Holiday Sprouts and Peas

In our home, a holiday dinner isn’t complete without a side consisting of brussels sprouts in some shape or form. This time around, these Holiday Sprouts and Peas are taking center stage! Perfectly cooked sprouts and peas are tossed with melted butter, onions, garlic, and cashews – absolutely delicious!

If you hate brussels sprouts, I’m begging you to give them one more try! I love them, so once the photographs were taken, these Holiday Sprouts and Peas did not last long! I know I have said this about some other vegetables too, but I think brussels sprouts are one of my favourite vegetables. That is clearly evident with the number of times brussels sprouts have been used in recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen! How about you? Do you love them or do you hate them?

I wasn’t always a lover of brussels sprouts. That was because my first introduction to them was very unpleasant. I’m not sure how it happened, but they were from a packet found in the frozen section at the grocery store. I learned really quickly that fresh was the way to go! This recipe was inspired by Mary Berry’s recipe. I did make a few little changes though. Even though her version was quite delicious, I felt they needed a bit more flavour. I opted for onion and garlic to give them a savoury bite and some maple syrup for a little sweetness.

SUBSCRIBE NOW AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER RECIPE!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to my annual holiday-themed recipes. Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

This year I’m doing it differently. Rather than sharing multiple back to back series, I’m sharing a new holiday-themed recipe almost every day from now until Christmas Eve. For those of you who have followed my annual Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series, don’t worry, you will still get lots of new cookie recipes this year too. I will not, however, be publishing the cookies back to back in a 24-day series. This would have been my 8th year running the series and it becomes very exhausting. Also, we have a vacation booked in what would have been the middle of the series, so this year, I’m spreading the recipes out so that I’m not sharing the same type of recipe every day.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

PREPARING FRESH BRUSSELS SPROUTS

No matter how fresh or how clean the sprouts look, I will always clean them. This is how I do so. First, I use a paring knife to trim off the bottom of the sprout. Don’t take off too much. The stem is edible as well. Next, I peel off maybe two or three outer leaves and discard them. Then, I plunge the whole sprout into cold water and give them a good swishing around by hand to get any dirt or grime out of them.

If I’m roasting them, I will be sure to dry them really well. If you leave the water on them, especially if you plan to roast them, the water will steam the sprouts and might prevent a nice char. Also, steamed brussels sprouts almost always end up mushy.

In the case of this recipe, the sprouts will need to be blanched, so there’s no need to dry them after washing them just to transfer them to a pot of boiling water. Blanching should not be confused with steaming. The sprouts will be in the salted, boiling water just long enough to almost fully cook the sprout, increase that beautiful green colour, and reduce the bitterness that can sometimes be associated with the flavour of sprouts.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS RECIPES

John.e and I love recipes with brussels sprouts. In fact, I made a carbonara with them and it was amazing. Personally, I loved the Brussels Sprouts Coleslaw, but my all-time favourite is the Spicy Pan Seared Brussels Sprouts with Corn and Caramelized Onions. Wow!

Someone once told me that brussels sprouts are only good when cooked with bacon. I love bacon, but I don’t usually cook bacon with my sprouts. Just recently, however, I gave them a go with pancetta, which is an Italian-style bacon. It isn’t smoked like Canadian bacon, so you get more of a pork flavour from it. It was delicious. You can check out my Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Pancetta here!

Did you know that you can make soup with brussels sprouts? Oh, yes indeed! It’s quite delicious too. If you’re curious, take a look at my Brussels Sprouts Soup recipe right here!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Brussels Sprouts – I know it’s easy to reach for a bag or box of frozen brussels sprouts, but they will not work in this recipe – well, they will if you like mushy sprouts!
• Frozen Green Peas – There are two types of frozen green peas – petits pois and regular peas. Get the regular because they are larger and more plump. Petits pois are smaller more tender peas and even though they are sweeter, regular garden peas work best in this recipe.
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Seasonings – You will need dried minced onion, dried minced garlic, salt (if using salted butter and salted cashews, you might want to omit the salt here and do a taste test before finishing up the recipe to see if more salt is needed or not), and ground black pepper.
• Cashews – I’m using salted cashews, but you can use unsalted. Once your recipe is fully prepared, taste and add a dash more salt if you feel it is needed.
• Maple Syrup – Even though I prefer the cheap, sugar-laden stuff on my pancakes, this is where you want to break out the good stuff!

HOW TO MAKE HOLIDAY SPROUTS AND PEAS

Fill a sauce pan half full of water. Salt the water generously and bring to a full boil. Once boiling, add the prepared brussels sprouts and cook for 3-5 minutes depending on how large your sprouts are. You want the sprouts to be cooked through, but not mushy. Next, add the frozen peas. Stir into the sprouts and cook for 2 additional minutes. Drain the sprouts and peas well and set aside.

Add the butter and oil to a large skillet over medium heat along with the dried minced onions, dried minced garlic, salt, and ground black pepper. Fry the onion and garlic, stirring often, until they are softened – about 2 minutes. Next, add the drained sprouts, peas, cashews, and maple syrup to the skillet and toss well to combine with the onion and coat with the melted butter. Taste for seasoning. Plate, garnish, and serve.

MAKE IT A MEAL!

I always associate Brussels sprouts with Thanksgiving time. Is that only me? Or does everyone feel the same way? Well, it really doesn’t matter; the point is, when making this dish, you should consider an entire meal! I would consider serving these sprouts with a whole roasted turkey, or even turkey legs and thighs – especially if a whole turkey is too much or too large for your family.

You will need another side or two to make it a fully festive meal. How about these Sauteed Green Peas, or this Maple Glazed Squash? One of the most common things on a Thanksgiving plate is mashed potatoes. And, I love mashed potatoes, but sometimes you might want something a little different. You could try a Russet and Sweet Potato Skillet instead. My mom used make Mashed Turnip and Carrots on occasion. It’s so good too!

Now, if you don’t feel like stuffing the turkey, I have two stuffing recipes that can be prepared in a baking dish. Baguette Stuffing with Swiss Chard and Caramelized Onions sounds delicious, doesn’t it? I also have this Traditional Newfoundland Savoury Dressing which is a stuffing in its own right. Lastly, don’t forget about the gravy! Enjoy, Dear Reader!!!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!