Brussel Sprout and Mushroom Hash

One use for those leftover brussels sprouts!

Brussel Sprout and Mushroom Hash (from Closet Cooking)
(Serves 2)

1 tbsp oil
1 small onion, finely diced
225g mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp thyme, chopped
450g brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced
salt and pepper
4 eggs

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onions and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms release their moisture, it evaporates and the mushrooms start to go brown, about 15 mins.

Add the garlic, thyme and brussels sprouts, saute until tender, about 5 mins, let sit until the bottoms start to caramelise, about 5 mins, then mix everything up and season. Make small wells in the hash, add the eggs and cook until you're happy wth them.

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Raclette

I had some chestnuts leftover from the some soup I made a couple of weeks ago and thought that this brussels recipe was a perfect side dish. I ate it with some merguez sausages I bought in France, which were disappointingly not very spicy. Either I was a wuss as a kid, I always thought merguez were the spiciest things ever, or these were really unspicy for merguez, they were lovely and full of paprika but not spicy at all, very disappointing. They did go really well with this side dish though adding another layer of flavour.

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Raclette (adapted from Bon Appetit)
(Serves 4)

200g box vacuum packed roast chestnuts, halved

5 sprigs thyme

1 sprig rosemary

3 garlic cloves

pinch of crushed chilli flakes

450g brussels sprouts, stemmed, quartered

salt

100g raclette cheese, grated or sliced

 

Pre-heat the grill. Cook the brussels sprouts in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until tender on the outside but still crunchy on the inside, about 2 mins; drain.

Heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat; add the brussels sprouts, thyme, rosemary, garlic and chilli flakes and cook until tender and browned, 6–8 mins.

Add the chestnuts to brussels sprouts; season to taste with salt and remove the parsley and thyme and transfer to a shallow baking dish. Lay the raclette over the Brussels and chestnuts. Grill until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 4–5 mins.

Mushroom and Brussels Sprouts Hash

We had some extra brussels sprouts leftover from Christmas plus I bought a packet from Tesco for 10p! This was something a little different to do with brussels sprouts besides Christmas dinner and it was very tasty and a lovely carb free brunch of lunch.

Mushroom and Brussels Sprouts Hash (from Closet Cooking)
(Serves 2)

1 tbsp oil

1 small onion, finely diced

225g mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp thyme, chopped

450g brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced

salt and pepper

2 eggs

Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the onions and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms release their moisture, it evaporates and the mushrooms start to caramelize, about 15 mins.

Add the garlic, thyme and brussels sprouts, saute until tender, about 5 mins, let sit until the bottoms start to caramelize, about 5 mins, mix everything up, let sit for 5 mins and mix it all up. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Create small wells in the hash, add the eggs and cook until the desired level of doneness. Put under a hot grill to cook the tops if desired.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I finally found some chicken sausage in a butchers in Walthamstow, but I found it a bit dry in this dish. I think I could have done with a bit more pasta water to loosen things off a bit. Also this is something a bit different to do with those leftover brussels sprouts.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Roasted Brussels Sprouts (from Two Peas and a Pot)
(Serves 4)

450g brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and outer leaves removed, then sliced in half

3 tbsp oil

salt and pepper

250g dried pasta shapes

4 chicken sausage links, sliced 1/2cm thick

4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

4 tbsp pesto

Parmesan cheese, for serving

Preheat oven to 200C. In a large bowl, mix together brussels sprouts, 2 tbsp oil, salt and pepper. Gently stir until well-combined.

Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then spread the brussels sprouts on it evenly. Roast for about 15-30 mins, stirring once partway through, until they are crispy on the outside and cooked on the inside. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until nearly-browned, about 6-8 mins. Add the garlic, and continue cooking for another 1-2 mins until the garlic is fragrant and the sausage is browned.

Meanwhile Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water, and then toss together the pasta, pesto, cooked sausage and garlic, and brussels sprouts. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if needed for extra moisture.

Serve sprinkled with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

Guinea Fowl, Sprout and Bacon Pie

My Mum brought me back some guinea fowl from France as it's impossible to get anything other than a whole bird here and that's too much for me. As I also had brussels sprouts leftover from Christmas I made this delicious pie from Waitrose Kitchen Magazine. The pie was lovely, I made it a bit healthier by using filo instead of puff pastry and it worked really well.

Guinea Fowl, Sprout and Bacon Pie
(adapted from Waitrose Magazine January 2014)
(Serves 6-8)

1 whole guinea fowl
2 large carrots, cut into 2cm pieces
2 leeks, sliced
3 bay leaves
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp salt
20g thyme
1 tbsp oil
200g smoked bacon
25g butter
250g mushrooms
200g brussels sprouts, halved or quartered
2 tsp mustard
300ml low fat crème fraiche
1 packet filo pastry
oil

Put the guinea fowl, carrots, leeks, bay leaves, peppercorn, salt and half the thyme in a large pan. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil and skim off any scum. Simmer for 1 hr 5 mins (or 20 mins per 450g plus 20 mins). Transfer the bird to a plate and shred the meat, discarding the skin, bones and herbs Strain the stock and reserve, slice the leeks and set aside with the carrots.

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Fry the bacon over a high heat until crisp about 4-5 mins. Add the butter, stir in the mushrooms, fry for three more mins until golden. Pour in 200ml of the stock and bring to a boil, then add the sprouts. Boil until the liquid is reduced, thickened and coats the veg.

Take off the heat, stir through the mustard, crème fraiche, meat, reserved veg and leaves from the rest of the thyme. Season and tip into a large pie dish.

Preheat the oven to 200C. Brush the edges of the pie dish with oil. Unroll the filo pastry and lay a sheet of pastry over the pie dish. Brush with olive oil then repeat with the other sheet. Scrunch up the overhanging pastry, fold onto the pie’s surface, and brush with olive oil. Bake for 25-30 mins or until golden and crisp.

Vegetarian Christmas Burgers

I realise it is a little late to be posting Christmas recipes at the end of January but I did make these after Christmas, froze a bunch and then had one last week. It was again a good way of using up that leftover uncooked veg from Christmas. The original recipe used cranberries but I didn't have any, what I did have in abundance though is frozen sweetcorn so I added that instead, making the burger feel a bit more summerish maybe?! I served it with cheese, tomato chutney and lettuce in a wholemeal bun.

I also quickly want to say that I love Shaheen's blog, Allotment2Kitchen, where this recipe came from. Although I am not vegan and not even vegetarian I have found so many recipes that I want to make!

Vegetarian Christmas Burgers (adapted from Allotment2Kitchen)
Makes 8 burgers

100g bulgar wheat
1 medium parsnips, grated
1 medium carrot, grated
4 raw Brussels sprouts, grated
1 medium onion, grated
200g chickpea flour
40g sweetcorn, cooked
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the bulgar wheat according to the packet instructions. When cooked, leave to cool.

Put the grated vegetables into a large bowl, stir in the flour, sweetcorn, sage and season to taste. When the bulgar wheat has cooled down add it to the bowl. 

Divide the mixture into 6 – 8 burger shapes and place on a tray. Leave to rest for a while to firm up.

Heat the oven to 200C and place the burgers spread out on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 mins until they look set and cooked but aren't too brown. They are then perfect for freezing at this point.

When ready to eat, defrost the burgers thoroughly and heat some oil in a wide frying pan. Cook the burgers gently for about 3-4 mins on each side until brown and crisp. Serve immediately.

Bubble and Squeak

I did come home with a small amount of leftover veg after our meal on Boxing Day, a few brussels and some courgettes, not really enough to do anything major with but I was sure I could find something. I added some carrots and spring greens and came up with a bubble and squeak cake, it is, after all, the traditional thing to eat after a roast meal. The first half of the cake I served with leftover cold roast pork and some pickle. The second half I had topped with a poached egg as an accompaniement to meatloaf. I can heartily recommend both!

Bubble and Squeak
(Serves 2)

1 tsp ducks fat, goose fat or butter
2 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped
leftover veg (Brussels sprouts (sliced), cabbage, carrots, courgettes, greens)
200g cold leftover mashed potatoes (I used leftover swede and potato mash)

Heat a small frying pan and melt the fat, allow it to get nice and hot, then add the bacon fry for a couple of minutes. Next, add leftover veg and let it colour slightly, another couple of minutes.

Next, add the potato. Work everything together in the pan and push it down so that the mixture covers the base of the pan - allow the mixture to catch slightly on the base of the pan before turning it over and doing the same again. Cut in half and serve.

Boxing Day Soup

This is a fantastic soup to use up all that leftover veg after Christmas or if like me you went elsewhere for Christmas the cheap veg you bought in the supermarket after Christmas! Again it tasted better after a day or so than when eaten straight away.

Boxing Day Soup (adapted from Good Food Magazine January 2002)
(Serves 4)

1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium leek, sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 tbsp curry paste
1.2l vegetable stock
550g leftover roasted or boiled vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips or squash, roughly chopped

To fry the vegetables, heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion for 5 minutes until golden. Stir in the leeks and fry for 5 minutes, then tip in the potatoes and fry for a further 1-2 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in the curry paste, let it cook for a minute or so, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil and stir well. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Tip the leftover veg into the pan and warm through for a few minutes. Using a hand blender whizz the soup to a puree and then thin down to the consistency you like with hot water or stock, then taste for seasoning. Serve

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Sage

I've had a lovely Christmas this year, we were joined by my sister, her husband and my two nieces, Arabella whose 4 and Lucy whose almost 6 months, this added so much enjoyment to my Christmas. Arabella and I tracked Father Christmas on Christmas Eve and watched the little videos as he flew past various historic sights. I also helped pack her Father Christmas presents and went to see her when she woke up in the morning and he'd been! The excitement on her face was wonderful to see and reminded me of all the excitement when I was little and Father Christmas had been! It was fantastic to have them with us for Lucy's first Christmas too, especially when the paper is more exciting than the presents themselves! Everyone is now on their way back home and I too am off back to London later today.

As what we eat on Christmas Day and Boxing Day doesn't vary much year on year, I thought I'd show you the side dish I made for both Boxing Day and Christmas Day. Most of us are not fans of sprouts, I won't eat them just boiled, they have that weird over cooked cabbage flavour which is quite frankly yuck! But I have discovered that if I add a bit of bacon or pancetta to them, a lot of butter and fry them for a bit they taste much better. I also added sage this year which tied in which the sage stuffing in the goose. There was not a sprout left in the house after boxing day!

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Sage (adapted from A Blanc Christmas - Raymond Blanc)
(Serves 4)

500g Brussels sprouts, bases and old leaves removed
salt and pepper
100g bacon or pancetta lardons
20g butter
1 tbsp chopped sage

Cook the Brussels sprouts in boiling water for 5-6 mins. While they are cooking pan fry the bacon in a large frying pan.

Drain the sprouts then add them to the bacon pan followed by the butter, melt to give the brussels a shine, then toss in the sage. Season with salt and pepper and serve.