Christmas Sprouts with Spam
Which side of the sprout debate do you come down on?
Love or hate?
For me, it depends on how they’re cooked.
Boiled, and you’ll see me run a mile in the opposite direction, but cooked this way, and I’m first in line for second helpings.
My first recollection of sprouts was those cooked for school Christmas dinners.
They left so many long-lasting bad memories, that it took me years to get over the water flooded balls of green mush.
I’m still not sure how the sprouts I ate at school could be both soft and mushy and still have such a strong flavour of the colour green!?
Over the years, I learnt to cook sprouts my own way.
Now, they’re on my list of top 5 favourite vegetables and probably the most over used vegetables in my house, much to the lovely Mr Gs dismay.
He’s more of a cabbage man!
The trick to perfectly cooked and tasty sprouts is easy, forget boiling and go straight for the frying pan.
With the addition of chopped Spam, an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic to the mix, there’s little to go wrong.
Spam and sprouts, a match made in Christmas heaven.
Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life!
Tender sprouts and charred spam.
What You Need
1 Pack of Sprouts
1 Tin (200g) Spam – See Tip Box
1 Medium Onion – Finely Chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic – Finely Chopped
8 Tbsp. Oil – See Tip Box
Salt & Pepper – to taste
Slice the sprouts nice and thinly
How It’s Done
Cut the bottom off each sprout and remove the outer layer of leaves.
Peel and finely chop the two garlic cloves and set aside until needed
Chop the sprouts up into slices and set them aside until needed.
Chop the onion into small pieces
Chop the Spam into cubes.
Put 4 tablespoons of the oil into a frying pan, add the onions and the Spam to the pan.
Have the heat on medium and let the Spam and onions cook, stirring occasionally, until the Spam and onions are brown.
Remove the Spam and onions from the pan and set aside until needed.
Place 4 tablespoons of oil into the same frying pan.
Put all of the sliced sprouts along with the chopped garlic and salt and pepper into the pan. Give it a good mix up.
Have the heat on medium and cook the sprouts until they start to go brown and are soft but not mushy.
Add the Spam and onions back to the pan
Give it all a mix
Serve hot.
Cubes of spiced pork
Tip Box
Oil – The oil is for cooking the sprouts and the spam, but you may need to add more to stop them burning
Posh it up – If you like chilli, add some chilli powder or a chopped fresh chilli.
Spam – Spam is made of pork and seasonings and is a great substitute for bacon in lots of dishes.
Delicious
