Rosenkohl mit Maronen

Germany's festive side: Brussels sprouts glazed in butter with sweet chestnuts and a little bacon

Origin: Germany

From the journey of Brussels Sprout.

In Germany the Brussels sprout is Rosenkohl, the 'rose cabbage', named for the resemblance of its tight, leafy buds to little roses, and the classic German way with it is Rosenkohl mit Maronen, sprouts with sweet chestnuts. It is a dish of the German and Austrian autumn and winter and a fixture of the Christmas table, the earthy sweetness of the chestnut a natural partner to the sprout, the two glazed together in butter with, very often, a little smoky bacon to season. The pairing of the cabbage tribe with chestnuts runs deep in Central European winter cooking, and Rosenkohl mit Maronen is its most elegant expression: the blanched sprouts and the cooked chestnuts turned in foaming butter until glossy and lightly caramelised, sometimes finished with a splash of stock and a little sugar to glaze. Served beside the roast goose or the festive joint, it is the German counterpart of the British Christmas sprout, and proof of how the same vegetable found its own treatment in each of the Northern European lands that took it up. Like all good sprout cookery, it depends on not overcooking the buds: blanched to a bright tenderness and then glazed quickly, the German Rosenkohl is sweet, nutty, and a world away from the boiled grey sprout of ill repute.

Ingredients

  • 800 g Brussels sprouts (Rosenkohl), trimmed
  • 200 g cooked, peeled chestnuts (Maronen)
  • 80 g smoked bacon, diced (optional)
  • 40 g butter
  • 100 ml vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • grating of nutmeg
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Trim the sprouts and halve any large ones. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until just tender and still bright. Drain well.
  2. If using bacon, fry it in a wide pan over medium heat until the fat renders and it crisps. Otherwise simply melt the butter.
  3. Add the butter (and the chestnuts) to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the chestnuts colour a little at the edges.
  4. Add the drained sprouts, the pinch of sugar, and the stock, and cook over medium-high heat, turning, until the liquid reduces to a glaze and coats the sprouts and chestnuts, 4 to 5 minutes.
  5. Season with salt, pepper, and a grating of nutmeg, and serve hot.

Notes

Vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts make this an easy dish; if roasting your own, score, roast, and peel them while warm. Leave out the bacon for a vegetarian version and brown the butter for extra depth. This is the classic accompaniment to roast goose, duck, and the festive German and Austrian table.

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