BRUSSEL SPROUTS - BRUSSEL SPROUTS RECIPES: BRUSSEL SPROUTS BENEFITS AND USES:

BRUSSEL SPROUTS (BRASSICA OLERACEA VAR. GEMMIFERA)

Brussel sprouts are reputed to come from Belgium as the name suggests; but wherever they actually originated, they came from somewhere in northern Europe. They are not well liked by children, who frequently push them around their plates and find the taste and smell obnoxious. This smell can be avoided if you only boil them for the recommended 7 minutes, so that all the nutrients are preserved and you get the full benefit of them. They look like little cabbages and are clearly related to them, and cauliflower, but they are also related to carrots and radishes, including mooli.

   These little cabbages are extremely good for our health and may prevent many types of cancer including breast, colon, prostate, ovarian, urinary bladder and cancer of the lungs. They also help to prevent heart diseases and have anti-inflammatory properties as well as being having antioxidant qualities. They are chock full of vitamins and minerals and high in folic acid, so good if you are pregnant as the folic acid they contain helps in assisting a normal delivery and the formation of bones. Vitamin B12 helps in forming red blood cells too and can help lower the risk of heart disease. It also stimulates the immune system and flushes uric acid from the body so is good for gout sufferers.

  Brussel sprouts also contain Vitamin C – more than in oranges and lemons, but not as much as in peppers and spinach. This aids the body’s absorption of calcium and iron, so is good for the bones and blood. It also helps in the healing of wounds. They are a good food to eat if you are recovering from an illness as they provide the body with many of the nutrients it needs. They are a diuretic too and rich in potassium, which helps the heart function normally as well as the nervous system and builds muscle mass. The dietary fibre they contain prevents constipation and so the formation of piles. They stimulate the detoxifiers in the liver and promote general good health.

Pakistani Brussel

  Thomas Jefferson has been credited with introducing them to the US as he took seeds from Paris to Virginia in 1821. Now they frequently appear with the Thanksgiving turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

  The problem with Brussel sprouts is that children tend not to like the taste, but you can disguise this in several ways. When you cook Brussel sprouts you should trim any discoloured leaves and cut a cross in the stem so that they cook evenly and quickly. Bring water to boil and then add the sprouts and cook for 7 minutes. You can bake chestnuts in the oven, cut a slit in each shell first and heat the oven to 200degrees C, for 45 minutes. Then allow them to cool and shell them. Melt 25 gr of butter in a pan and toss the cooked sprouts and chestnuts in it. You can also fry bacon and add this too, tossing the sprouts and chestnuts in the fat.

   The 2 recipes below are intended to show how you can disguise the sprouts to encourage children to eat them (and those recalcitrant adults you know too).

BRUSSEL SPROUTS SPANISH – STYLE

Ingredients

1½ lbs Brussel sprouts, trimmed and stems cut with cross

1 lb tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

2 green peppers, sliced

1 sprig fresh rosemary / 1 tsp dried

1 tsp oregano fresh / ½  dried

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil or other oil for frying

Method

Cook the sprouts as described above. While they are boiling or steaming (8 minutes) heat the oil and fry the onions, garlic and peppers for about 10 minutes. Add the herbs, freshly ground black pepper and salt, tomatoes and sprouts and heat through. Serve immediately,

BRUSSEL SPROUTS POLONAISE

Ingredients

1½ lbs Brussel sprouts, trimmed and a x cut in stems

2 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped

2 oz butter

2 oz fresh white breadcrumbs

2 tbsps fresh parsley, finely chopped

Method

Boil Brussel sprouts as above and transfer them to a heated serving dish.

Melt the butter and coat the breadcrumbs in it, stirring all the time until they become golden brown. Sprinkle the parsley and eggs on the sprouts and top with the breadcrumbs. Serve.

These have Taste and are a Treat.

BROCCOLI: HARI PHOOL GHOBI: BROCCOLI BENEFITS, USES AND HISTORY: BROCCOLI IN CHEESE SAUCE RECIPE

BROCCOLI, HARI PHOOL GHOBI, (BRASSICA OLERACEA CAPITATA DC/ CONICA {H})

Broccoli is in the same family as Brussel sprouts and cabbage, and is as good for your health as the Brussel sprout. It is full of healthy nutrients and can inhibit the growth of some cancers including of the colon, breast, stomach, and prostate. It is an important source of vitamin K which inhibits the growth of cancerous tumours in the stomach and colon. It is  also good for the heart’s normal functioning and contain beta-carotene which the body converts to Vitamin A, a powerful antioxidant, that combats the free radicals in the body which weaken cell defences.

   Broccoli helps lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, aids in the treatment and prevention of diabetes, calcium deficiencies (the vitamin C content is high and this aids the body’s absorption of calcium and iron), arthritis and also helps in combating the ageing process. The potassium it contains helps to lower blood pressure and the folic acid is useful in pregnancy as it helps a normal delivery and promotes bone formation.  It also lowers cholesterol levels and is best eaten steamed so that the nutrients are preserved. You can also eat it raw or blanched. Raw stems can be grated and included in salads.

Pakistani Broccoli ( phool ghobi)

   Many people don’t like the taste; the former US president George W Bush reportedly hates it. But you don’t have to serve it plain. It’s good stir fried and with pasta, break it up into small florets and drizzle the quickly steamed ones with olive oil, Parmesan cheese and pine nuts lightly fried in oil.

   It is believed that broccoli was grown in Italy by the Etruscans, and then cultivation continued under the Roman conquerors. Apicius includes it in his cookery book, so it was clearly much used as a vegetable in Roman times. Clearly it continued to be cultivated in Italy, but little is written about it until Catherine de’ Medici took it to France with her in 1533 when she married King Henry II of France. If the French and Italians liked it then so did the English aristocracy, therefore  it was being cultivated in Britain by 1721 and was called Italian Asparagus. However it is not in the same family as this, but is in the same family as mooli and other radishes.

   The name ‘broccoli’ comes from the Italian, “brocco” meaning arm or branch. The then President Thomas Jefferson wrote in his gardening journal that he planted broccoli in 1767 along with lettuce, radishes and cauliflower. However broccoli really took off in the US when it was used by Italian immigrants.

BROCCOLI IN CHEESE SAUCE

Ingredients

3 -4 large heads of broccoli, broken into smaller florets

2 oz pine nuts dry fried

1 onion, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

oil for frying

a bunch parsley, shredded

4 oz cheese, grated

2 oz butter

1 oz flour

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Blanch the florets of broccoli for two mins along with the roughly chopped stems.

Fry the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent in a little oil.

Make the cheese sauce by melting he butter over a low heat then add the flour and making a roux. Add the milk slowly to prevent lumps forming (if they do blend the sauce to get the lumps out). When the sauce boils add the grated cheese and stir well.

Put everything including the fresh parsley into and oven-proof dish, top with more grated cheese and cook in a preheated moderate oven for 20 mins or until the top is golden and the cheese has melted.

Serve with a baked potato or as a side dish to meat.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

MOOLI: WHAT IS MOOLI? DAIKON (RAPHANUS SATIVUS): MOOLI BENEFITS ,USES AND HISTORY: MOOLI STUFFED PARATHA RECIPE

MOOLI, DAIKON, (RAPHANUS SATIVUS)

Mooli is a large white radish, an elongated one. It is mooli season now in Pakistan and we are eating a lot of them - which is good for us and we like the slightly peppery taste. They are not as pungent as the smaller radishes and have a high water content. The seed pods are called mongray, and these are eaten as a vegetable too. (They look like thin runner beans.)

  In Pakistan they are used as a digestive aid to get rid of intestinal parasites; and there’s a Punjabi saying which roughly translated means: - “If you eat mooli you won’t need any medicine for the stomach.” The seeds are used in traditional medicine along with carrot, or ajwain, or fennel seeds, among others to treat amenorrhoea or the absence of menstruation either in young girls who have reached 16 without having a period, or for those whose periods stop for no apparent reason. They are also used for other gynaecological problems.

mooli field

  Mooli and other radishes, including the black (round) Spanish variety, are full of vitamins and minerals which are essential for our health. Mooli is known as ‘white ginseng’ in China, so is known for its invigorating properties. They purify the blood and can detoxify the organs and are great for hangovers. Mooli leaves are boiled and used in the treatment of jaundice, and the root when eaten helps to increase oxygen in the blood stream which prevents the destruction of red blood cells. Moolis contain fibre and can cure constipation so are also used in the treatment of piles, as they aid digestion and stop the build of waste products in the body which contributes to the formation of piles. They can be used for their diuretic properties and help in urinary infections, easing the pain of urinating when you have cystitis.

   Because they have a high fibre content they can help weight loss as they fill the stomach, but contain few calories, so would be good in a weight-loss diet.

   They are also rich in vitamins A, B, C, D and E and also contain vitamin K, so they help the body to produce interferon which inhibits cancer. They are good for the skin too and you can puree them and use as a facial cleanser or as a face mask for oily skin and to help soothe rashes. They are also effective if you get bitten or sung by an insect as the juice will help soothe the pain and reduce swelling. Mooli juice with black salt is given to bring down the temperature of a fever and to soothe the inflammation caused by one.

   In some rural areas of Pakistan they are cultivated for both food and medicine along with other plants such as aloe vera, ajwain, okra, fennel, nightshade (for ear infections) and Mentha sylvestris.

   They are easy to juice and good with carrots, apples, celery, white cabbage, pears, pineapple and ginger root. Just make a fruit cocktail you like.

   You can make saag with the leaves by boiling them, then throwing the water away and cooking some more as in out saag recipe. Chewing a piece of raw mooli will help stop a cough and ease congestion of the bronchial and nasal passages. You can make a mooli salad by grating a mooli (peel it first) and squeezing the juice out of it, then adding 2 finely chopped green chillies, a handful of shredded coriander leaves, lemon juice and pepper to taste.

   Here people make paratha stuffed with mooli on Sundays and holidays for breakfast. It takes to long to make these for a family during the week.

MOOLI STUFFED PARATHA

Ingredients

(makes 2 paratha)

½  kilo mooli, peeled, grated and squeezed to remove water

250 gr plain flour

warm water

1 tbsp cumin seeds

½ tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ajwain or thyme

1 tbsp garam masala

½ tsp turmeric

1 tbsp pomegranate seeds (anar dana) soaked for ½ hour before use

1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, shredded

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

salt to taste

ghee or oil for frying

Method

Mix the flour with a little warm water to a doughy consistency then allow to stand for ½ hour.

Mix the other ingredients except the ghee together thoroughly.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each into a round.

Place half of the mixture on two rounds and cover with the others. Use water or egg white to seal the two pieces of dough together.

Fry in ghee on both sides until a golden brown. Serve immediately.

These have Taste and are a Treat.

 

SWEET CICELY HERB - BENEFITS , USES AND HISTORY: PRAWN AND SWEET CICELY RISOTTO RECIPE

SWEET CICELY (MYRRHIS ODORATA)

This Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata) is native to the British Isles, and should not be confused with the herbs of the Osmorhiza family which are native to Asia and the American continent. It actually looks a little like cow parsley or Queen Anne’s Lace about which there is also confusion in names between Britain and the US. Sweet Cicely is sometimes confused with hemlock as is cow parsley, but as Culpeper wrote “It is so harmless you cannot use it amiss.” It is a much brighter green than hemlock and doesn’t have the purple blotches on its stems. It was formerly used as a salad herb or the root was boiled and used as a vegetable. Its leaves taste sweet and are used with tart fruit such as rhubarb. If you use sweet cicely in cooking, reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe. You can use its seeds instead of cloves in apple pies, or grind them and add them to spice mixtures. If you chew a leaf the flavour is reminiscent of anise or liquorice, and smells like lovage, another bee plant.

   Sweet cicely used to be grown in kitchen gardens near the door, and it is famously used by Carthusian monks to make the liqueur, Chartreuse. In the plague years it was used to prevent infection as was angelica. All parts of the plant can be used and it has been used in cookery and medicine for centuries. It has some associations with the Virgin Mary and Saint Cecilia, and the pagan summer goddesses of the Celts, but the benign ones only.

  Culpeper and Gerard both agree that the roots, when boiled and then dressed with oil and vinegar are “…very good for old people that are dull and without courage; it rejoiceth and comforteth the heart and increaseth their lust and strength.” A tisane can be made with 1 tsp of dried (1tbsp fresh) leaves to 1 cup of boiling water. Steep the leaves in the water for 10-15 minutes then strain and drink a small cup three times a day to help with anaemia and menstrual pains. It will also lift the spirits, and banish gloomy thoughts.

   Sweet Cicely is good for the digestive system and if you add finely chopped ginger to the boiling water you make the tisane with, it will relieve flatulence and aid digestion. The root in a decoction is mildly stimulating and relaxing as it has antispasmodic properties. It is used in cough medicines as an expectorant. The volatile oils and flavonoids in the plant are antiseptic, and will purify the blood, act as a carminative and will improve appetite. You can boil the root with the leaves to make a tisane too. You won’t need to use sugar or a sweetener such as honey.

  Cook the roots as you would parsnips and use them to flavour soups and stews, and use the leaves as a garnish and in salads. Use the root to make a decoction in wine, brandy or water and use for all the ailments mentioned above. Apparently these decoctions are good for bites from vipers (the only venomous snake in Britain) and for cleaning putrid wounds that are not healing. The decoction made with wine was often given to people with consumption.

  If you make a paste with the roots and leaves and apply it to the skin, it will cure skin problems. The seeds when pounded into a paste have been used to make a sweet-smelling furniture polish. You can chew the fresh seeds to aid digestion too. They taste like liquorice.

  These photos of the plant were taken by Aldo De Bastiano.

  

PRAWN AND SWEET CICELY RISOTTO

Ingredients

500 gr prawns, shelled and the shells reserved

1.25 litres chicken stock (or water or vegetable stock)

75 gr butter or oil for frying

1 glass of white wine (dry)

300 gr Arborio rice

300 gr tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

3 tbsp sweet cicely leaves, shredded

1 sprig rosemary

1 bay leaf, torn

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 large onion, finely sliced

2 tbsp flat-leaved parsley, finely chopped

freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Sweet cicely leaves to garnish

Method

Make a stock with the shells and heads of the prawns adding a little brandy if you wish. You won’t need to add salt. Reserve ¼ pint of it for this recipe and freeze the rest.

Melt butter and fry garlic and onion. Add the prawns and then the rice with the rest of the ingredients. Bring to the boil, then simmer on a low heat for 20-25 mins until the rice is cooked.

Garnish with sweet cicely leaves and serve.

This has Taste and is a Treat.