Thursday, February 05, 2009
Recipe: Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Well, call this a recipe of sorts, as it's not exact. But if you cook at all, the idea is easy to implement.
The approach was sparked by a lunch at Hope and Olive, a restaurant in Greenfield, MA that has killer salmon cakes at lunch. Both my wife and I were also impressed with the brussel sprouts. A waitress said that the restaurant first roasts them in a pan until they are halfway cooked, and then finishes them in a deep fryer.
It may sound weird, but it works. However, we wanted a version that didn't require the deep fat. (Who needs the calories or the mess?) So we treated them more or less the way we treat roasted potatoes.
Take the sprouts, trim the bottoms, and then split them lengthwise. Put into a pan, splash some olive oil on them, and toss. Sprinkle with kosher salt or sea salt and some pepper. Roast at about 450ºF for maybe half an hour, or until well caramelized. If you want a variation that I think would be good, saute some garlic in the oil before it goes on the sprouts.
The approach was sparked by a lunch at Hope and Olive, a restaurant in Greenfield, MA that has killer salmon cakes at lunch. Both my wife and I were also impressed with the brussel sprouts. A waitress said that the restaurant first roasts them in a pan until they are halfway cooked, and then finishes them in a deep fryer.
It may sound weird, but it works. However, we wanted a version that didn't require the deep fat. (Who needs the calories or the mess?) So we treated them more or less the way we treat roasted potatoes.
Take the sprouts, trim the bottoms, and then split them lengthwise. Put into a pan, splash some olive oil on them, and toss. Sprinkle with kosher salt or sea salt and some pepper. Roast at about 450ºF for maybe half an hour, or until well caramelized. If you want a variation that I think would be good, saute some garlic in the oil before it goes on the sprouts.
Labels: brussel sprouts, recipes, roast, vegetables
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Technique: Beets, Fennel Bulb, and Other Candidates for a Hot Oven
Yesterday, I stopped off with my daughter after her early morning paper run for a snack and decided to pick up something to make for dinner. I remembered that we had some beets and then I noticed the fennel, and I decided that roast root vegetables would be a great dish. I cannot recommend this highly enough - the beets especially. The heat seems to tone the beet sweetness down just a bit. I trimmed the stems, cut the globes into pieces, tossed with some olive oil, sprinkled some kosher salt, and put them, in a roasting pan, into a 425 degree oven. One lesson learned the hard way: peel them first. I was used to peels slipping off after boiling beets, but it doesn't seem to work that way after roasting.
The fennel got the same treatment, and the anise taste worked well with the beets. In addition was some briefly sauteed (until wilted) Swiss chard. There was a roast chicken for which I sauteed chopped leek, threw in flat parsley, and added some stock I made from the chicken innards. I blended the lot for a leek sauce, though I can see now that it's a bit mild on its own, and could have used a dash of something hot.
The fennel got the same treatment, and the anise taste worked well with the beets. In addition was some briefly sauteed (until wilted) Swiss chard. There was a roast chicken for which I sauteed chopped leek, threw in flat parsley, and added some stock I made from the chicken innards. I blended the lot for a leek sauce, though I can see now that it's a bit mild on its own, and could have used a dash of something hot.
Labels: chicken, roast, sauce, technique, vegetables
