Sprout fanatic Christopher has been a greengrocer for 12 years and runs his own fruit and veg shop The Crunchy Carrot.
It’s a hippy eco-style grocers packed full of local produce and Christopher, 50, is obsessed with using seasonal vegetables in all of his home cooking.
He created this soup one Christmas for his girlfriend’s parents, knowing they both hate Brussels sprouts in a bid to convince them how tasty they could be! He thinks it’s a winner as it transforms the much hated sprout into a soup people love.
Christopher has been a keen cook since he was a teenager and loves creating dishes with whatever he can find. He lives with his partner in Dunbar, Scotland.
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
6 shallots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
175ml white wine
175g cooked peeled chestnuts
2 floury potatoes (Maris Piper or similar), peeled, roughly diced
½ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground turmeric
850ml hot vegetable stock
1lb Brussels sprouts, halved
100g creamed coconut
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To serve:
Crème fraîche (optional)
1 tsp flaked almonds, toasted
Method
1. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil over a medium heat and briefly fry the cumin.
2. Add the shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened but not coloured, then add the garlic and wine. Bring to the boil, then add the chestnuts, potato, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, turmeric and stock. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add the sprouts and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes and sprouts are tender and cooked. Then stir in the coconut.
4. Pour into a blender and liquidise. Add more stock as necessary if it is too thick, season well and serve with an optional swirl of cream and a sprinkling of toasted flaked almonds.