Posh or plain? This is the question some of us are asking at this time of the year when it comes to brussel sprouts. Last weekend I was reading the latest edition of delicious magazine and they were asking their readers the same thing – how do you prefer your sprouts at Christmas? And it seems we are divided, myself included! I first made these Caramelised Onion, Parmesan and Walnut Roasted Brussel Sprouts only a couple of weeks ago. I like sprouts but end up not having them that often and when I do I either simply boil them or roast them with a bit of lemon and garlic. But I wanted to do something a little different so I was thinking about what goes well with sprouts, and more importantly, what can I make that my sprout hating husband will actually eat? Because in the end whatever I blog is actually our dinner that night! I started to think about something creamy, because if you make it creamy and buttery then everyone will love it.. This is where the parmesan was added. Nuts always work well and gives the sprouts a bit of texture and I wanted to add a little sweetness so caremelised onions are the perfect fit.
So that was my Christmas brussel sprout themed blog ready to go and my husband even asked for seconds! I told him that I could make this on Christmas day and this is when the topic of posh or plain? came up again. He made a good point. Some people actually prefer brussel sprouts to be plain for Christmas dinner. I can relate to that. For me it is typical and traditional to have a big bowl of steaming boiled brussel sprouts brought to the table and piled high next to the turkey. But for others the idea of a load of plain boiled brussel sprouts is so disgusting that it is about to destroy all that delicious turkey, ham and pigs in blankets (sausages wrapped in bacon) on the table.
Love them or hate them brussel sprouts sum up the festive season like no other vegetable but they are not just for Christmas! Sprouts are at their best from mid October until end of February/ March , so if you want to keep with tradition and boil those sprouts for Christmas then this recipe can be used another time (when you are sick of boiled sprouts!). If you are looking to do something a little different this Christmas then I really recommend this dish. I would even do half plain boiled and the other half with this recipe. It will keep everyone at the dinner table happy and might even mean that for once there isn’t still a big bowl of leftover brussel sprouts at the of dinner on Christmas day!
- 1kg brussel sprouts
- 50g grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbspn creme fraiche
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
- Juice of half a lemon
- 50g walnuts (crushed)
- 3 red onions (peeled and finely chopped)
- 2 tbpsn balsamic vinegar
- 2 tspn plain white sugar
- 50ml white wine
- 10g butter
- Salt/ Pepper
- Preheat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
- Trim the sprouts and cut in half. Add them to a roasting dish with a dash of olive oil and the garlic and place in the oven for 15 mins.
- In the meantime add the butter to a saucepan. Add the sugar and once melted add the red onions. Mix well and then pour in the balsamic vinegar and white wine and cooked for around 5 mins until the onions are soft and the liquid has dissolved. This will take around 10 mins.
- Take the sprouts out of the oven and add the creme fraiche, lemon juice and parmesan to the roasting tin. Mix well with the sprouts and then add the onions. Mix again. Top with the crushed walnuts and some salt and pepper and pop back in the oven for 5 mins.
- Take out of the oven and serve right away.
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