Mary Berry's Brussel sprouts recipe uses secret weapon ingredient to axe bitter flavour

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Cooks must add one "essential" ingredient to their Brussels sprouts to transform them into a festive favourite, Mary Berry has urged.

The vegetable has long divided opinion at the Christmas dinner table, with some fiercely defending the brassica and others avoiding it like the plague.

But Dame Mary Berry has revealed an easy way to make your Brussels an instant winner this year using one kitchen staple. The former Great British Bake Off judge explained that butter is a must when preparing sprouts, to provide a smoother flavour that counteracts some of the Brussels' bitterness.

To elevate your sprouts even further, the cook suggests adding pancetta or bacon, along with chestnuts, the Mirror reports. The recipe, which featured on Mary Berry's Absolute Christmas Favourites and is available on the BBC website, can be knocked up in under half an hour.

It requires 900g of sprouts, 50g of butter, and salt and pepper. To go the full mile, you'll also need 200g of pancetta or bacon, 225g of frozen chestnuts which have been defrosted and halved, and one onion.

Method

1. Remove the outer leaves from the sprouts, trim the base of each one and cut in half from top to bottom, through the root. Cook the trimmed sprouts in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, or until almost tender. Drain, then plunge in a bowl of cold water to help the sprouts retain their bright-green colour.
2. Heat half of the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When the butter is foaming, drop in the pancetta and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until crisp. Extract it from the pan using a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to drain.
3. Heat the remaining butter in the same pan. Add the onion and chestnuts and fry for 8-10 minutes, or until the onion has softened. Sprinkle in the cooked pancetta.
4. Drain the sprouts well, then stir them into the pancetta, chestnut and onion mixture. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve piping hot alongside roast turkey and all the trimmings.

Although the recipe may sound complicated, Mary explained that you can save yourself some time by frying the pancetta and chestnuts in advance before adding the fresh Brussels sprouts.

She added: "Ensure that the sprouts are at room temperature when you add them to the pan - if they are added straight from the fridge, they take too long to heat through. This dish is best eaten freshly cooked, but leftovers can be stored in the fridge for one day."

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