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Sometimes I just can’t find the time to write a long post, edit food shots and tinker with a recipe. This weekend has been extremely busy with party planning, cake baking and sick people, me included. What I do have time for is to appreciate a little of my off time and share one of those moments with you.
Stay tuned for our regularly scheduled program…
Happy 2nd Birthday to my little tornado….and many more to come.
Oh little under appreciated green gem, how I love thee. But oh how I hated thee when I was younger.
I’m sure many of you share the same thoughts on the subject of Brussels Sprouts. These funky little mini cabbages were only brought into our home for Thanksgiving and Christmas and only by special request of my father. They were then steamed to death and served with a wonderful, thick cheese sauce. I hated them.
They were mushy and tasteless and not green anymore, if anything they were merely vessels to transport cheese sauce into my mouth.
Upon working in a fine little Thai restaurant for a year or so, I was introduced to the merits of pan frying or roasting these little suckers. Coated in fish sauce and a lovely brown crust, they were salty, al dente and delicious. I fell in love, but I still did not buy them for my own home for many years.
Upon living with my significant other for a short time though, I came to the realization that I was living with someone who had a bit of an obsession with cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, radish, Brussels sprouts, etc.). What was I to do but become obsessed myself? I spent many an evening trying out new recipes, on the BBQ, in the oven, on the stovetop, I left no technique behind.
What I did learn is that I love cruciferous vegetables as vehemently as my husband. We don’t go too long between days filled with one type or another. I urge you to jump on the bandwagon as well, as cruciferous vegetables are among the best cancer fighters out there, and they taste fabulous any which way you can think of.
Here is one of my favourite ways to eat Brussels sprouts.
Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
1/2 lb Brussels Sprouts, halved and trimmed of outer leaves and stem
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp butter
salt & pepper
small handful of basil leaves, chiffonaded
1. Sauté butter and garlic in deep sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute.
2. Add Brussels sprouts cut side down.
3. Cook on medium heat, covered, for 5 minutes.
4. Uncover, add 1/8 cup water or stock, and recover.
5. Continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes or until sprouts are tender.
6. Add in basil and salt & pepper to taste in last minute of cooking. Serve immediately to prevent discolouration.
I like mine a little well done than others might enjoy. Just remember to stir to prevent over browning near the end of cooking.
On a completely different note, I just have to say happy birthday to my little man! He turns two today and we will be celebrating like crazy over the weekend! We are having an International themed menu in honour of the Olympics so stay tuned for some of those recipes and pictures from the party!
Side dishes. The forgotten ugly step-sister of your main entrée feature and for the most part, a quickly thrown together afterthought to round out the meal. In my youth, during the barren winter months, this would be a variation on a frozen vegetable theme. French cut beans, corn niblets, peas; zap it for 2 minutes, throw in some butter and voila! Side dish!
Now that I have grown some culinary….uh, intuition, I find that I concentrate on my side dishes much more. The side dish could, in fact, be the star of your meal. A quick soup, thrown together with pantry ingredients, but accompanied by a homemade bread slathered in garlic butter? Please pass the bread. A fine roast of beef, with a lovely gravy served along side a devilish pile of potatoes au gratin? Please pass the potatoes.
You get the idea.
But Beets may not be everyone’s idea of a perfect side dish, and I couldn’t have agreed more until a few years ago. My thoughts were that beets were grown in the ground, and that’s where they should stay. Having had my fair share of pickled beets and borscht as a child, I was not a born fanatic. Besides their lovely colours and variations, I could go forever without eating them. Sadly, my partner in life didn’t feel the same way. He liked beets, pickled even!
And so it was that I came to buy some lovely fresh, deep crimson coloured beets one year, in desperation of finding a new and healthy side dish I could love. I decided that nothing can taste bad when it is accompanied by garlic and rosemary and caramelized in a very hot oven. How right I was. This has now become a regular staple in the winter and late summer for us, as I could eat the whole dish myself.
I’m a changed woman friends! I no longer shun the little dirty buggers, even those ones swimming in brine at the back of my fridge.
Rosemary Roasted Beets
5 Large beets, tops removed (reserve for another meal!)
4 small sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1-2 tbsp canola oil
salt & pepper
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2.Peel the beets. I do this in the sink, with water running slightly. This helps to keep staining of your hands and cutting boards to a minimum. You could also fill the sink and do it under the water. Some people leave the skins on…
3. Cut beets into wedges (each beet should make 8 wedges).
4. In a large bowl, add beet wedges, minced rosemary and sliced garlic. Grind in some fresh salt and pepper and toss to coat.
5. Place in a shallow baking dish and cover. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
6. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for a few minutes before serving.
Sometimes I feel pretty lazy. On top of running around with my own toddler, I also watch another little girl three days a week. On top of those two crazy tornadoes, there’s also laundry, endless dishes, cleaning, writing, photographing and too much useless internet surfing to mention. There’s also the newly arrived protruding belly getting in my way every which way I turn, bumping into everything as I waddle by. Waddling already. For shame. Could it be all the cookies, pies, cakes and sweets I’ve been piling into my bottomless pit of a stomach over the past few months? I respectfully decline to answer.
Instead I will expertly avert your attention to the following recipe. A dinner that will satisfy, yet will only take you 20 minutes to throw together. Full of gourmet flavours, satisfying umami, sweet crunchy vegetables and piles of one of the best meats on the planet (one that may or may not be on the banned list of foods during pregnancy). One cannot go wrong serving this to anyone that ambles into your home unannounced, or even a quick meal any time of year.
Today is also the Superbowl. Hooray, rah rah rah. You thought I forgot didn’t you? I never watch the Superbowl though, if I do it’s only for the commercials. Why? 1) Because I’m Canadian and It’s not really that big of a deal here and 2) We have our own Superbowl for our CFL, the Grey Cup which happens in November.
When we watch the Grey Cup, we always make lots of finger foods or homemade pizza though, as it’s fun to have people over to watch the “Big Game”. I’d say, in this household, there’s a lot more hockey watching than football, but we are in Canada after all!
As an easy dinner for any of these nights, a big, filling, meaty sandwich will not only fill the void, but will satisfy even the pickiest of sport watchers. I like to pile it high with meat and cheese, balancing everything else on top of that. Fell free to switch any of the ingredients for something you prefer. It’s more of an idea, than a recipe anyway.
Prosciutto Sandwiches
2 Portugese style buns
Real mayonnaise
Grey Poupon or Dijon mustard
slices of roasted garlic Havarti cheese
150g prosciutto, thinly shaved
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
1/2 an avocado, sliced
torn pieces of romaine lettuce
small handful of spinach leaves
1. Assemble your manly sandwich: Slather some condiments onto your buns (mayo and mustard), layer on the meat, cheese, tomatoes (salt & pepper) avocado and greens
2. Finish with top of bun. Serve with fresh coleslaw on the side.
And just for fun, go Colts!
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