Brussels Sprout Salad

Everyone knows Brussels sprouts are really baby cabbages. Just like all baby vegetables the flavor is a bit more pronounced then the big boy grown up version. Not as much water and seeds to dilute the taste. Brussels sprouts are no different. One of the cute things we fancy cooking people like to do is put a  twist on a classic. Ratatouille made with whole roasted baby vegetables, petite eggs Benedict made with quail eggs and mini English muffins or a baby lettuce salad. Who knew there was so much food money in babies, besides Jonathan Swift of course.

I tried making baby stuffed cabbage but my fingers are out of practice. Back in the day I'm pretty sure I could have rolled a mean baby stuffed cabbage. Next was  the traditional boiled dinner with baby baby potatoes, teeny tiny carrots, mini corned beef and and my baby boiled cabbage aka Brussel sprouts. It reminded me of a slogan from the nouvelle cuisine days. "Children's portions at adult prices".

How about a version of coleslaw, that should work. I sliced the Brussels sprouts nice and thin with my mad knife skills. Soaked them in some salted water and covered them with a warm dressing. Breezy easy and you really don't need many sprouts so the slicing goes pretty quick. You could use a thin slicing blade on your food processor and get good results.

Here's a blow by blow of how it went down in the AgaKitchen.

• 12 oz Brussels sprouts sliced thin
• 4 oz thick cut bacon julienne*
• 3 shallots or half a small red onion julienne
• 1 clove garlic smashed
• 1/4 cup dried fruit chopped small, I used cranberries
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 T Balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
• salt & peppa

Boil 1 cup of water with 4 Tablespoons salt. Add one cup water to the salted water and pour into a bowl large enough to hold the sliced cabbage and the water/brine. Put the cabbage in the bowl and press down so it's all covered.

Crisp the bacon on a stove top stirring often or in the Roasting Oven for about 7 minutes if you are in the know and own an Aga.

Remove crisped bacon from fat, sweat shallot/onion in reserved bacon drippings. Add garlic, dried fruit, olive oil and Balsamic, let simmer for a minute. Remove from heat and add cider vinegar.

Drain the purged sprouts and squeeze as much excess water from them as you can. Toss with the dressing, add the reserved bacon, taste and season, taste and season, then taste and season one more time to be sure.

 

We had it over baked haddock with small dice of parsley potatoes and tomato sauce. Works well as a little canapé or on a bed of greens. Try it tossed with cannelloni beans over pasta.

* Garbage in, garbage out. Not all bacon is created equally. Spend the money and buy the good stuff. That factory farmed, water pumped and smoke seasoned bacon is truly a mystery meat. Better yet, raise a pig and smoke your own.

Cook like you mean it, peace, G

Cranberry Bean Salad

either it was real good or these are members of the Clean Plate ClubI had no plans to use tonites meal as a post. My lack of photos is a testament to my poor planning. I had a pretty simple game plan for dinner and already knew what my next post was going to be. No need to document and keep notes on this meal, or was there?  I'll make a warm bean salad using some Cranberry Beans I picked up at a new co-op near here. A risotto with shrimp. Easy breezy.

Here is where the wheels went off. The dried cranberry beans are from a farm in Maine and known for their creamy texture.  I added aromatics that  sweat in a little olive oil. I used leeks, onions, and carrots from my CSA and a touch of garlic and parsley. Again nothing earth shattering here. The key to this salad was a few heaping forks full  of pickled peppers I put up this summer. Banana, jalapeno and cherry peppers sliced very thin in a tart cider vinegar brine. These added the right touch of heat and acidity, smooth it all out with a little grapeseed oil, adjust seasoning and I had it.

I made a basic risotto with a very rich chicken stock and shrimp with a little spice rub and basil. Just before the risotto is finished I add the shrimp split in half. Right before serving I fold in some butter and fresh spinach.

Rich shrimp and rice topped with a heaping spoonful of creamy cranberry beans.  I wish you were here.

best photo I could get, sorry

Here's what I did, best I can remember

• 1 cup dried cranberry beans or bean of your choice picked soaked and cooked
• 1 onion small dice
• 1 leek white part mostly small dice washed well
• 2 carrots, medium dice
• parsley
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• a 2 count of grapeseed oil
• 3 big forks full of pickled peppers. You can buy them. I suggest you mix a few kinds together.
• salt n' peppa

sweat the aromatics in a little oil and mix with beans

add everything else, taste and adjust

if you find it too cloying for your taste you can thin out the salad with a few tablespoons of hot water

I will make the leftovers into a bean sandwich for lunch, photos, promise

Cook like you mean it, G

homemade chorizo patty and bean sandwich aka pork & beans

Carrot, Cranberry & Pumpkin Seed Salad

Here is my version of a grated carrot salad. This is all about the carrot. Hit the Farmers Market, raid your neighbors garden and get some super sweet tender carrots. This salad has some sweet and tart, a little chewy from the cranberry and a nice salty crunch from all the tamari roasted pumpkin seeds. And you get to eat this with your hands, bonus.

Makes enough for two as a salad four as an appetizer

• 2 cups of finely grated carrots
• 1/2 of a crisp apple grated fine
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries rough chop
• 2 scallions chopped fine
• little chopped parsley or cilantro
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 Tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• wedge of lemon
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 Tablespoon more or less of vegetable oil, not olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste ( meet me at the bottom of the page for an explanation of what "to taste means"

I used a very fine grater for my carrots and apples. Not microplaner fine but pretty close. Grate them onto a half sheetpan so you capture all the juices. No need to peel your apple before grating. Just quarter, remove seeds and grate the flesh holding onto the skin side. The skin will not go thru the grater and end up in your hand.

Toast pumkin seeds in a skillet, I use a 350 oven for 5 minutes, add the tamari to the hot pan with the seed and toss, back in the oven for another minute or two to dry out.

In a bowl add the carrots, apple cranberry, scallion, parsley or cilantro and make the dressing. Zest the lemon and squeeze in the juice, add the honey, oil and season.

To serve Put some romaine hearts on the plate, mound the salad and sprinkle liberally with pumkin seeds.

What does season to taste mean? It doesn't mean season until you taste salt. It means to season your food and taste it as you go. Can you pick out all the flavors? Is it coming into balance? It's best to season a small amount first. Take some out of the bowl and into a smaller bowl and start seasoning. When you get just the right flavor you repeat the process with the larger batch. I've worked with one Chef who had the magic touch with seasoning. I would watch her add a little more, taste, a little more, stir, wait, taste. Perfect. You can learn it too. Remember always use good salt.