Brussel sprouts are in season in Australia and right now the volume of production is quite big. You can not really miss them in stores or on markets. So read on and maybe you will add them to your next grocery list.
Let me ask you, do you know anything about the production of Brussel Sprouts?
Many of the people I know do not like Brussel Sprouts, maybe because of terrible tin version used in school canteens when they grew up or just because the taste can be quite strong. I will give you a few ways with Brussels Sprouts which work quite well!
Just in passing….check the nutritious qualities of Brussel sprouts: high in vitamins A, B1, B7, very high in vitamins B9), you will find plenty information by googling around. Surprising it has not yet been marketed as a superfood!
Where do Brussel’s Sprouts come from?
Brussel sprouts as their name suggests are associated with Brussel (Bruxelles) in Belgium, where they originate from. The Brussel sprout belongs to the cabbage family and as such its structure is quite similar to it big brother the large green cabbage.
In Europe, the areas of productions of Brussel sprouts are primarily the UK, Belgium, Holland and northern France. Australia has a few small areas of production.
Brussel Sprouts grow along the stem of the plant in a helicoid distribution (it turns around the stem). The stem can be quite high and reach over a metre height, this means quite a lot of sprouts per plant!
The photos below are courtesy of my brother who farms them in Northern France.
The production is labour intensive throughout the crop development. At the start, seedlings are grown in nurseries, then have to be transplanted to full fields. During growth, interventions are rather mechanical. At the time of harvest, each plant is handled manually. Each stem is cut by the harvester then inserted manually into a part of the harvester which cuts off each Brussel sprout from the stem. The sprouts are collected by a conveyor belt, sorted (manually) in the upper section of the harvester. They can then start their journey to the consumer.
A few ways with Brussel Sprouts
There are quite a few ways to use Brussel Sprouts, from raw whole in lunch boxes to cooked a number of way.
Raw use:
- As such in lunch boxes
Only one Brussel sprouts in the box today, sometimes it is 2! Sometimes, I am to late, some little hands (or bigger ones) have emptied the bag of sprouts in the fridge - Add a couple thinly sliced Brussel sprouts to your green salad, it will provide some crunch and a little tasty bite.
Cooked:
Brussel sprouts taste better when associated with other ingredients, they are especially good at absorbing the good flavours of fats such as butter and bacon but also some sharp flavours like balsamic vinegar.
A common use in Australia is the use in Asian dishes such as stir fry dishes or curry. For those, it is nice when there is still a bit of crunch to the Brussel sprouts. I would advice the bigger sprouts be cut in half.
The most common way cooked by my mother when I grew up, was steamed and then slowly, but really slowly, reduced with a nut of butter and some bacon dices (lardons) for quite a while, you want the bacon to be crisp and the sprouts slightly coloured. The sprouts become very soft and melty and quite tasty. I tried with my children, our au-pair and my husband, it was a success. Unfortunately, I forgot about the photo! As a result, the one below photo is from another blogger.
Another way, which was a random find while looking at ways to use ricotta in savoury dishes is in a mushroom and Brussel sprouts lasagna. The sprouts are thinly sliced, then reduced in oil (but I should try in butter), seasoned with salt and pepper. A dash of balsamic vinegar is added to the pan towards the end of the cooking. I could have eaten the lot straight out of the pan!
