Before this recipe, I only had one Brussels sprout recipe in my cookbook. The reason for this was that, although I come across lots of different ingredients while travelling, I rarely come across fresh, locally grown Brussels sprouts (Yeah, I know.... I should visit Brussels more often). I much prefer cooking with local produce: organic if I can get it. That's usually where the first spark of inspiration comes from for a new recipe. When I am fortunate enough to chance upon a load of freshly harvested, crisp vegetables, ripened to perfection and bursting with flavour, I immediately start thinking of the kind of recipes I might try out to bring out the taste and texture to the full. Sometimes I have an idea ready, written down in my notebook, waiting for the right ingredients to come along. I collect ideas from restaurants, friends, TV programmes, magazines and, occasionally, straight from my imagination and I write them down so I won't forget.
I made a note to try Brussels sprouts with mustard sauce after my wife mentioned that she had read the recipe in a newspaper. We couldn't find the recipe again, but I wrote 'Try Brussels sprouts with mustard sauce' in my wee book anyway. I didn't imagine I would be trying it so soon, as we were travelling in the Caucasus, where you don't usually come across Brussels sprouts.
As it happened, I tried the recipe sooner than I thought I would have. Had I perhaps been lucky enough to meet an adventurous gardener who battled against the prevailing climactic conditions to produce rich harvests of home-grown Brussels sprouts? Naw, I stumbled upon a two-for-one special offer on bags of frozen veg in a supermarket in Yerevan. As I said, I much prefer cooking with locally grown fresh vegetables, but I don't beat myself up about it.
This is a quick and easy recipe (even if you use fresh sprouts) and the quantities will serve two or three people.
About 500g of trimmed Brussels sprouts (fresh or frozen)
1 cup of milk
1 onion
1 teaspoon of flour
2 teaspoons of mustard
A few crushed black peppercorns
A little grated nutmeg
Salt
Olive oil
Put the sprouts in a pan with 4 cm of water and some salt and bring to the boil. Lower the heat a little, cover the pan tightly and simmer for 4 or 5 minutes. Drain the sprouts, but keep the liquid aside as you might need to thin the sauce a little. Chop the onion and fry gently until transparent then add the flour and stir for a minute to cook it. Add the milk and mustard and stir until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and add the sprouts. Simmer for a couple of minutes, thinning the sauce if necessary.
Serve with steamed rice and a salad.