Brussel sprouts appeal 2014

[Audio Al]

Brussel sprouts appeal 2014

I have started this post on behalf of the Billions of sprouts soon to be boiled to death ...:eek:

Folks , give them the respect they deserve and only cook them for 6 minutes

Bring the water to the boil then simmer 6 mins and you will be rewarded with the most excellent veg

DONT boil them to death :(, If you started cooking yours Jan 1st give up now and give them the burial they deserve

Come on ENGLAND BIG UP THE SPROUT :D

[Marco]

Also if you criss-cross them at the top with a knife, before cooking, they'll come much more tender that way, and furthermore, if you drop a knob of butter over them when they're cooked, the butter will melt into the grooves cut in the criss-crosses- yum, yum! :)

One more thing, try and buy fresh sprouts 'on the tree', unpicked, as it were, as they're the tastiest!

Marco.

[southall-1998]

I don't eat them. I listen to them.

S.

[walpurgis]

I like mine 'melt in the mouth' soft. You can keep yer Al Dente nonsense! :lol:

[struth]

The more you eat, the more you toot:trust:

[Marco]

I like mine 'melt in the mouth' soft. You can keep yer Al Dente nonsense! :lol:

As long as you steam them (in a veg steamer), rather than boil them, they'll still retain all their flavour even if they are soft. Boiling them to death, to get them soft, however, is a recipe for disaster!

Marco.

[Barry]

Also if you criss-cross them at the top with a knife, before cooking, they'll come much more tender that way, and furthermore, if you drop a knob of butter over them when they're cooked, the butter will melt into the grooves cut in the criss-crosses- yum, yum! :)

One more thing, try and buy fresh sprouts 'on the tree', unpicked, as it were, as they're the tastiest!

Marco.

+1 on all three points.

[Jason P]

Mmm, cut them into slices - maybe 3 or 4 per sprout - and gently sweat them down in a little olive oil. Add a clove of garlic, or if very adventurous some finely chopped dates. Nom nom nom.

[Roy S]

I'll stick to sweetheart cabbage, f**king hate sprouts, veg of the devil

Having said that I'm invited to friends for xmas lunch but have told them if I'm served sprouts they'll get slung at their cat

[Gordon Steadman]

One more thing, try and buy fresh sprouts 'on the tree', unpicked, as it were, as they're the tastiest!
Marco.

Quite so... we just go out and pick them five minutes before they go on the cooker. Six or seven minutes and they are just this side of soft and still loads of flavour. I always used to steam them but when they are this fresh, they are fine in water.

[Marco]

Hi Gordon,

Sure (and lucky you having access to your own fresh veg), but regardless of how fresh sprouts are, I find that steaming retains their colour more, as boiling always leave some colour in the water - and for me, appearance matters, so I want those babies looking as green as possible! :)

We serve ours with roasted chestnuts or walnuts.

The microwave also works well for cooking veg.

Marco.

[Gordon Steadman]

Hi Gordon,

Sure (and lucky you having access to your own fresh veg), but regardless of how fresh sprouts are, I find that steaming retains their colour more, as boiling always leave some colour in the water - and for me, appearance matters, so I want those babies looking as green as possible! :)

We serve ours with roasted chestnuts or walnuts.

The microwave also works well for cooking veg.

Marco.

Ah well, we don't boil them see:)

In the winter, we cook on our old woodburning stove. The way it cooks is so different from the gas hob, even temperature all over the surface instead of hotspots. The water is hardly bubbling and yet the veg cooks through evenly and thoroughly without going soft.

Today the turkey is in there. Again, quite low heat but slow cooked for hours and it will be fantastic. We are having two Christmas dinners this year, today and thursday. This is the first time we have had turkey since we've been married - 13 years now. Its usually duck or rabbit as a turkey is a bit big for the two of us. But this bird was sitting there saying eat me so we weakened. Here comes the old family pattern. Roast - cold sliced - hash - minced - curry................... thank gawd its only once a year, I like variety in my food.

[agk]

I leave them in the greengrocers. Bit surprised only two of us in here detest them actually.

[struth]

Don't like them either; in fact I don't like the smell of them but if folk want them I do cook them; Personally prefer roasted parsnips and yams done in honey :)

[Marco]

Don't like them either; in fact I don't like the smell of them but if folk want them I do cook them; Personally prefer roasted parsnips and yams done in honey :)

I like pretty much all veg, especially greens, my favourites being asparagus (only when in season), spinach and mange-tout. However, roasted parsnips with honey rock! :)

Marco.

[walpurgis]

I like pretty much all veg, especially greens, my favourites being asparagus (only when in season), spinach and mange-tout. However, roasted parsnips with honey rock! :)

Marco.

Yeah. Me too, love my veg. Roast tatties, Yum.

[Ninanina]

my favourites being asparagus (only when in season)
My mum & dad has a place nearby them where they grow asparagus and mum always sends me a big bunch through the post... yummy :D

[Marco]

Nice one - sounds great! Have you tried the white ones? Utterly superb! :)

Marco.

[CageyH]

Sprouts done with bacon and garlic are the best if you have to cook them.
They actually taste nicest raw. :eek:

[Ninanina]

Nice one - sounds great! Have you tried the white ones? Utterly superb! :)

Marco.
No I've not tried white ones.. sounds nice tho :)

[Ninanina]

Sprouts done with bacon and garlic are the best if you have to cook them.
They actually taste nicest raw. :eek:

Now that sounds really tasty...I love garlic too.. ;)

[Oldpinkman]

Sprouts done with bacon and garlic are the best if you have to cook them.
They actually taste nicest raw. :eek:

You've gone native mate. Take no notice folks. In toulouse they do cornflakes and porridge with garlic. Sprouts at Christmas should be straight, steamed, erring on the side of underdone. And Gordon mate, the best way to cook turkey is quickly! Mine will go in at about 11.00 tomorrow for serving at about 1.30. Cooked breast-down for all but the last 30 minutes. Put roasting bags over oven gloves to enable you to turn the turkey easily. And don't stuff it. Cook the stuffing separately basted with some of the turkey juice. (it's alright, I did it wrong for over 30 years before I plucked up the courage to try this, and it has been perfect for the last 5 years. All you need after that is my secret Christmas gravy recipe

Merry Christmas everyone :cool:

[Marco]

You've gone native mate. Take no notice folks. In toulouse they do cornflakes and porridge with garlic. Sprouts at Christmas should be straight, steamed, erring on the side of underdone. And Gordon mate, the best way to cook turkey is quickly! Mine will go in at about 11.00 tomorrow for serving at about 1.30. Cooked breast-down for all but the last 30 minutes. Put roasting bags over oven gloves to enable you to turn the turkey easily. And don't stuff it. Cook the stuffing separately basted with some of the turkey juice. (it's alright, I did it wrong for over 30 years before I plucked up the courage to try this, and it has been perfect for the last 5 years. All you need after that is my secret Christmas gravy recipe


Some good tips there, Richard.

Not stuffing the turkey is the best one (although you can do the neck end, so that the stuffing gets some flavour from the bird and helps give it a nicer shape), but don’t forget to stuff some garlic and herb butter under the skin, which makes the meat more tender and adds flavour (as does wrapping the whole bird in some good quality, thick, streaky bacon) - for us it’s all about maximising succulence and flavour!

:exactly:

The only thing about cooking the bird breast-down is that it doesn’t allow for the bacon to come crispy, which itself of course acts as a ‘barrier’ and helps keep the meat underneath moist. Horses for courses. The most important thing though, is to use a nice, fresh free-range turkey - none of yer frozen supermarket shite, ’turkey crowns’ or any of that bollox! :nono:


Merry Christmas everyone

Same to you, mate - have a good one! :cool:

Marco.

[Gordon Steadman]

You've gone native mate. Take no notice folks. In toulouse they do cornflakes and porridge with garlic. Sprouts at Christmas should be straight, steamed, erring on the side of underdone. And Gordon mate, the best way to cook turkey is quickly! Mine will go in at about 11.00 tomorrow for serving at about 1.30. Cooked breast-down for all but the last 30 minutes. Put roasting bags over oven gloves to enable you to turn the turkey easily. And don't stuff it. Cook the stuffing separately basted with some of the turkey juice. (it's alright, I did it wrong for over 30 years before I plucked up the courage to try this, and it has been perfect for the last 5 years. All you need after that is my secret Christmas gravy recipe

Merry Christmas everyone :cool:

If our slow cooked turkey had been any nicer, we'd have died from ecstasy and gorn to heaven. We did the garlic and bacon bit though.

There is always more than one way to achieve perfection. problem is that there are so many definitions of perfection. For instance, I think I am but Ronnie doesn't quite see it that way:)

[Marco]

Does anyone here eat goose? It’s FAR tastier than turkey, and what in Britain we traditionally used to eat at Christmas. We have goose on Christmas day and turkey on New Year’s day, so a bit like Gordon, with his two Christmas dinners.

Throughout the festive period, we (or rather others, friends and family visiting, and I, as Del’s veggie) like different types of game, as well as a nice whole ham. This year we’ve got pheasant, wild boar and guinea fowl, along with some veal T-bone steaks, all of which will be enjoyed at some point :)

Marco.

[StanleyB]

Does anyone here eat goose? It’s FAR tastier than turkey, and what in Britain we traditionally used to eat at Christmas. We have goose on Christmas day and turkey on New Year’s day, so a bit like Gordon, with his two Christmas dinners.

Throughout the festive period, we (or rather others, friends and family visiting, and I, as Del’s veggie) like different types of game, as well as a nice whole ham. This year we’ve got pheasant, wild boar and guinea fowl, along with some veal T-bone steaks, all of which will be enjoyed at some point :)

Marco.
Goose is one of the items on the table for us. Has been for years.
Guinea fowl is lovely. I haven't had it all though. Our local butcher hasn't stocked it this year for some reason. If you give it the Kentucky fried chicken treatment (black pepper and ginger mixed in with a cornflower/wheat combination) it is at least 10 times tastier than any fried chicken I can think of.
Wild boar really only goes best after a rub down in sugar and a few hours in the smoker.

[Marco]

Haven’t thought of how to do the wild boar yet, Stan, but will bear that in mind! One idea is to make some ravioli, and use the wild boar for the filling :)

Marco.

[Gordon Steadman]

Does anyone here eat goose? It’s FAR tastier than turkey, and what in Britain we traditionally used to eat at Christmas. We have goose on Christmas day and turkey on New Year’s day, so a bit like Gordon, with his two Christmas dinners.

Throughout the festive period, we (or rather others, friends and family visiting, and I, as Del’s veggie) like different types of game, as well as a nice whole ham. This year we’ve got pheasant, wild boar and guinea fowl, along with some veal T-bone steaks, all of which will be enjoyed at some point :)

Marco.
Yup,

For the last three years we have had goose. It is definitely our favourite. However, as the turkey looked ronery, we thought we'd take pity and have a change.

[Oldpinkman]

Marco
The turkey is free range kelly bronze from the local farm. They were the ones who first suggested fast cooking and supply a new meat thermometer with the bird. If you use the oven gloves covered with roasting bags to turn the bird breast up half an hour before it finishes cooking your bacon crispies up nicely. As Gordon says there's more than one way to get good results but I'm always interested to try new ideas and share them. The gravy uses juices deglazed from the turkey pan with sherry - and from the pan I slow bake ham with cloves and demerara sugar in :)

And obviously a stock from giblets and veg trimmings left to stand overnight
:cool:

[struth]

I have always cooked the turkey the day before. once cold it is carved and layed in trays and refridgerated. on the day you then pour stock over and bake in oven. this way your turkey is always peopwrly cooked and super tender and juicy. it also takes some of the worry and fuss out of the job.

[walpurgis]

We're having chicken. I'm the only one in the family who really likes turkey and of course my vote doesn't count! :)

[Audio Al]

OY you lot

This is a SPROUT posting

Back to our lovely green gems :D

[struth]

OY you lot

This is a SPROUT posting

Back to our lovely green gems :D

you could always stuff em up the turkeys bottom and cook em that way with the added bonus of having brusselly turkey!

[Gordon Steadman]

Ignoring that green sprouting Al person, does anyone have a good gluten free pastry recipe?:eyebrows:

I was told 20 years ago that I had an intolerance but ignored at as I thought I had no symptoms. However, as Ronnie is on gluten free as part of treatment, it seemed sensible to just do one lot of everything. Tried some mince pies yesterday and whilst they are OK, the pastry is very crumbly. All the recipes on the web do half fat to flour but I do wonder if an increase of fat would help bind it all together. It certainly gives a new meaning to shortcrust.

Happy Crimble Al - and the rest of you. May your sprouts always be parfait.

[struth]

ive tried this and it works.....

https://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2013/11/perfect-gluten-free-pie-crust-recipe.html

[Gordon Steadman]

ive tried this and it works.....

https://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2013/11/perfect-gluten-free-pie-crust-recipe.html

Thanks for the link. That uses even less fat than I used. Judging by the comments, it might just be the case that gluten free is dry and crumbly full stop. However, I will keep playing and see what I can come up with. I reckon some duck fat in with the butter is something to try. Everything else is better for it so who knows?

[walpurgis]

Well I've got to cook it all tomorrow. Can't trust the wife or daughter to get it right. The chicken is defrosting in the garage, (there'll be raised eyebrows now. Yes it's a frozen one. I don't care). I won't be able to taste it though, 'cos I've got a cold. Why do I always end up with one at Christmas?



There you go. I didn't mention one green thing. :D

[Marco]

Marco
The turkey is free range kelly bronze from the local farm. They were the ones who first suggested fast cooking and supply a new meat thermometer with the bird. If you use the oven gloves covered with roasting bags to turn the bird breast up half an hour before it finishes cooking your bacon crispies up nicely. As Gordon says there's more than one way to get good results but I'm always interested to try new ideas and share them. The gravy uses juices deglazed from the turkey pan with sherry - and from the pan I slow bake ham with cloves and demerara sugar in :)

And obviously a stock from giblets and veg trimmings left to stand overnight
:cool:

Sounds good, Richard! :thumbsup:

Marco.