Dunnes Stores was selling off bags of Irish Brussels sprouts for 24c and I’ve only recently discovered a liking for them. My friend Dearbhla roasted some Brussels sprouts (when we were in Brussels, coincidentally!) with balsamic vinegar, honey, red onion, garlic and goat’s cheese. They were delicious! So I’ve tried to recreate those flavours here. I like putting weird things with pasta and so I realise that this kind of peculiar melange won’t appeal to everyone!
Ingredients
- pasta
- 100g cooked chestnuts (or other nuts)
- a bag of Brussels sprouts
- fresh thyme
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp honey (or agave for vegan)
Instructions
Prepare the Brussels spouts, wash them and take off any grimy looking leaves.
Mix 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, the garlic and the tbsp of honey. Drizzle this over Brussels sprouts in a bowl and mix, then transfer Brussels sprouts to a lined baking tray and bake at about 180ºC for 25-30 mins.
Meanwhile cook the pasta and fry the chestnuts with the thyme in the other tbsp olive oil. 2-3 minutes should suffice for the chestnuts.
I served the pasta with some M&S braised red cabbage and salad leaves dressed with the balsamic & garlic that was left over from the Brussels sprouts.
I also made an organic, cold-pressed carrot apple & turmeric juice. A shot of antioxidants and vitamins! Apparently cold-pressing preserves the nutrients in fruit & veg better than blending because there is heat created from the speed of the blades in blenders. Seemingly it’s ideal to consume a juice soon after it has been pressed so that as many of the nutrients as possible are still intact. Turmeric has to be one of the most potent health foods in the world. It’s incredible, read up about it here.
