麻豆约拍

麻豆约拍 Cookery Year: Four Seasons, Over 200 Recipes for All Possible Occasions by Claire Thomson (Quadrille Publishing Ltd)

Photography: Sam Folan

Despite ongoing and voracious food press relating to key seasonal ingredients, Brussels sprouts

continue to have an abysmal reputation. I just can’t fathom it. People apparently loathe them, largely, I suspect, because these diminutive brassicas are so often boiled to death, turning all soggy and wrinkly, and smelling… well, you are no doubt aware of the rumours. In season, sprouts are super-cheap to buy. Picked when they are fresh, and cooked soon afterward, they have extraordinary flavour. Far better
than boiling is to fry or roast them so that their natural sugars caramelize, turning sweet and nutty as the leaves cook. I’ve snuck some chestnuts into this recipe – they are not entirely budget, but you can omit them or seek them out when pouches of prepared chestnuts are on offer in supermarkets and greengrocers.

40g (1½oz) unsalted butter
1 large leek, thinly sliced
200g (7oz) Brussels sprouts, thinly shredded
75g (2½oz) parmesan, aged gruyère, or gouda cheese, finely grated (shredded)
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
350g (12oz) shortcrust pastry (make your own or use shop bought)
1 egg, beaten
3 or 4 slices of streaky bacon or pancetta (optional)
10 peeled chestnuts, coarsely grated/shredded (optional)

Melt the butter in a pan over a moderate heat. Add the leek and fry for 5 minutes, until softened. Then add the Brussels sprouts and cook for a further 2 minutes, until the sprouts have softened slightly. Season to taste, remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Mix half the cheese and all the thyme into the leek and sprout mixture. On a sheet of baking paper, roll out the pastry into a large circle about 3mm (¹⁄8in) thick. Spread the leek and sprout mixture on top, leaving a 4cm (1½in) border around the edge.

Brush the edge with egg and fold the sides of the round back toward the centre around the filling. Press down gently to form a crust. Brush the edges with egg again.

Top with the reserved cheese, and the slices of pancetta and grated (shredded) chestnut, if using.

Bake on the baking paper on a baking tray for 25–35 minutes, until the pastry is crisp golden-brown and the sprout and leek filling has taken on a bit of colour.

Remove from the oven and rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.