miscellaneous | champagne sprouts!

Serves 4

Now, this is my kind of sprout! Usually, when I think of Brussels sprouts, I think of Christmas day at my poor mum's and a great big bowl full of green things which have been boiled to within a whisker of their life because they're usually the vegetable that's forgotten about and left on the cooker. I tried them a different way whilst cooking an alternative Christmas dinner - and they were really lovely.

Wheat free, dairy free, nut free, meat free version...

Method...

1. Heat the margarine in a pan (which has a lid).
2. Add the shallots and a little salt and cook for a few minutes, stirring as necessary.
3. Add the sprouts, stir well and cook for another few minutes.
4. Add the champagne, stir well and put the lid on the pan.
5. Leave sprouts to sweat, stirring occasionally to stop them burning and sticking, until they are cooked to the consistency you like. I must admit I prefer mine softer when cooked this way, but then that may just be as a result of mum's sprout training!

Maybe serve with...

These would work well with things like the zingy mashed potato or rosemary roast potatoes, stir fried sugar snap peas, roast parsnips and the herby sausages. Or equally, they could work with cottage pie or mini mountains of mashed potato.

For those able to eat wheat...

Make some herby stuffing balls with the leftover shallots and sage or thyme and bake.

If you have shallots leftover, try the aubergine caponata or Scarlett's secret tomato sauce.