Brussels sprouts - ways to prepare for the winter
Preparing this vegetable is not very difficult. Ripe heads of cabbage are cut off at the base of the stem, and bad leaves with stalks are removed. Well, then everything depends on your desire.
Cabbage can be frozen like broccoli, maintaining its original flavor and texture. But if you don’t want to bother with defrosting at the right time, then marinating will come to your aid, which will give our Brussels vegetables additional taste and aroma. It is convenient to eat it marinated due to its size. You get some kind of vitamin seeds.
Can Brussels sprouts be frozen in the freezer?
Although Brussels sprouts differ in taste from their white cabbage “sister,” they are in no way inferior to them in terms of fiber, vitamins and microelements.
Nutritionists recommend regularly including this vegetable in your diet, because its use has virtually no contraindications. This is most important in winter, when the body is especially in need of vitamins. To ensure that Brussels sprouts are always on the table, they are frozen.
Reference. Experts say that when properly frozen, the product retains its taste characteristics and a significant portion of its nutrients.
After defrosting, the cabbage loses its density, becomes a little softer and less crunchy , loses its characteristic green color and turns a little yellow. However, this does not affect its taste.
How to freeze for winter storage
Before freezing, the heads of cabbage should be kept for five to six minutes in cool, lightly salted water. This will get rid of any insects that may be inside. Then rinse the cabbage under running water.
Next, pour the heads of cabbage into a pan with salted water and wait for it to boil. After boiling, remove the pan from the heat and let the cabbage sit for a couple of minutes. After time has passed, drain the cabbage in a colander, rinse with ice water, and then dry.
If you have ever made homemade dumplings, then the next step will be familiar to you. Place the heads of cabbage on a baking sheet, tray or dish in an even layer and place in the freezer.
As soon as the cabbage is completely frozen, transfer it from the baking sheet into bags and throw it back into the freezer.
Due to the fact that the vegetable was first boiled until half cooked, it will take you much less time to prepare dishes. We have this kind of semi-finished product for the winter.
How to cook frozen Brussels sprouts
Cooking frozen cabbage is quick and easy. But even in these cases, you can mess up. Please, under no circumstances should you torture the cabbage by fire. How many times have I seen “killed” frozen vegetables that were left on the stove under the pretext “to make sure they were cooked?”
Properly frozen Brussels sprouts have already been half-cooked before freezing. So it will take her ten, maximum 15 minutes to get the desired condition.
And so, put a pan of water on the stove, salt it a little, and wait until it boils. And now we throw the cabbage heads into boiling water. After 10 minutes, the cabbage will have time to melt and finish cooking.
Drain the hot water from the finished cabbage and add cooler water. This way the heads of cabbage will keep their shape better and will not turn into mush during further culinary manipulations.
Brussels sprouts prepared in this way can be used in salads and soups. Some even manage to combine it in canapés. As a separate dish or side dish, it wouldn’t be too bad.
On a note
To give cabbage its vibrant green appearance, place it in ice water for a few minutes.
Be sure to wash fresh cabbage leaves before cooking, first removing pale and wrinkled leaves, or better yet, remove the top 2-3 leaves and the rest of the petiole..
Thaw the Brussels sprouts at room temperature for about an hour or soak them in boiling water just before cooking. But do not use the microwave to defrost it.
To eliminate the bitterness in cabbage, boil it in water with the addition of lemon juice or baking soda.
When it is cooked, the size of the pumpkin slightly increases.
Cook it for only a couple of minutes - this way you will retain all its beneficial substances.
All recipes specify the amount of unpeeled Brussels sprouts.
Approximately 20% of the weight of fresh Brussels sprouts is always removed as waste.
Always cut the Brussels sprouts in half with a sharp knife, or if the cabbage is relatively large, then into four parts strictly along the middle of the stalk.
When freezing your own, be sure to quickly blanch in lightly salted water, this will ensure its pleasant appearance and improve the taste.
Cooking frozen Brussels sprouts in a slow cooker - the best mode is the “Stew” mode.
Pickled
Pickled Brussels sprouts are a delicious appetizer. It will be in great demand due to its appearance and size. I pricked a head of cabbage on a fork, put it in my mouth, and so on over and over again.
Ingredients:
- Brussels sprouts – 1 kg
- Water - liter
- Sugar – 60 grams
- Salt – 50 grams
- Ground black pepper – 1 gram
- Vinegar 9% – 250 milliliters
Cut the peeled and washed cabbage in half and put it in a jar, making it tighter.
To make the marinade, dissolve sugar and salt in water, add vinegar and pepper, and bring the mixture to a boil.
Are nutrients preserved when frozen?
Fresh heads of Brussels sprouts are valued in cooking for their harmonious balance of low calorie content and high nutritional value. The product contains folic and ascorbic acids, tocopherol, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, retinol, and beta-carotene.
In addition to vital vitamins, the vegetable contains potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iodine, iron, molybdenum, zinc, fluorine, copper, manganese, and cobalt.
Experts say that the product, when properly frozen, retains a significant proportion of all nutritional components until the onset of the new season. And its taste characteristics are also preserved. During the processing process, only a small part of the beneficial substances is lost.
According to experts, Brussels sprouts, fresh or frozen, must be included in the diet of pregnant women, children, the elderly, people suffering from cardiovascular diseases and malignant tumors.
- Firstly, it is an excellent prevention of hypertension, tachycardia, arrhythmia, and bradycardia.
- Secondly, the vegetable, due to the indole-3-carbinol present in the composition, prevents the formation of breast cancer.
- Thirdly, it stimulates brain function and improves memory.
- Fourthly, it stimulates the body’s immune functions, which is especially important in the autumn-winter period.
- And fifthly, small heads of cabbage help remove cholesterol from the body and have a beneficial effect on the organs of vision.
The simplest recipe
This method is the easiest to pickle cabbage; products that are found in every home are used for preparation. It will be moderately spicy, sweetish and very tasty.
Ingredients
- Brussels sprouts – 1 kg;
- water – 1 l;
- sugar – 2 tbsp. spoons;
- salt – 2 tbsp. spoons;
- ground black pepper – 0.5 teaspoon;
- vinegar - 1 glass.
Preparation
Rinse the heads of cabbage, peel, cut in half, and place tightly in jars.
Place the remaining products in a saucepan, add water and cook the marinade.
Fill the jars, cover with tin lids, and pasteurize for 20 minutes.
When the water has cooled a little, take out the jars of cabbage and seal them.
Turn over, wrap warmly, let cool completely.
Preparing cabbage
Before freezing Brussels sprouts for the winter, it is important to prepare them first.
First of all, pay attention to the place where the heads of cabbage are cut. If you left stumps that are too large, remove them - they provide no nutritional value and just take up space in the freezer. But even with short ponytails, you will still have to renew all the sections, because over time, under the influence of oxygen and light, the fibers oxidize, as a result of which they darken.
Read also: Pickled cabbage for the winter: very tasty crispy
After this, the workpieces need to be soaked in a weak saline solution. It is prepared at the rate of 5 tsp. table salt per 3 liters of drinking water. This is done in order to eliminate pest larvae that might go unnoticed between the cabbage leaves. If necessary, press down the floating heads with a lid or plate.
After all the procedures done, the cabbage should be rinsed under cold running water.
In Korean
If in winter you want something special, spicy and piquant, Brussels sprouts marinated in Korean will come to the rescue. This spicy snack will not only diversify your menu, but will also reduce the likelihood of catching a cold.
Ingredients
To prepare this dish you need:
- Brussels sprouts – 1.5 kg;
- carrots – 0.4 kg;
- garlic – 2 heads;
- hot pepper – 1 small pod.
- water – 1 l;
- salt – 2 tbsp. spoons;
- sugar – 1 tbsp. spoon;
- vinegar – 30 ml;
- vegetable oil – 20 ml;
- bay leaf – 2 pcs.
Preparation
Wash the heads of cabbage, peel and cut in half. Grate the carrots on a special grater for Korean vegetables. Chop the garlic thoroughly. Cut the hot pepper into small pieces.
Place the vegetables in the jars as tightly as possible. To be sure, gently tap the bottom on the edge of the table.
To prepare the marinade, add water to sugar, bay leaves and salt, boil, add oil, then vinegar.
Place an old towel on the bottom of a wide dish, place jars on top, and cover them with lids. Pour in water heated to brine temperature and pasteurize for 20 minutes.
Roll up the canned cabbage, place it bottom up, wrap it, and let it cool completely.
Spicy salad with vegetables
Pickled Brussels sprouts cooked with vegetables can be used not only as a salad, but also served as a side dish for poultry. Thanks to the large number of aromatic components, the smell and taste will be simply amazing.
Ingredients
To marinate the salad, take:
- Brussels sprouts – 1 kg;
- carrots – 400 g;
- sweet pepper – 300 g;
- very small hot pepper – 4 pcs.;
- garlic – 4 cloves;
- bay leaf – 4 pcs.;
- allspice – 8 pcs.;
- parsley - a bunch;
- dill seeds – 1 tbsp. spoon;
- vinegar - 8 tbsp. spoons
- water – 1.2 l;
- salt – 1 tbsp. spoon;
- sugar – 1 tbsp. spoon.
We expect that there will be 4 half-liter jars of pickled cabbage. But depending on the size of the heads, the cutting of carrots and peppers, and the density of vegetables, more may be required. If necessary, increase the amount of spices and marinade.
Preparation
Wash the vegetables and remove the top leaves from the cabbage if necessary. Remove the stems and seeds from the sweet pepper. Remove the skins from the garlic. Shorten the tails of the hot peppers. Peel the carrots and cut into slices. Wash the parsley.
Boil the cabbage for 4 minutes. Drain the liquid and place the heads in a bowl filled with ice water for 5 minutes. This procedure will help maintain the attractive color of the heads of cabbage after heat treatment.
What delicious things can you make from Brussels sprouts?
Description of the dish Recipes: soup with Brussels sprouts, chop the leek (white part) and lightly sauté with fat. Scald the Brussels sprouts. Cut the potatoes into slices. Place all the vegetables into the hot broth, add the bouquet and cook until tender at a low boil. Season the soup to taste. Serve meat soup with a piece of boiled meat, vegetarian soup with sour cream and herbs. Knead a smooth dough from flour, butter, milk, cottage cheese, yolks, salt and soda. Roll out into a thin layer and place on a greased baking sheet. Place finely chopped bacon on the dough, top with Brussels sprouts and cauliflower boiled in salted water and cut into small pieces. Top the pizza with mayonnaise or tomato sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and halved almonds and bake in a hot oven for about 30 minutes.
Pizza dough: wheat flour - 300 g, butter - 200 g, milk - 20 g, cottage cheese - 150 g, eggs (yolks) - 2 pcs. , soda - 10 g, salt - 3 g.
Pizza filling: Brussels sprouts - 300 g, cauliflower - 300 g, lard - 200 g, hard cheese - 100 g, mayonnaise - 250 g, tomato sauce - 30 g, almonds (chopped) - 20 g. Brussels sprouts cream cabbage
Ingredients: 500 g Brussels sprouts 1/2 bay leaf 1/4 clove garlic 1/2 onion several sprigs of parsley grated nutmeg 1 liter meat broth 2 egg yolks 50 g cream salt, ground black pepper
Method of preparation: Peel and wash the Brussels sprouts, boil them in salted water with a bay leaf, finely chopped onion, garlic and parsley in a saucepan with a closed lid. Strain, pass through a meat grinder, put in a saucepan, salt, pepper, add nutmeg and pour in meat broth. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, stirring vigorously, pour in beaten egg yolks diluted with cream. Serve with croutons
Recipe for Italian-style Brussels sprouts:
Boil peeled, washed Brussels sprouts in lightly salted water so that they do not boil (several minutes). For bechamel sauce: lightly fry the flour in butter, add milk and cream. Let the sauce sit until it thickens. Season with pepper, nutmeg and lemon juice. Pour the resulting sauce over the Brussels sprouts, simmer a little, and then sprinkle with grated cheese. Recipe for Italian-style Brussels sprouts:
Boil peeled, washed Brussels sprouts in lightly salted water so that they do not boil (several minutes). For bechamel sauce: lightly fry the flour in butter, add milk and cream. Let the sauce sit until it thickens. Season with pepper, nutmeg and lemon juice. Pour the resulting sauce over the Brussels sprouts, simmer a little, and then sprinkle with grated cheese.
Recipe for Italian-style Brussels sprouts:
Boil peeled, washed Brussels sprouts in lightly salted water so that they do not boil (several minutes). For bechamel sauce: lightly fry the flour in butter, add milk and cream. Let the sauce sit until it thickens. Season with pepper, nutmeg and lemon juice. Pour the resulting sauce over the Brussels sprouts, simmer a little, and then sprinkle with grated cheese Brussels sprouts in the marinade (Meat-free dishes, side dishes)
Ingredients: 500 g Brussels sprouts
Marinade: 3 tsp grated horseradish, 1 bunch of green onions, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, herbs, salt to taste
- Brussels sprouts - 500g - butter - 2 tbsp. l. — egg — 3 pcs. - milk - 1/2 cup - salt - dill or parsley - to taste.
Wash the cabbage, place in boiling salted water, and boil until half cooked. Then drain the water, place the cabbage in a frying pan with melted butter, fry lightly, shaking occasionally, pour in beaten egg mixed with milk, and bake in the oven until golden brown.
Serve the dish hot, sprinkled with herbs. —————————————— Brussels sprouts with nuts
Brussels sprouts - 1 kg vegetable oil - 5 tbsp. spoon lemon - 1 pc. garlic - 2 cloves grated nutmeg - 1 pinch ground black pepper salt peeled hazelnuts - 100 g
Boil the cabbage in boiling salted water for 8 minutes. Drain the water, discard the cabbage, disassemble into pieces and cool.
Finely chop the garlic. Peel the lemon, cut into thin slices, grate the zest on a fine grater. Roast the nuts, chop coarsely, mix with butter, add nutmeg, lemon zest, garlic, salt, pepper.
Mix cabbage with nuts, place on a dish, and decorate with lemon slices.
Cabbage can be served hot as a side dish for meat. —————————————
Brussels sprouts with breadcrumbs
- Brussels sprouts - 500g - butter - 4 tbsp. l. - salt - pepper - to taste - nutmeg (grated) - to taste - breadcrumbs - 4 tbsp. l. - cheese (grated) - 80g.
-Peel, wash and boil the cabbage in a small amount of salted water until tender, without boiling. Heat half the oil, dip the cabbage in it and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Place the cabbage in a mold and place in a warm place.
Heat the remaining oil and fry the breadcrumbs in it until crispy. Mix the fried crackers and cheese and sprinkle the mixture over the cabbage.
Serve with jacket potatoes or as a side dish for meat. ——————————————-
Brussels sprouts in sweet and sour sauce
— Brussels sprouts — 700g — black pepper — 2 peas — allspice — 1 pea — onion — 1 pc. - mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
- water - 1 l - 8% vinegar - 300 ml - sugar - 70g - salt - 25g.
Peeled, rinsed Brussels sprouts are boiled in salted water (10 g of salt per 1 liter of water) almost until softened, removed and, after drying briefly, placed in heated jars. At the same time, it is layered with rinsed spices and thin onion rings and filled with hot pouring.
The jars are well closed, placed in a sterilization tank with hot water and sterilized. Sterilization time in jars: heating to 85 C - 20 minutes, sterilization at 85 C: jars with a volume of 0.7 - 0.9 l - 25 minutes, jars with a volume of 0.5 l - 20 minutes.
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Cabbage juice is an excellent cleanser and helps you lose weight. The formation of gas in the intestines is explained by the fact that cabbage juice decomposes the rotting products accumulated in the intestines through a chemical reaction. Enemas will help remove both the gas and the rotting products that cause the gas.
If you experience a lot of gas or feel restless after drinking cabbage juice, this may be due to an abnormal toxic condition in the intestines. In this case, it is recommended to cleanse the intestines before drinking large amounts of juice by drinking carrot juice or a mixture of carrot and spinach juices daily for two or three weeks with a daily enema cleansing. It has been noticed that when the intestines are able to absorb cabbage juice, it acts as an ideal cleanser, especially for obesity.
A mixture of carrot and cabbage juices forms an excellent source of vitamin C and is used as a cleansing agent, especially for gum infections that cause periodontal disease.
Cabbage juice is very effective for tumors and constipation. Since constipation is the main cause of skin rash, it disappears by drinking this juice.
Adding salt to cabbage not only destroys its value, but is also harmful.
Fresh cabbage juice is used for chronic gastritis, especially with low acidity, gastric and duodenal ulcers, liver and spleen diseases, and obesity.
Take 1-2 glasses 2-3 times a day, one hour before meals, warm.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS JUICE A mixture of Brussels sprouts with carrot, salad and green bean juices provides a combination of elements that helps restore pancreatic function. It has been established that these juices are extremely beneficial for diabetes.
Pizza filling: Brussels sprouts - 300 g, cauliflower - 300 g, lard - 200 g, hard cheese - 100 g, mayonnaise - 250 g, tomato sauce - 30 g, almonds (chopped) - 20 g. Brussels sprouts cream cabbage
With cranberries
When we can preserve sweetish Brussels sprouts with sour cranberries, we get a tasty, healthy dish that will decorate any feast and go well as a side dish for meat.
Ingredients
For 3 half-liter jars you need:
- Brussels sprouts – 800 g;
- cranberries – 200 g.
- water – 1 l;
- wine vinegar – 120 g;
- sugar – 3 tbsp. spoons;
- salt – 2 tbsp. spoons;
- cloves – 6 pcs.
Preparation
Remove the top leaves from the cabbage, if necessary, and blanch for 4 minutes. Drain the liquid and place in a bowl of cold water and ice. This will help preserve the color of the heads.
Dip the cranberries in boiling water for 30 seconds and drain in a colander.
Fill sterile jars with cabbage, sprinkling it with cranberries. In order to better compact the food, gently tap the containers on the edge of the table.
Boil water with cloves, salt, sugar for 5 minutes, add wine or regular vinegar.
Fill the jars with marinade and cover with tin lids. Place in a wide bowl with an old towel on the bottom and filled with hot water. Sterilize for 15 minutes.
When the water has cooled a little, remove the jars and seal them. Turn over, warm, cool.
