Help...my Purple Sprouting has gone mad....got 20 plants and they're all covered in beautiful succulent sprouts. My wife and I are eating it every night and the neighbours are at it too. Is there any advice on what to do with the excess as I really don't want to waste it ?? I'm never going to buy those nasty green blobs from the Supermarket again. !! Thanks Dinger.
BTW I caught 5 superb trout yesterday...biggest was nearly 4 lbs...guess what ? I served it with a huge plate of steamed Broccoli tossed with crispy Pancetta, Olive oil and fresh Parmesan flakes...Yummy. :P
My parents have always had a glut of the lovely stuff. They blanch it for a minute in boiling water, plunge it into cold water, then freeze,
Not done this myself, as it never usually makes it into the kitchen (eaten raw straight off the plant), but then again I ahve never grown 20 plants in one go.
Hope this helps Dingerbell!
Snap dinger, we seem to have 28 plants :-[ ;D
Your recipe sounds wonderful!
Would you like to try them chinese style?
Steam broccoli
Heat oil in pan
Sizzle as much sliced garlic as you want til it start to brown at edges
Add a pinch of flaked chillis a few seconds before you add a few good glugs of Oyster Sauce (about 1 cup or more)
Put steamed brocc on plate, pour over the sauce, and eat
psb glut not the same as courgettes, the neighbours aren't running yet 8)
I remember Hugh F-W (Fearlessly Eatsitall) making a lovely tangy cheese sauce to serve over steamed purple sprouting... mmmmm.
Alison
We've got a glut of white sprouting, am going to try it curried with potatoes. Made recipie up, will try to remember it and let you know if it is ok.
Flossie
Better than asparagus - simple - and they freeze well.
Hello Dingerbell
Just reporting back on the curry with the sprouting broc - delicious...
Hear butter or oil in pcan
Fry potatoes for 4-5 mins
Add garlic and teaspoon of ginger, a bit of chilli, coriander
Fry 1-2 mins
Stir in Broc. and a little water
Fry for 10-15 mins until pots and tender
It taste even better if kept overnight
I think that it would freeze well - unfortunately there wasn't any left
Enjoy
Flossie
we cook it with pasta
boil pasta
4 mins before pasta is due to be done, add PSB
at the same time, heat a glug of wine (about a glass) in a pan, press a glove of garlic into it. let boil for a minute then add a pile of grated cheese (one handful then stir to dissolve then another handful etc). when all cheese is melted in, use a little cornflour mixed with water to smooth it. (sorry no measurements - i do it by eye/feel)
dont worry if the sauce is not much. drain pasta/PSB when done, the pour the sauce over and mix well so everything gets coated a little.
eat and plan to have same recipe at least four more times this week 8)
Pasta sounds good - may try that tonight
Have just looked PSB up - " The River Cottage Year" - there are 10 recipes there ... Flossie
yes. i tried the one with tuna the other day, also yummy :)
flossie/svea,
What are the recipes?
I too have done well with the PSB.
BTW, Does anyone know what size 'clumps' they produce?
Is it similar to brocolli ?
Debs
If you mean the green tasteless blobs you buy in the Supermarket..then no. PSB produces small Forets with long tender stems. Pick them often as they will quickly turn to flowers. When you pick, run your fingers down the stem and they will snap off at the appropriate place. The leaves are delicious too. Happy eating....Dinger
hi Debs - this is the one that I am going to try tonight
Pasta supper ;D :P
500g of PSB - steam until al dente
cook 200g pasta
chop large clove garlic and fry in 3 tbspoons olive oil - don't let it colour
Add tin of anchovies , drained and chopped - that's what he says but I will probably to a bit less as they are so strong
add tin of tuna - drianed
Mix up with PSB and drained pasta
SEason with black pepper
SErve at once
He also has rarebit dip - a beery cheese sauce - as a fondue dip for PSB
Chorizo fried up with cayenne butter and PSB
Anchovy and caper mayonaise and PSB
Tonnata - a dip with garlictuna lemonjuice oilive oil and capers
Scrambled egges and anchovies
Anchovy and lemon butter
I do a simillar one to supersprout, for a veggie meal...
lightly steam broc
fry crushed garlic and grated ginger in oil, with some chunky sliced mushrooms
add soy sauce to taste, and broc, and mix well
served with some eggy fried rice
think I still prefer lashings of butter with black pepper and a twist of lemmon mmm - dip and head back ;D
Thanks all. Some fab recipes there :P
Will get myself to plot early am tomorrow and pick lots.
Debs
Svea is spot on, the tuna/pasta one is brill.
Don't make the mistake of letting the cat scrounge anchovies - ours bolted one and was promptly sick on the new cream carpet.
Hope that this hasn't put you off eating
...nothing would put me off, and besides I live in a cat-free household - only got a crazy boxer dog.
Debs ;D
Another Really tasty variation I tried last night. Steam PSB, make a white sauce (1/2 pint) and add a portion of Boursin and a little extra tasty Cheddar. Finish with a dollop of cream and Black Pepper then pour over hot steamed PSB.....sensational.
Well I picked a couple of medium freezer bags of PSB, ate some raw and stir fried some for tea.
Froze the remainder.
Lots more to come... :P
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Another Really tasty variation I tried last night. Steam PSB, make a white sauce (1/2 pint) and add a portion of Boursin and a little extra tasty Cheddar. Finish with a dollop of cream and Black Pepper then pour over hot steamed PSB.....sensational.
Not counting the calories then db ;)
at £6 per kilo at our farmer's market, well worth freezing the surplus - or giving to suitable grateful recipients ;)
I think mine is ready for harvesting any day now, thank goodness as we go away in less than 2 weeks and I could see us missing the crop!
Can you tell me the best way to freeze it please?
Sand
Blanch for 2 minutes in lots of boiling water. Plunge in sink filled with cold water and ice. Drain, pat dry, freeze on trays lined with non-stick kitchen parchment. Remove from tray and freeze in bags. A bit long winded but this method means that it is easy to use in individual portions. To re-use, simply plunge into boiling water for a few minutes....Cheers Dinger
Quote from: dingerbell on April 25, 2006, 10:38:21
... freeze on trays lined with non-stick kitchen parchment...
I use the teflon sheets, hunt around and you can find them cheaply now. Re-usable and excellent in the freezer or food drier.
If you are going to eat them within a month or so, just freeze as they are. If you want to store for longer, use dingerbell's blanching method and they will last longer.
Tried toast with cream cheese and purple sprouting on top!! Also humous worked well too. So quick and easy!!
I froze some of mine - didn't blanch or anything - just washed & bunged it in a freezer bag.
When I got some out to cook, all the florets had fallen off stalks and were in a pile in freezer bag ???
Does anyone know why ??
Debs
Sounds like they might have snapped under pressure debs (who doesn't ::))? Were they moved about/under anything when they were frozen? They would be brittle.
After a month of cropping, my PSB needs treating very gently now - I boiled just one minute too long last night and the same thing happened >:(. Earlier in the season when the new PSB is fat it can take rougher handling. Was yours fat or thin?
If you leave it on the plant just a little too long prior to picking this tends to happen .I have had it do the same . I think You have got to pick it when the florets are tight .. Cheers .Jim