Wild Rice with Shredded Sprouts & Spiced Pineapple.
I think we need to talk about sprouts. We need to talk about them because they’re incredible, and show me someone who hates them and I’ll show you someone who only knows how to boil them. It’s that stupid school-tale, isn’t it? The image of a child who doesn’t like sprouts. Not me. Not my child. Not ever.
I was due to submit my recipe for November’s issue of Buzz Magazine and I felt in-between seasons again. I didn’t want to go through the process of giving people a turkey recipe or some kind of obviously Christmas recipe because it’s what you except from a Winter’s issue. I owe more to my readers. But still, at every restaurant I went to and at every Sunday dinner I attended, there were sprouts. I knew I could incorporate them into my recipe in some shape or fashion but I kept getting stumped.
And then an idea sprouted.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Anyway, shredding sprouts is hardly a revolutionary idea. Sprouts have a very ‘leek’ base-like note to them which always means they can act as a fantastic flavour base to many dishes and will always hold their own as a side dish. But I didn’t want to give my readers as a side dish because I always feel like I am cheating them out of an actual article. This is where I decided I would take one of the most wintery ingredients and throw them into a tropical sphere to really confuse – and delight – your palette.
Okay, shredding sprouts sounds a little dexterous but it’s really not, you can literally find a lot of mindful meditation in the fine slicing of sprouts. But I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thrown these sprouts into the bowl of a food processor and blitzed them in lieu of actual knife wielding.
(Find out where to find the magazine locally by clicking here —> http://www.buzzmag.co.uk/distribution-outlets/find-a-buzz-cardiff-and-outskirts/)
Sprouts to me will always signify the last quarter of the year. The bitter sweet tang of the vegetable is synonymous with a Christmas dinner, however I always like to incorporate them into as many lead-up seasonal dishes as I can so that I can get as much use out of them as I can. This recipe is an example of this, a ‘plonk on the table’ supper that even the most sprout-phobic dinner guest will love.
• 150g Wild Rice
• 300g Pineapple (cut into chunks)
• ¼ tsp Dried Chili Flakes
• Thumb sized piece of fresh Ginger
• 1 tbs butter
• 125g Brussels Sprouts
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)
• 2 Spring Onions
• Handful of Fresh Coriander
1. Cook the wild rice as per packet instruction and allow to cool completely
2. In a small bowl, combine the chopped pineapple with the dry chili flakes and grate in the ginger
3. Peel the sprouts by cutting off the hard end, removing the outer leaves and then finely slicing
4. In a large pan, melt the butter until bubbling slightly before adding the shredded sprouts, seasoning with salt and pepper and gently frying until soft
5. Add the cold wild rice and turn everything with a spoon
6. Once the rice is piping hot, add the spiced pineapple and turn to ensure everything has combined
7. Finely slice the green end of the spring onion and stirring in before taking off the heat
8. Serve with a finely sliced handful of fresh coriander
Serving Suggestion – this meal is great on its own however also goes fantastic as an accompaniment to some roast chicken or boiled ham
MIKEY AND THE KITCHEN. 