Spicy Brussels Sprouts with Curry Leaves

It is hard to decide whch photo to put at the top of this post. Brussels sprouts are a very intriguing looking vegetable, but what makes this dish truly unique are the curry leaves and some other spices used in this recipe.

Did you even know that there is a curry tree that grows these very fragrant leaves? I had not been aware of that for a long time, assuming that curry is just a combination of different spices (which by the way do not include curry leaves) and altogether probably the most known Indian spice mix. But my neighbor grows a small curry tree in a pot and he introduced me to curry leaves. Whenever I need curry leaves and have no time to make a trip to my local Indian food store I borrow from him a brunch.

Curry leaves impart a spicy, peppery, and very distinguishable taste. Last week when I bought seasonal Brussels sprouts on stalks I thought about making curry with it. But not in a heavy, thick sauce but rather sautéed in curry leaves and other spices. First, I cooked Brussels sprouts until almost soft and then I fried spices and curry leaves and added them to the Brussels sprouts. Crispy and flavorous spices contrasted nicely with the soft and sweet vegetable. It is an unusual concept of serving the Brussels sprouts but, if you are one of these special people who love Brussels sprouts, it is worth exploring.

Spicy Brussels Sprouts with Curry Leaves (Serves four)

Ingredients:
2 lb Brussels sprouts,
1 tsp turmeric,
1 tsp ground ginger,
1 onion, chopped,
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp whole cumin seeds,
2 tsp mustard seeds,
1 tsp ground cumin,
1 tsp ground coriander,
1 tsp dhana dhal (coriander seeds),
about 12 fresh curry leaves,
olive oil for frying,
salt and pepper.

Preparation:
1. Put Brussels sprouts in a large pot, add a tsp of salt, turmeric, and ginger. Pour just enough water (about 4 cups) to cover Brussels sprouts and bring it to boil.

2. Cook for about 20 minutes uncovered until water reduces and Brussels sprout becomes soft. (When Brussels sprout is soft there should still left some water on the bottom of the pot).
3. In a heavy duty frying pan heat the oil until very hot. Add mustard seeds and when they start to pop, add whole and ground cumin, dhana dhal, and curry leaves. Continue to fry until the spices start to turn brown.

4. Turned the heat to a low and add to the spices chopped onion and garlic and fry for about 3 minutes until onion softens.
5. Transfer cooked Brussels sprout and remaining water the to the pan, mix gently to cover with spices and cook for about five minutes until Brussels sprouts become infused with spices. Serve alone or with rice.

Brussels Sprouts in Breadcrumbs--As Simple as That

How excited can you get about Brussels sprouts? I suppose, it's difficult to like them or hate them. But with the upcoming holidays I decided to write about them anyways. I also hope that this simple idea may gain some fans, in particular, among those who like me, actually like Brussels sprouts.

If you have ever visited Poland you might have noticed something that I have realised only recently, while writing about Polish food. In Poland we serve many vegetables (and not only) in breadcrumbs. I do not know why. It could be our love for breads, or maybe just we always had these dry bread leftovers that we did not like to throw away, or maybe we just like the taste of food coated in breadcrumbs.

I need to say that some vegetables served this way taste exceptionally good. A fresh yellow, green, or purple beans that we pick up straight from the stalks in the summer, and cauliflower, or fall Brussels sprouts taste really good coated in gold breadcrumbs. That is my favorite way of eating these vegetables, especially when I am in Poland where at the farmers markets they are sold fresh, harvested early in the morning the same day.

At this point I need to stress that breadcrumbs you can buy at the supermarket do not do the trick. Those in American stores are often sweet and not crunchy enough. The best way is to make them as we do it in Poland by griding dry white rolls or baguettes (the baguette flour is supposed to be of the best quality). So if you have dry baguette leftover in your kitchen, take them out and using a fine grater or food processor turn them into plain and crispy breadcrumbs. Then get some Brussels sprouts and make this Polish classic dish just like that, without any spices and flavors, a bit crunchy, and slightly bitter-sweet.

Brussels Sprouts in Breadcrumbs
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
1 lb Brussels sprouts,
5 tbsp of good quality butter with high fat content (Keller's butter or Kerrygold Irish butter would be best),
3 tbsp bread crumbs,
1 tbsp salt,
1 tbsp sugar.

Preparation:
1. In a medium pot boil water with salt and sugar. Add Brussels sprouts and cook for about 20-30 minutes, depending on how soft you like them to be. Drain the Brussels sprouts on a colander.
2. Preheat a large frying pan. Add breadcrumbs and toast them first on a dry pan, stirring continuously until they turn gold. Add pieces of butter and mix them with breadcrumbs, stirring all the time.

When butter starts to bubble add Brussels sprouts and coat them with breadcrumbs. Fry for about one minutes.You can also put Brussels sprouts on the serving plate and pour over bubbling breadcrumbs  mixture.

Serve as meat accompaniment or alone, if you are a great Brussels sprouts amateur like me.

Brussels Sprouts in Béchamel Sauce--a Taste from the Childhood Garden

When I saw stalks of Brussels sprouts at my local food store, all my childhood memories came back to me at once. Brussels sprouts, with their very intriguing way of growing, for some mysterious reason, were the only vegetable thriving in my parents' garden. We tried to grow absolutely every vegetable that was known in Poland at that time, but the only vegetable that ended up being impressive were the Brussels sprouts. To my deep disappointment, we never managed to see various lettuces we planted to turn into lettuce heads. And I did not know at that time that a baby salad mix was considered more desirable in the culinary world than a lettuce head and cherry tomatoes were more sweet than those on the vine. I guess we considered their size rather than their taste as the proof of quality.

While being famous for the love of cabbage, we have never befriended Brussels sprouts. You can spot them occasionally on a Polish table, served with buttered bread crumbs, but compared to other cuisines, their presence in our culinary tradition was timid to say the least. Therefore, when I think Brussels sprouts I feel completely free to choose how to make them. From various experiments I have conducted with Brussels sprouts, I concluded that they tasted best when baked in béchamel sauce.

Brussels Sprouts in Béchamel Sauce

Ingredients:
2 lb Brussels sprouts,
2 tbsp butter,
2 tbsp white flour,
2 cups milk at room temperature,
1/2 cup shredded Fontina cheese,
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg,
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Cook Brussels sprouts in salted water for 5-10 minutes. Drain.
2. Heat the oven to 375F.
3. To make béchamel sauce melt butter in a saucepan, over a medium heat.
4. Add flour and using a whisker mix until the sauce becomes smooth.
5. Pour in at first 1/2 cup milk whisking continuously. Add the remainig milk gradually, and let the sauce simmer on a low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent it from burning.
6. Take the saucepan off the heat, add nutmeg, salt,pepper and Fontina cheese.
7. Place Brussels sprouts in oven proof dish and cover with the sauce.
8. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the sauce starts bubbling and becomes dark gold.

Serve with a tomato salad and white bread.