Ignore The Haters

I won't hear a word against brussels sprouts, not a syllable - d'ya hear? *menacing look* In life, in general, I'm all about the underdog and this extends to food. As far as I'm concerned, if you don't like them then you haven't had them cooked the right way. You know the way sometimes parents disguise veggies for their kids and lie to them and don't tell them that there are bits of broccoli secreted into their chicken and cauli mashed into their spuds? Well Darina Allen's brussels sprouts soup is the perfect way to con brussels sprouts haters of all ages.



HOW can you not love these green globes of vitamin-filled virtue?! Ní thuigim.

Onions and garlic, gearing up for a sweat-fest.

If I were less lazy I would probably make my own stock, but frankly I'm perfectly happy with the powdered variety. Also, I'm a sucker for iconic food packaging and I think that this is up there with the best of them.

A tablespoon of flour for the sweaty, buttery veggies.

Molten gold.

And with the addition of the sprouts, a most delicious tricolour.

Nutmeg - see - bet you never thought of that, eh. Use your imagination and give the wee sprouteens a chance.

One serious dollop of creme fraiche, a whizz up with the blender and do not tell me that you are not coming round to my sprouty way of thinking.

Being greedy as bejaysus there was no way that a mere bowl of soup was going to do the job for my endless appetite, delicious and all as it may be, so I bumphed up the fillingness factor with some saussies on toast smeared with my new discovery - Ballymaloe jalapeno chilli relish, bought one day when I was about to buy regular Ballymaloe relish, but was concerned that I was getting a bit boring and decided to shake it up a bit.

Though this meal may not have cured me of my mid-winter maladies, it certainly provided enough warmth and creamy comfort to stem my self-pity for a little while.