In the galley with Old Weather
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2020 6:23 pm
This started as a private discussion, but we had so much fun we decided to share it and invite everyone to join in!
Randi:
Wed Dec 16th, 2020 is Chocolate Covered Anything Day
Joan/AvastMH:
A long time ago you could go on gourmet chocolate weekends which featured Oxford. We had a number of small chocolatiers at the time. The Saturday night spectacular meal was at the Randolph Hotel and featured chocolate in every course. When asked about the main course it transpired that the Brussel sprouts came with dark choco sauce.
I didn't rush to book on the next trip.
Randi:
I love Brussel sprouts, but I'm not sure about the combination.
Caro:
Nothing can redeem Brussels sprouts in my opinion.
Michael:
Many years ago the Purves family had gathered for our Christmas Dinner. The menu was always the same, and always featured Brussel Sprouts. In those days, my mother was rather a traditional English cook who grew up in County Durham. If it was a vegetable, you boiled it hard for at least 20 minutes, or maybe longer.
Anyway, when my mom was dishing out the supper, one of my sisters, I forget which one but probably Jill, said, "Please, no Brussel Sprouts for me." My mother said, "We always have Brussel Sprouts," but didn't put any on Jill's plate. Then my other sister said, "Please, none for me, either." My mom was shocked. "Well, at least your dad likes them." "Actually, Robbie, I don't," he said. "Well, for that matter, neither do I, but we always have them," she said.
Randi:
My grandmother was not English, but she did take that approach to vegetables.
Mom was a very good cook and did not believe in overcooking vegetables.
Joan:
Vegetables had one fate in our house. They were all condemned to boiling-to-mush, except the spuds which were always perfect. One year Dad decided to try out a new fangled recipe where the Brussels were fried with chestnuts in butter. What a transformation...loved by all, praised to the heights! Until the next day when many windows had to be left open on a very bitter day. It didn't put us off...that was how we had sprouts from then on....yummy on the day and windows open for Boxing Day
Randi:
That sounds wonderful!!! Recipe?
I usually cut them in half and sautĂŠ+steam (pan covered) them in olive oil. Sometimes I add parsnips and carrots or sweet potatoes. I have been tempted to try doing it with butter!
Michael:
Mary does a similar thing. Cut them in half, steam them for five minutes then saute them in butter or bacon fat (sorry, Randi) for five minutes. Sometimes she adds cashews instead of chestnuts. The latter are hard to find here.
Randi:
Bacon fat, or a bit of bacon, sounds very tempting!
Bob:
Wow, OW cooking. Maybe we need a new forum topic? I roast the beasties, with olive oil, coarse salt, pepper and cumin. Hot oven until crispy on the outside.
Joan:
Bob- that's a new way of doing them. I'll try that.
In the meantime here's the Arthur recipe. If you like the bacon idea add about 4 ounces (100 gm) of finely chopped streaky bacon.:
Serves 4
2lb brussels, 1lb chestnuts (weighed in the shell, 3 oz (75gm) butter.
Prepare the brussels by cross-cutting the bottom. Boil and shell the chestnuts. Put the butter in a frying pan and heat until just bubbling. Add the brussels and chestnuts (and bacon if using
). Turn the heat down fairly low and put a lid on the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the lid, increase the heat a little, and stir every minute or so to brown everything (takes about 10 minutes).
I like the idea of the cashews Michael
Certainly saves boiling your fingers to peel the chestnuts. We had two finger-boiling sessions each year. The first was skinning the almonds for the Christmas cake around early November, and the second was the chestnuts on Christmas day. Happy memories - although painful at the time
Randi:
Wed Dec 16th, 2020 is Chocolate Covered Anything Day
Joan/AvastMH:
A long time ago you could go on gourmet chocolate weekends which featured Oxford. We had a number of small chocolatiers at the time. The Saturday night spectacular meal was at the Randolph Hotel and featured chocolate in every course. When asked about the main course it transpired that the Brussel sprouts came with dark choco sauce.
I didn't rush to book on the next trip.
Randi:
I love Brussel sprouts, but I'm not sure about the combination.
Caro:
Nothing can redeem Brussels sprouts in my opinion.
Michael:
Many years ago the Purves family had gathered for our Christmas Dinner. The menu was always the same, and always featured Brussel Sprouts. In those days, my mother was rather a traditional English cook who grew up in County Durham. If it was a vegetable, you boiled it hard for at least 20 minutes, or maybe longer.
Anyway, when my mom was dishing out the supper, one of my sisters, I forget which one but probably Jill, said, "Please, no Brussel Sprouts for me." My mother said, "We always have Brussel Sprouts," but didn't put any on Jill's plate. Then my other sister said, "Please, none for me, either." My mom was shocked. "Well, at least your dad likes them." "Actually, Robbie, I don't," he said. "Well, for that matter, neither do I, but we always have them," she said.
Randi:
My grandmother was not English, but she did take that approach to vegetables.
Mom was a very good cook and did not believe in overcooking vegetables.
Joan:
Vegetables had one fate in our house. They were all condemned to boiling-to-mush, except the spuds which were always perfect. One year Dad decided to try out a new fangled recipe where the Brussels were fried with chestnuts in butter. What a transformation...loved by all, praised to the heights! Until the next day when many windows had to be left open on a very bitter day. It didn't put us off...that was how we had sprouts from then on....yummy on the day and windows open for Boxing Day
Randi:
That sounds wonderful!!! Recipe?
I usually cut them in half and sautĂŠ+steam (pan covered) them in olive oil. Sometimes I add parsnips and carrots or sweet potatoes. I have been tempted to try doing it with butter!
Michael:
Mary does a similar thing. Cut them in half, steam them for five minutes then saute them in butter or bacon fat (sorry, Randi) for five minutes. Sometimes she adds cashews instead of chestnuts. The latter are hard to find here.
Randi:
Bacon fat, or a bit of bacon, sounds very tempting!
Bob:
Wow, OW cooking. Maybe we need a new forum topic? I roast the beasties, with olive oil, coarse salt, pepper and cumin. Hot oven until crispy on the outside.
Joan:
Bob- that's a new way of doing them. I'll try that.
In the meantime here's the Arthur recipe. If you like the bacon idea add about 4 ounces (100 gm) of finely chopped streaky bacon.:
Serves 4
2lb brussels, 1lb chestnuts (weighed in the shell, 3 oz (75gm) butter.
Prepare the brussels by cross-cutting the bottom. Boil and shell the chestnuts. Put the butter in a frying pan and heat until just bubbling. Add the brussels and chestnuts (and bacon if using
). Turn the heat down fairly low and put a lid on the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the lid, increase the heat a little, and stir every minute or so to brown everything (takes about 10 minutes).I like the idea of the cashews Michael
Certainly saves boiling your fingers to peel the chestnuts. We had two finger-boiling sessions each year. The first was skinning the almonds for the Christmas cake around early November, and the second was the chestnuts on Christmas day. Happy memories - although painful at the time 
What time's dinner please Randi!?! I'm inviting myself 
