1 fresh red chilli, plus more to serve if you like
2 teaspoons vegetable oil plus more for deep frying
1 spring onion, finely sliced
Brussel sprout soup with chorizo:
1 tablespoon butter
1 leek, white parts only, finely sliced
250 grams brussel sprouts, tough leaves removed and finely sliced
400 millilitres chicken stock
100 millilitres double cream
Salt, to taste
1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 small cooking chorizo
Steps
Brussel sprout gratin:
Bring a pan of water to the boil. Slice the sprouts into quarters, through the stalk, and add them to the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes then drain and leave to steam dry in the colander.
Preheat the oven to 180C. Put the cream, garlic, salt and half of the Parmesan into a mixing bowl and stir together. Add the cooked sprouts, mix well and then tip into a small oven dish. Top with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbling around the edge and browning on top. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Salt and pepper brussel sprouts:
Half fill a sturdy saucepan with cooking oil, and heat to 160C.
Peel off any tough outer leaves from each sprout. With the stalk at the bottom, cut each sprout in half, then make a cut in the middle of each half, almost down to the stalk.
Put the cornflour into a mixing bowl with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of white pepper. Add the sprouts and mix together, then add 3 tablespoons of water and mix until it’s all combined and the sprouts are covered in the batter. Add another spoonful of water if needed.
When the oil has come to temperature, cook half of the sprouts for 3 minutes, then scoop out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper while you cook the rest.
Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic, sliced chilli, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, then add the fried sprouts and toss them over the heat for one more minute. Tip out onto a serving plate and top with the spring onion and more red chilli if you like. Serve straight away.
Brussel sprout soup with chorizo:
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the leeks and cook for 5 minutes until starting to soften. Add the brussel sprouts and chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes, until the sprouts are soft.
While the soup is cooking, remove the casing from the chorizo and crumble or chop it into 1cm pieces. Put the meat into a small non-stick frying pan and add 1 teaspoon of cooking oil. Cook over a low heat until the chorizo meat is starting to crisp up and has coloured the oil in the pan red. Then take it off the heat.
Once the vegetables are soft, use a stick blender to blitz the soup into a smooth puree. Stir in the cream and cook gently for another few minutes then add salt to taste. Ladle the soup into serving bowls then top with a spoonful of the crispy chorizo and a drizzle of the chorizo oil.
