Quiz question: Which cabbage vegetables do people love as much as hate? Clearly: the Brussels sprouts. A fact that never ceases to amaze us, given that Brussels sprouts – also called Brussels cabbage because they are said to have been first sighted in Belgium in the 15th century – are a versatile vegetable.
A side example: when we traveled through Canada in our camper van for three weeks last summer, we discovered “Brussel Kraut” on almost every menu: fried, with hot sauce or lime mayo. An excellent appetizer. In this country, the methods of preparing Brussels sprouts are rather limited and they are actually only known as a classic accompaniment to heavy dishes in winter – with roasts, goose, duck or beef roulades.
Cut off the stalk, score an X on the bottom, remove the outer, loose leaves leaving only the firmly attached leaves, simmer in salted water for 6 to 8 minutes and then rinse in ice-cold water.
Next, heat a good piece of butter in a coated pan so that it foams, use a perforated ladle to add the cabbage heads to the butter and glaze. Finally season with salt and nutmeg – this is the easiest way to prepare Brussels sprouts. Pure and delicious.
The following dish is a little more elaborate: Brussels sprouts casserole with salsiccia, burrata and lemon. You will need: 500 grams of Brussels sprouts heads, cleaned, pre-cooked and halved. 200 grams of burrata. In case you are not familiar with the name: Burrata is an Italian cream cheese made from cow’s milk. You also need: 200 grams of salsiccia. Peeled from the gut, so only the pure meat, please. 80 grams of sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips. Olive oil. Juice and zest of a whole lemon. A dash of balsamic vinegar, preferably a very old, very thick one. Salt, pepper, 60 grams of roasted pine nuts and two cloves of finely chopped garlic.
And off we go: heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the garlic until colourless. Add salsiccia and sauté over medium heat. Remove the pot from the stove, prepare a casserole dish and preheat the oven to 160 degrees top and bottom heat. Mix all the ingredients – apart from the burrata – with the salsiccia mixture, season with salt and pepper and distribute in the casserole dish. Tear off small pieces of cheese and sprinkle over them. Place the casserole in the oven for 25 minutes. Complete.
Excellent both as a side dish and as a main course. Do you prefer it vegetarian? Then replace the sausage with sun-dried tomatoes.
Walter Stemberg and his son Sascha run the “Haus Stemberg” restaurant in Velbert, which has been awarded a star in the “Michelin Guide” for the ninth year in a row. Here the Sternbergs write about the basics of cooking. All episodes online: welt.de/kochschule
