Come December, hearty yet healthy winter meals aren’t just a craving but a must—a way to warm both your mind and body as the temperatures get colder and colder. (“One...
Come December, hearty yet healthy winter meals aren’t just a craving but a must—a way to warm both your mind and body as the temperatures get colder and colder. (“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well,” Virginia Woolf famously wrote in A Room of One’s Own.)
At the beloved English country hotel The Newt in Somerset, the dish that checks all the boxes is their Brussels Sprout Risotto, which flies off the menu at the Garden Café. According to head chef Frank Bailey, it’s also the perfect meal to make post-Christmas, as it can use any leftover Brussels sprouts. Bailey has some tips for that too: “For the big day I like to sauté mine, rather than boiling, with streaky bacon and cooked chestnuts,” he says.
Below, find a recipe for The Newt’s Brussels Sprout Risotto.
Brussels Sprout Risotto
Serves 4
Ingredients:
480g / 2 cups cooked pearled barley or spelt, cooked in a large pan of rapidly boiling water for 8-10 minutes
100g / ½ cup salted butter
200g / 1 cup crème fraiche
120g / 1 cup grated cheese—any hard cheese works, Westcombe cheddar, Old Winchester, etc
100g /1 cup sprout puree (made by blitzing together cooked sprouts with a handful of fresh spinach, for color, and a splash of water)
Leftover Christmas sprouts
The zest of a lemon, plus the juice
Salt to taste
Method:
Heat together the cooked grains, butter, and a couple of tablespoons of water in a large pan over a medium heat.
Dollop in the crème fraiche, followed by the grated cheddar, stir together and cook out until silky.
Add in the sprout purée and continue to cook, stirring together until hot and vibrant green. At this point, I like to add half of my leftover sprouts.
Heat the remaining sprouts in a scorching oven, or under the grill, for a couple of minutes, until sizzling and crisp around the edges.
Season the risotto with lemon juice and salt, divide between four bowls, scatter over the reserved sprouts, scatter with lemon zest, and serve.