You have no idea how delighted I was when I received this message from twitter user @tastechristmas -the official twitter of this seasons greatest restaurant festival – Taste of Christmas 2009!

“Congrats, you’ve won a pair of tickets to Taste of Christmas. we just need an address them to send them to thanks!”

This was for my entry in the sprout story/tips/recipe competition. Since I absolutely adore sprouts I just had to enter, and my christmassy version of Bubble n Squeak with shredded sprout was chosen. Woo!

Here is the original entry – (thats 140 character limit is challenging at times!).

@TasteChristmas Also mashed potato & root vegetable bubble & squeak with shredded sprout. Made into small cakes.

I´m not going to go into measurements now, as really, its not required. So here is a basic outline.

Ingredients:
Mixture of root vegetables (potatoes, parnsnips, carrots – you get the idea, basically whatever you fancy, or have left over!)
Sprouts! (sorry, for me, not christmas without sprouts!)

Method:
Create a mash out of the mixture of root vegetables. This should be a relatively simple task if they are left overs.. Try not to make them too smooth of course as you want a degree of texture.

Add shredded pre-cooked sprouts (not cooked until they are soft, but al dente). Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Mix together and form into small cakes. Lightly pan fry or griddle until golden brown (and yes for the health fantatics you can cook in oven, but it just doesnt seem right for bubble and squeak to me).

The rest is up to you. Just a quick idea which can be easily adapted to suit your own tastes. Its great for hiding sprouts from those misguided individuals who just dont like them!

Plain Suet Dumplings::
2 oz self-raising flour
1 oz shredded suet
Salt and black pepper
6-8 tbsp cold water – to mix

Mix the flour and shredded suet in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and add enough cold water (6-8 tablespoonfuls) to make smooth dough

Place the dough on a lightly floured board lightly knead, divide into 6 dumplings, shape and put them on to the soup, casserole or stock, return the lid and allow them to simmer for around 20 to 25 minutes.

Do not overwork the dough. This amount serves 2 to 3 people

Herb Dumplings – add ½ tbsp of fresh mixed herbs, very finely chopped, ie thyme and parsley

Potato Dumplings – Recipe 2
¼ cup flour
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1½ cups cold mashed potatoes
2 eggs – lightly beaten

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl, gradually work in the mashed potatoes and eggs. Knead very lightly on a floured board and shape into balls, drop into the soup, casserole or stock, cover and cook for 25 minutes

Sage Wholemeal Dumplings – Recipe 3
4 oz self-raising wholemeal flour
1 tsp of English mustard powder
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp of fresh sage – finely chopped
2 oz vegetable suet
2 tbsp milk

Sift the flour, mustard powder and sea salt into a mixing bowl, stir in the herbs and vegetable suet. Add the milk and mix to a soft dough, being careful not to overwork

Form into mixture into small dumplings, place them into the casserole, soup or stock then simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the dumplings have “puffed up”. They normally puff up and rise to the top when ready