Feijoa & brussel sprouts

Brussel sprouts

Ingredients

• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 4 Cloves
• 2 Star anise
• 1 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns
• 1 tbsp Fennel seeds
• 200g Brown sugar
• 300ml Soy sauce
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2cm piece of ginger
• 300ml Water
• 100ml Mirin
• 500g Brussel sprouts

Method

Peel garlic and ginger

In a food processor combine, garlic, ginger, Szechuan peppercorns, and fennel seeds. Blitz this until finely chopped adding a little soy sauce if necessary to help the blending.

Add to a pot and add your cinnamon stick, cloves, and star anise

Cook this out for 3-4 minutes or until it has become very fragrant

Add brown sugar, soy sauce, water, and mirin

Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes to impart the flavour

Pass the stock through a fine sieve into a braising tray

Peel off outer leaves of Brussel sprouts (try to keep these leaves looking beautiful as you will use these to plate later)

With the cores chop them in half and add to braising liquid

Cook in the oven at 200C for about 30 minutes or until the Brussel sprouts are very tender

Strain the liquid and keep for next time (or use it for other applications)

Pickled feijoas

Ingredients

• 1kg feijoas
• 250g apple cider vinegar
• 250g sugar
• 500g water
• Salt

Method

Bring a pot of water to boil and sterilize jars and lids for 5 minutes

Remove jars from pot and drain upside down to dry out

In a separate pot combine apple cider vinegar, sugar, and water

Bring to a boil, taste, and season accordingly

Cut feijoas into 1cm rounds and place in sterilized jars tightly packing them until full

Pour hot pickling liquid over the feijoas until 1cm from top

Seal with lids and pasteurize for 30 minutes

Carefully remove and place on the shelf

Black feijoa skin powder

Ingredients

• Leftover feijoa skins

Method

Cut up leftover feijoa skins

Dehydrate in an oven on fan bake at 100C

Slightly crack the door open to release the moisture and prevent burning

Dehydrate for about 4-5 hours or until skins are very dry

Blend up into powder

Blanched brussel sprout leaves - toasted

Ingredients

• Leftover outer brussel sprout leaves
• Salt

Method

Bring a pot of water to the boil and season with salt

Prepare a bowl of ice water (or cold water if you don't have ice)

Blanch the brussel sprout leaves for 10-20 seconds or until cooked

Remove the leaves and place in ice water to stop the cooking process

Keep in ice water for 1 minute stirring to ensure there's no hot spots

Remove the leaves and spread on a tray to dry

To serve

Preheat oven to 200C

On a tray place a Silpat mat (or baking paper)

Place a braised brussel sprout half topped with some chopped pickled feijoas

Encapsulate these with a brussel sprout leave so it looks like half a brussel sprout upside down

Warm for 4 minutes (or until hot but not discoloured)

Slice feijoas into thin circles

Place hot Brussel sprouts on the bottom of the plate

Top with sliced feijoas

Spoon a couple of spoonfuls of the braising liquid over the top of the sprouts

Dust the top with some black feijoa skin powder