Roasted brussel sprouts

It has been a while since i last posted anything. The reason was a nasty little virus that came  visiting to wish the laptop happy new year and chose to overstay. It was finally driven away by my husband.

This recipe might come as a surprise to most people who know me and my not too good relation with green vegetables (except for some chosen ones like mustard greens). Given a choice, i always gravitate towards meat or fish dishes.

Brussels sprout is a small bud like vegetable of the cabbage family and looks like a mini cabbage. i have always avoided it but we got a bag of it at my husband’s insistence (who thought we could use it for making eromba – the man loves eromba that much!). It seems this vegetable has a bad reputation because it stinks when overcooked because it releases a substance called sinigrin (wikipedia, of course).

For a change, i decided to be a bit adventurous and try it, even if i manage only one bite. Now, never having cooked it before, i searched for a recipe that would not involve boiling. i found a lot of people going gaga over roasted brussels sprout and decided to try it as it sounded really simple.

The recipe is borrowed from Ina Garten of the Barefoot Contessa fame. Not too sure about how it would turn out, i used just 10 sprouts and i was pleasantly surprised to find that i was reaching out for more after i tasted the first one.

 Things you need:

10 brussels sprout

1 -2  teaspoon olive oil

Salt

Ground pepper

The method:

Preheat oven to 200 centigrades. Wash the sprouts, trim the ends and take off any yellow leaves. Cut the sprouts into halves lengthwise. Toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper making sure that the sprouts are evenly coated. Arrange on a baking tray with the flat sides down in a single layer and roast for about 30 minutes.  

i actually took them out before 30 minutes partly because it was getting past dinner time and partly because i thought they were getting burnt. i think it would taste even better crispier.

Baingan bharta

Apart from begun bhaja (slices of brinjal fried in oil) or beguni (brinjal fritters), i am not too fond of other brinjal preparations. But once in a while, i do like preparing (and eating!) baingan bharta. Maybe it has to do with the ease of preparation. Plus, it really tastes good.

If you have an oven, you just have to pop the brinjal in and roast it for half an hour or so. You could also roast it on a tawa or a frying pan. i think it would also be lovely to roast it over a meiphu (brazier or sigree) though i have never tried it. The slightly smoky smell of the roasted brinjal gives this dish its signature flavour.

Baingan bharta

Things you need:

1 big brinjal (or eggplant or aubergine or whatever you choose to call it)

1 medium onion – finely chopped

1 medium tomato -finely chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic -minced

1/2 teaspoon whole jeera

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

2 green chillies – finely chopped

Mustard oil

Salt

The method:

Wash the brinjal and pat dry. Do not remove the stalk. Rub some oil on it if you want (i normally don’t, out of sheer laziness). Roast the brinjal till the skin is charred and it is cooked. If you have an oven , grill or roast for about 30 minutes on gas mark 4. The skin of the roasted brinjal is easy enough to peel off. Mash the brinjal with the back of the spoon (please do discard the stalk now!).

Smoking hot roasted brinjal

In a wok, heat the mustard oil. When hot, put in the whole jeera. Once they start splutteing, put in the chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook till the onion becomes limp. Add the chopped tomato ,green chilly, turmeric and coriander powder. Cook till the oil separates. Now add the mashed brinjal. Mix well, season with salt and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove on a platter and garnish.