The Twelve Ingredients of A Christmas Dinner - Sprouts

The Twelve Ingredients of A Christmas Dinner - Brussels Sprouts (Brassica oleracea)

It is thought that that the current form of the Brussels Sprout, the vegetable that seems to the butt of all Christmas culinary jokes, can be dated back to the 13th Century from Belgium. Although it is has been considered that an earlier cultivar from the Gemmifera group was cooked in Ancient Rome.

The sprout is in season from September to March of the following year (source). Defra reports that sprout production increased by 10% in 2011 (Basic Horticultural Statistics 2012). The Scottish Government (2011) reports that 645 hectares (2009) of 15,246 hectares was used for sprout cultivation, this increased to 776 hectares in 2011 and produced 12.8 thousand tonnes in 2011. This 2011 sprout production raised an average of £13.39 million (Scotland.gov).

Brussels Sprout plants can leave a nursery after a period of sixty days where the stalk can be harvested after one hundred and ten days. Each stalk can be harvested up to five times over a seven week period and can lead to a potential 100 sprouts per stalk being harvested. The shelf life of a sprout is about twenty days if stored at one degree centigrade (Wired 2012)

An American cup measurement of sprouts contains 1,122 International Units (IU) of Vitamin A and 699 of beta-carotene (source). A fresh single sprout, be it raw or cooked, contains 10 calories whereas a cup of frozen sprouts that has been cooked contains 65 calories (source).

Why not treat them as a micro cabbage in a deconstructed Christmas dinner? A recent article in Wired (August/September 2012) states that the LYFE (Love Your Food Everyday) Kitchen in Palo Alto sees the Brussels Sprout as an alternative to the French Fry.

The Brussels Sprout is thought to contain anti-cancer chemicals (sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol) that may boost "DNA repair in the body's cells and block the growth of cancer cells"(Wikipedia 2012); although boiling the sprouts will reduce the concentration of the anti-cancer compounds. It is thought best to roast, steam or stir fry and add the cross at the base of the bud's stem to increase the penetration of heat to the vegetable, if the sprout is large.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has published a roasted sprout salad here.