Brussels sprouts are a must during Christmas, but every year I vary the recipes out of boredom. This one is particularly good and will see a reprise this year. The caraway seems to give a Baltic lift. You can replace this with 8 juniper berries or omit both entirely without incurring much harm.

Ingredients

• 1kg Brussels sprouts
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 200g streaky bacon or pancetta
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 250g vacuum-packed chestnuts
• 150ml Riesling
• A mounded tablespoon of butter
• A bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Trim the bases of the Brussels sprout and halve them. They cook faster this way. If you find this to be anathema for whatever reason, then by all means, leave them whole. Steam the groomed sprouts with the bay leaf and a little salt for 4 minutes or until they are half-cooked. Do this anyway you fancy, in a fan or bamboo steamer or the conventional double-decker vessel.

Fry the bacon or pancetta in the olive oil over a dull flame to render its fat down and get it appetizingly brown. Add the garlic and fry for a few seconds. Sprinkle in the caraway and cook for a minute. If you are doing this in advance, stop here.

While everything else is reheating, add the sprouts to the garlicky bacon, turning gently but thoroughly so everything gets glistening. Season prudently. Add the chestnuts, pour in the Riesling and simmer for 5 minutes till the sprouts are cooked and the wine reduced. Stir in the butter, upend onto a serving platter, and carpet with the flat-leaf parsley.

Stories and photos copyright © Bryan Koh, unless otherwise stated. Not to be reproduced without permission from the author.

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