grate in the stalk of broccoli to use it up.