Countdown to Christmas Cookery 5: More Veggies- Maple-Glazed Sprouts (vegan)

Even sprout-haters will find them tempting glazed with maple syrup!

  

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the humble Brussels sprout, now would it? And love 'em or hate 'em, they are bound to be on your shopping list come next week. I thought it would be fun to find out a few facts about Brussels sprouts, and here's what I came up with:

1. Sprouts have an ancient pedigree; their forerunners were known to the Romans, and the modern sprout was first recorded in the 13th Century- but some say the 11th, some the 16th and some the 18th!- in what is now the country of Belgium (hence the name...).
2. Sprouts are cruciferous vegetables, from the same family as cabbage, kale and collard greens.
3. They are grown mainly in Holland, Germany and the UK these days. French settlers in the Eighteenth Century also took them to the USA.
4. Like all cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and kale, Brussels sprouts are really good for you: they contain sulphoraphane, a potent ant-carcinogen (steaming and stir-frying does not destroy this, but boiling does.) Amongst many other vitamins and minerals, Brussels sprouts are particularly rich in Vitamin K, Vitamin C and iron. Look here for some more info on this amazing family of vegetables from this blog.

(Source: Wikipedia)

So now, having a little background knowledge about sprouts and their benefits, it was just a case of finding a really tasty way to prepare them, whilst still retaining as many of their nutritional properties as possible. This is what I came up with: (Serves up to 4 sprout- lovers, 6+ sprout-haters)

500g Brussels sprouts
1 tsp fine seasalt
1/4-1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
1 1/2 tabs extra-virgin olive oil
1 tab pure maple syrup
100ml water

• Wash, peel and slit the sprouts by making a cross-shaped slit across the stem ends of the larger ones.
• Place in a pan with the salt, pepper and oil, and gently stir them over a medium heat to coat them.
• Once they are coated, turn the heat right down and put the lids o the pan. Sweat them like this for a couple of minutes.
• Remove the lid, add the water and replace the lid. Steam over a medium heat until the sprouts are just soft and all the water has been absorbed. 
• Now stir in the secret anti-sprout-haters weapon: the maple syrup. Keep warm until needed, but do not overheat.
• Just before eating, garnish with some finely-grate orange zest. (I was in a hurry, so I didn't manage this.)