There are so many delicious foods associated with Christmas, the turkey, the stuffing, the cranberry sauce, roast potatoes, gravy.  

And then there are sprouts.  

We either love or hate them and I think every family has a story of a family argument over whether they should honour the Christmas tradition of having brussels sprouts or completely abandon them because no one ever wants to eat them! 

We at DISCsimple have solved this long-lasting debate and our special guest, chef extraordinaire and very good friend of DISCsimple, Stewart Williams, has come up with 4 delightful recipes for your sprouts this year – one for each DISC style.  

We are sure that you will never abandon the humble sprout again and that you will find at least one way to elevate this much-maligned star of the Christmas Dinner table! 

Don’t forget to tag us #simplesprouts if you make them!

D Style – Smashed Sprouts and Chestnuts 

Dead simple, super quick and flavours that bring out the best in a brussel sprout! Minimum effort, maximum impact – That’s what we like!

All you need is: 

• 600g Brussel sprouts halved 
• 50g butter 
• 100ml double cream 
• Half nutmeg – grated 

• 200g pack vacuum-packed chestnuts, roughly chopped 

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, cook the sprouts in boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until they are tender. Drain and then tip back into a saucepan. Mash them into a chunky texture using a potato masher. Add the butter, cream, nutmeg, and season well. Cook for a further two minutes and mix in half the chestnuts. When you are ready to serve sprinkle over the top the remaining chestnuts to complete this simple but mouth-watering dish. 

I Style – Moroccan, Honey Roasted Sprouts with Apricots and Lemon

This is a bit of a show-stealer and brings the warm flavours of North Africa to the dinner table. It has the added benefit of not being too complicated and throwing some bright zesty flavours alongside the traditional turkey.

For this dish gather: 

• 2 tablespoons of honey 

• ½ teaspoon of Ras El Hanout 
• 1 ½ tablespoons of harissa 
• 5 tablespoons of olive oil  
• 1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, halved lengthwise 
• Salt and black pepper 

• 100g dried apricots, sliced 
• ½ lemon including the rind, without seeds, finely chopped 
• ½ cup of parsley, tender leaves and stems, finely chopped 
• ½ small shallot, peeled and finely chopped 

Heat oven to 200 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the honey, apricots, harissa, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and Ras El Hanout. Mix in with the Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and put them in the oven to roast. Toss occasionally until the sprouts are tender and lightly charred around the edges (this will take around 10-15 minutes). 

While the sprouts are cooking, combine the lemon, parsley, shallot, and remaining tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and put to one side. When the sprouts are cooked, top them off with your lemon mixture and serve your exotic creation.  

S Style – Brussel Sprouts and Pomegranate Bhajis with Minted Yoghurt Dip 

This dish is going to be a real crowd pleaser and would make an excellent starter or party dish – You could even make it a feature of the New Year buffet as well!

You need: 

•  25g plain flour 
• 200g gram flour 
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground turmeric 
• 1 teaspoon cumin 
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds 
• ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes (include extra to serve) 

• 200-250ml chilled sparkling water 
• 20g pomegranate seeds 
• 200g shredded Brussels sprouts 
• 1 halved, deseeded and thinly sliced green chilli 
• 1 finely sliced onion 

• Vegetable oil for deep frying 

For the dip:

• 200g natural yoghurt 
• 1 teaspoon concentrated mint sauce 
• Extra fresh mint and pomegranate seeds to garnish 

To begin, fold the flours, spices and salt into a large bowl and whisk in enough sparkling water until you have a thick batter. Stir in the sprouts, chilli and onion and mix until they are fully coated.  

For the minted yoghurt dip, mix all of the ingredients into a bowl with a little seasoning. 

Fill a pan no more than 1/3 full with oil and heat to 180 degrees or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Take a heaped tablespoon of the batter and carefully drop it into the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden and crisp. Drain onto kitchen paper and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Put into a low oven while you fry the rest. Serve with the minted yoghurt dip and sprinkle over the fresh mint and pomegranate seeds.  

C Style – Sprout, Comte and Walnut Tart 

 A slightly more technical dish but a stunning way to allow your sprouts to take a more central role in the festive feast. The Comte and walnut additions exaggerate the smoky nuttiness of the bullied Brussel.  

Ingredients: 

• Flour, for dusting 
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil 
• Knob of butter 
• 1 sliced leek 

• 1 diced, sharp green apple 
• 200g shredded Brussels sprouts 
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice 
• 200ml double cream 
• 50g natural yoghurt 

• 100g grated Comte (or vegetarian alternative), make sure you keep extra to serve 
• 3 eggs 
• Freshly grated nutmeg 
• Handful of walnuts 

Pastry Ingredients:  

• 50g pumpkin seeds 
• 150g spelt flour 
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme 
• 5g grated parmesan (or vegetarian alternative) 
• 125g butter 
• 1 egg yolk 

Step 1 – Start off by making the pastry. Put the pumpkin seeds into a bowl of a food processor and blitz to a crumb. Add the flour, thyme, parmesan and ½ teaspoon salt and blitz again to mix it all together. Throw in the butter and mix until a bread consistency before adding the yolk. Blitz again and add iced water to the mix (1 tablespoon at a time) mixing between additions until the dough begins to clump together (roughly 2 tablespoons). Tip the dough out into a bowl and bring it together into a small ball with your hands. Add some more flour if it is sticky. Wrap your creation in baking paper and chill for 30 minutes. 

Step 2 – Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. Once rested, dust a work surface with flour and roll out your pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin (to make it easier, you can do this between two pieces of baking paper). Line a 23cm round tart tin with the pastry, prick the base, then fill with baking parchment and baking beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and parchment and cook for a further 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4.  

Step 3 – Heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Gently fry the leek with a pinch of salt and fresh black pepper for 6-8 minutes until softened and aromatic. Add the apple and sprouts and fry for a further 5 mins until the sprouts are softened and the apple is colouring. Remove from the heat and squeeze over the lemon juice. Toss to coat. 

Step 4 –  Season and whisk the double cream, yoghurt, cheese, eggs, and a good grating of nutmeg until combined into a custard. Pour half the custard into the tart case and top with half the leek and sprout mix. Pour in the rest of the custard on top with the remaining sprout mixture. Dot the walnuts around the top of the tart. 

Step 5 –  Bake for around 25-30 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to settle for 10 minutes before slicing. Scatter over a little of the grated Comte to serve.  

Make sprout dishes that everyone will enjoy this Christmas and tag us with #simplesprouts in your creations!