How to enjoy sprouts beyond Christmas

By now we’ve all heard of kale, and it’s probably the current trend for the curly leaf we have to thank for putting brassicas and their benefits at the centre of the table. But riding on the coattails of kale is, surprisingly, the sprout. Loathed by many and over-boiled by plenty, sprouts are nonetheless increasingly sought after for meals besides the Christmas dinner.

Sales of sprouts are up by 13% to 32million kg in the past 12 months, according to recent research by Kantar Worldpanel. These miniature cabbages are now making their way into smoothies, salads and stir-fries, being charred and roasted through a culinary renaissance. And this increase in sales has led sprouts growers to extend their growing season beyond Christmas, so it now spans from August to April.

Whatever you think of trends, the popularity of brassicas can only be a good thing. Typically, the darker green the leaf, the more vitamins and minerals it contains. They’re packed rich with vitamins and antioxidants, which are essential for keeping your immune system healthy. They give you a potassium boost, which helps keep blood pressure down and are an excellent source of beta-carotene. Importantly for non-meat eaters, they’re a great source of iron, too.

For many, though, sprouts remain the only disappointing part of the festive plate, so why not cook yours a little differently and incorporate them into something other than your Christmas dinner? Unleash their nutty undertones, and discover what all the fuss is about with our easy recipe.


Beef and sprouts stir-fry
Pre 10 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 4

Ingredients:

300g Brussels sprouts, shredded or thinly sliced
1tbsp toasted sesame oil
500g lean beef, cut into strips
Bunch spring onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ head cabbage, shredded
Juice 1 lemon
4tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 x 250g packs ready-to-serve steamed basmati rice, to serve


Method:

1. Steam the Brussels sprouts until just tender, then set aside.

2. Add 2tsp of the sesame oil to a wok or frying pan and put over a high heat. Cook the beef in batches for 3 min or until browned, then transfer to a plate.

3. Add the remaining oil to the wok or pan. Stir-fry the spring onions, garlic and cabbage for 2 min or until soft. Put the sprouts and beef back in the pan, with the lemon juice and sweet chilli sauce and cook, stirring, for 1–2 more min. Serve with the steamed rice.

Easy variation Replace the lemon juice and sweet chilli sauce with 2tsp grated ginger and 3tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce.

Low cal
Low fat
Low saturates
Low sugar
Low salt
High protein
High iron
Gluten free
Dairy free
1 of 5-a-day

Per serve: 419kcal, 35.4 protein, 11.2g fat, 3.2g saturates, 46.9g carbs, 7.2g sugar, 6.3g fibre, 1.2g salt, 81mg calcium. 5.3mg iron


Top tips when shopping for sprouts

Choose firm, fresh-looking and brightly coloured veg that smell fresh and not ‘cabbagey’. Avoid any that are limp and browning at the edges.

Store in the fridge for up to four days. Sprouts on the stalk will keep in a cool place for several weeks.

Eat eight sprouts for a portion of your five-a-day

Cook Finely shred sprouts, then stir-fry in a little groundnut oil with garlic, ginger and lemon zest. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.

How to have a Scandi-style Christmas

While we all look forward to the festivities, the thought of impending overindulgence can seem daunting – especially if you’ve been working hard to eat healthily. But we just may have happened upon the perfect alternative Christmas dinner at a recent event with Scandinavian chef and author Signe Johansen, who indulged us in Christmas the Scandi way.

At the heart of the menu was minimal fuss and prep, just laid-back entertaining and great food. And with the Christmas lunch usually being a source of stress, we were all ears…

The alternative Christmas feast championed Norwegian salmon, kicking off with a starter of smoked salmon on sourdough, with cucumber, crème frâiche, dill and avocado. A whole roasted salmon with a kale and squash salad followed. Better yet, we were about to learn how to cook it the authentic Scandinavian way.

Try the recipes for yourself and let us know if you’ll be cheering skål this Christmas.

Smoked salmon on sourdough with crème frâiche, dill and avocado

This a classic Norwegian smørbrød, meaning ‘buttered bread’ or open sandwich. We used Norwegian smoked salmon, which is very lightly smoked, and not as salty as other smoked salmon I’ve tasted. My sandwich (traditionally eaten with a knife and fork) was ready in just a few minutes, and devoured in even less than that.

Serves 4

4 slices of toasted sourdough or rye bread
2 avocados, peeled, stone removed and sliced
8 slices (around 240g) Norwegian smoked salmon

Juice and zest 1 unwaxed lemon

4tbsp reduced-fat crème frâiche

1 small bunch dill, finely chopped
¼ cucumber, thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler

1. Top each slice of bread with avocado slices. Fold 2 slices of smoked salmon on top of each, then squeeze over some lemon juice.

2. Add a dollop of crème fraîche to each, then sprinkle over the dill and lemon zest. Season with freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately with the cucumber slices.

Per serving:

341kcal, 20.4g protein, 19.4g fat, 5.1g saturates, 20.6g carbs, 1.9g sugar, 5.4g fibre, 3.2g salt, 124mg calcium, 1.4mg iron

LOW CAL

LOW SUGAR

HIGH PROTEIN

1 OF 5-A-DAY

Whole roasted salmon with kale, butternut squash and pomegranate salad

Signe said roasted salmon is ‘the home cook’s best friend’ – definitely one if you’re looking for stress-free Christmas prep. Yet the whole roasted fish, stuffed with fresh vegetables and herbs, looks magnificent on the festive table. And then there’s the beautiful raw kale salad with roasted carrots and butternut squash. It’s light and wintry, comforting and clean, and can be made a few hours in advance. For a twist, Signe suggested adding teriyaki for an Asian flavour, or to bulk up the salad even more, try adding walnuts or other seasonal vegetables and nuts.

Serves 8-10

For the salmon

Oil, for greasing
1 whole Norwegian salmon (about 2 kg), descaled, gutted and cleaned

2 small red onions, thinly sliced
2 unwaxed lemons, thinly sliced, plus juice of ½ lemon
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
Bunch fresh parsley

For the salad

2 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into bite-size pieces

2tbsp olive oil
2 bunches kale, finely chopped
2 pomegranates, shucked open and deseeded (seeds placed in a bowl)

1. Heat the oven to 150^oC/fan 130^o C/gas 2. Lightly oil 2 long sheets of extra-strong aluminium foil. Put one sheet on top of a large roasting tray, oil-side facing up, and season with black pepper.

2. Wipe the salmon dry and make three incisions into each side. If the fish is too big to fit in your oven, slice off the tail and put it beside the fish. Stuff all six incisions with the red onion, lemon, carrot and parsley, reserving some lemon slices and parsley to garnish. Close the salmon and sprinkle with a little lemon juice to taste. Put the second sheet of foil on top of the salmon, oil-side down, and crimp the edges inwards to create a sealed parcel. Put the salmon in the oven and roast for 1½ to 2 hours. Keep checking the fish to avoid overcooking it – the flesh should be just opaque and easily flake when cooked.

3. Meanwhile, to make the salad, put the butternut squash on an uncovered tray, drizzle with the oil and cook in the oven for around 30 min. (See cook’s tips, below.)

4. Put the kale and pomegranate seeds in a large bowl. Toss together, then cover and set aside until ready to serve.

5. Once the salmon is cooked, remove the top foil from the roasting tray and simply move the whole fish on to a serving plate or board to place at the centre of the table (repositioning the tail if separated to cook). To portion up the fish, scrape off the skin (and assorted cooked vegetables from the incisions). Top the kale and pomegranate seeds with the roasted butternut squash and serve with the salmon.

Per serving (based on 8 servings):

406kcal, 35.5g protein, 20.9g fat, 3.4g saturates, 20.5g carbs, 13.4g sugar, 7.7g fibre, 0.3g salt, 191mg calcium, 3mg iron

LOW CAL

LOW SAT FAT

HIGH PROTEIN

GLUTEN FREE

DAIRY FREE

3 OF 5-A-DAY

Cook’s tips:

-Norwegian salmon is available in Tesco between November and January – just look for the Norge logo on packs of boneless Norwegian salmon side (1kg, RRP £24) and on boneless Norwegian half salmon side (500g, RRP £12)

-If your oven isn’t big enough to fit the butternut squash on one level and the salmon on another, cook the butternut squash first, followed by the salmon.

It’s beginning to look a lot like an HFG Christmas!

Yes, the turkey steals the show at Christmas, but that shouldn’t mean your side dishes pale in comparison. Here are some extra-special festive ideas to bring to the table…

Stuffed apples

Prep 10 min

Cook 35 min

Makes 8

1tbsp olive oil

½ onion, finely chopped

100g cooked and peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped

25g fresh breadcrumbs

2tbsp chopped fresh parsley

A few fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked

10 fresh sage leaves, finely shredded

Good grating of fresh nutmeg

Finely grated zest of ½ lemon

8 eating apples (such as braeburn)

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then add the onion and cook over a low heat for 10 min. Set aside to cool.

2 Put the chestnuts in a large bowl with the breadcrumbs, herbs, nutmeg and lemon zest. Add the cooked onion and mix to combine.

3 Carefully core each apple and score a line around the equator (to prevent the skin splitting). Spoon the stuffing into the cavity of each apple, piling it up slightly, then place the apples in a large baking tin.

3 Bake for 20 min or until tender, then serve.

Per serving: 95kcal, 1.1g protein, 1.9g fat, 0.3g saturates, 19.6g carbs, 13.3g sugar, 3.3g fibre, 0.1g salt, 18mg calcium, 0.4mg iron

Get-ahead tip

Keep the cooled stuffing in a sealed food bag or container for up to 3 days in the fridge. On Christmas morning, assemble and stuff the apples, cover loosely with a clean tea towel and leave in a cool place (outside if there’s no space elsewhere) until ready to cook. Or prepare the stuffing without the herbs, then freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost at room temperature overnight, then add the herbs and continue from step 3.

More ideas on the side…

* For roasts and casseroles: slow-cook sliced red cabbage with red onions, sliced apple, a handful of dried cranberries, a little brown sugar, orange juice and a cinnamon stick until tender.

* For the Boxing Day buffet: make a robust winter salad by mixing shredded sprouts, cauliflower and red or white cabbage with chopped apple and celery, and a handful of mixed nuts or seeds.