As I write this post it is now a year since the so-called horsemeat scandal erupted in the UK, after horse DNA was found in beefburgers and beef lasagne ready meals for sale in British supermarkets
Leaving aside the issue of criminality, what the scandal really revealed was how difficult it is to trace the origin of imported produce in our food supply chain. It showed that the longer and more complex the journey our food has to take to reach our plates the less confident we can be that it is what it claims to be. At the time of the scandal, the management consultancy firm KPMG pointed to the complex network of brokers, cold stores operators and subcontracted meat cutting plants across Europe that play a part in our meat supply chain. This chain was so complex that – according to KPMG – there were around 450 points at which the integrity of the chain could break down.
To me, what we choose to eat (and what we choose to feed our children) is one of the most important short-term and long-term decisions we make, and the horse meat scandal emphasises that it is in our best interests to source and support organic, seasonal, locally produced foods. The shorter supply chain that underpins local produce provides us with a substantially greater degree of confidence in the integrity of the food we purchase.
Time for a meat-free recipe.
This one makes use of a vegetable that still stands proud on my allotment plot, the Circus Garden, through these wet and windy early weeks of British winter – the Brussels sprout. This much maligned but exceptionally nutritious vegetable works beautifully in this very quick and simple but delicious dish.
The sweet, hot, spicy and intense vegan sauce is based on a classic sauce used in Vietnamese and Thai cuisine called sriracha, and it balances beautifully here against the lightly caramelised vegetables.
Brussels sprouts with spring onions and sriracha
Ingredients
300 g Brussels sprouts, trimmed
8-10 spring onions, white and green parts, sliced diagonally
1 tbsp groundnut oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
for the “sriracha” sauce
6 red chillies, deseeded and chopped (leave some of the seeds in for a really hot sauce)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp mirin (rice wine vinegar)
2 tbsp brown Muscovado sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
juice of 1/2 lime
2 tbsp water
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Method
1. Strip the individual leaves from each of the sprouts and place in a bowl.
2. Place the chillies, garlic, mirin, sugar, tomato purée, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice and water in a blender and process to a smooth paste.
3. Place a wok over a very high heat and when really hot add the groundnut oil and sesame oil. As it begins to smoke, add the Brussels sprout leaves. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. You want the sprouts to begin to catch and to start to colour a little. Add the spring onion. Stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the sriracha sauce and stir quickly to combine. Serve immediately.