Surprising Side Dish: Brussels Sprouts with Apples & Juniper

For years, I took in the flavor of juniper berries primarily through my consumption of gin and tonics.  But, lately, the balance is shifting. And I've begun to look for new ways to use the flavor of juniper in my cooking.

At first I was afraid that anything I made with juniper would end up tasting of pine needles.  But, I've learned that that simply isn't so. While the juniper berry is a bit resinous in its flavor, it actually bears a pleasant tart-sweet flavor which pairs brilliantly with a number of other ingredients, including apples, bacon, duck, venison, and pork.

It's affinity for apples explains why this side dish, which we ate with our Thanksgiving dinner, was so fabulous.

First, you'll need a pound of fresh brussels sprouts -- cleaned and trimmed -- and one tart apple.

You'll also need a couple of teaspoons of juniper berries.  They're available through Penzey's Spices online, if you don't have a local source.

 

Core the apple and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Prepare the brussels sprouts by cutting a small "X" in the bottom end of each (this helps the brussels sprouts to cook evenly). And crush the juniper berries with a mortar and pestle, or by smashing with the side of a knife.

Place about 2/3 cup of apple juice in the bottom of a large skillet and bring the juice to a boil.  Add the brussels sprouts, apples, and juniper.  Season with salt & pepper.

Simmer gently, uncovered, for about 5 minutes or until the brussels sprouts are tender.

This is decidedly one of the most unusual side dishes we've ever tried; but, it's positively delicious. The apple flavor tames the cabbagey tendency of the brussels sprouts and the juniper berries lend a sweet, almost floral quality to the dish.

Definitely one to try the next time you're looking for a new way with brussels sprouts!

Recipe: Brussels Sprouts with Apple and Juniper

Random Factoid:

Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs gives some insight into the herb's long-standing reputation as a protective element:  "The plant's pungent aroma has long recommended it for driving away evil spirits and disease. Legend has it that juniper planted beside the front door will keep out witches; the only way for a witch to get past the plant was by correctly counting its needles."


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Our Latest Local Find: Scorzonera

I've been wanting to try black salsify (also called scorzonera) for quite a long time. I'd read about it; but, I could never seem to find it locally. Fortunately for me, the folks over at LotFotL decided to grow it and tuck it into our weekly CSA share. I really could have hugged them!

These long, black-skinned roots look like sticks. They don't look terribly edible. In fact, often they're slimy on the outside, with an only slightly more attractive creamy-colored interior. I've always heard that the name for scorzonera comes from the Italian words "scorza" (bark) and "nera" (black). But, I heard someone suggest recently that the name originates from the Spanish "scurzo," which is the term for a venomous toad or lizard. I won't argue with the latter since I know that, in ancient times, it was often known as "viper’s grass" for its supposed ability to fight venom.

Since this vegetable was new to the both of us, we decided on a simple preparation -- roasted with a bit of butter, and tossed with a local Wisconsin parmesan cheese. Seemed like it would showcase the roots nicely -- and it really did. I read somewhere that scorzonera has an affinity for mushrooms, so I also threw some sauteed shiitakes that we got from a local mushroom farm into the mix.

The verdict: We both loved the scorzonera. The flavor was subtle -- sweet and faintly reminiscent of artichokes. I didn't pick up on the oyster flavor that sometimes gets this plant the nickname "oyster plant," but it could have been that I was concentrating too intently on the lovely marriage between the earthy mushrooms and the delicious root vegetable. The veg also played nicely with the parmesan -- the saltiness of which brought out the sweetness of the dish even more.

Oh. One more thing. Like its distant relative, Jerusalem artichokes, scorzonera contains something called inulin. If you're familiar with inulin, you'll know that it's good for you (and it's popping up now in yogurt as a way to up your daily fiber content). But, you might also know that it has earned the Jerusalem artichoke the nickname "fartichokes". With the exception of stating that you've been warned, we have no comment.

Scorzonera and Shiitake Mushrooms

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Crispifried Okra

Our adventures with oven "fried" zucchini made us eager to try this technique out with another vegetable. But what would be next??

Now, neither of us are from the south, but we're both suckers for some good old down-home cooking. So, we were super excited to find some delicious looking okra at the farmer's market. And since okra is made for frying, we decided to put it to the test.

We figured it was a good idea to show you that we really did start off with some nice, fresh okra.

Because the delightfully crisp results were almost too good to be true. These were crisp, light, and delightfully crunchy. Paired with four imaginative sauces (ginger wasabi, ketchup, siracha chile sauce, and ginger teriyaki), these were really too good for words.
Crisp. Crunchy. Browned. Delightful.

Oven Fried Okra
LOCAL QUOTIENT: The okra was locally grown, breadcrumbs came from leftover buns from a local bakery, and flour was milled in the Midwest. So, that's pretty darned local! Close to 90%


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Yummy Tomato Salad

Many of you already know that I am NOT a fan of the hot weather. I love the idea of summer – sunshine, warm breeze, and lots of greenery. But, I hate the sort of weather that comes with it. The sort of weather that makes me sweat.

A positive about winter is that you can ALWAYS add more layers. Grab a sweatshirt. Haul out a second pair of socks. Wrap yourself up in a blanket.

You CANNOT take the same approach to summer. Sure, you can remove a layer. But, eventually, you strip down to a level that risks violation of some public nudity laws. And that’s not something I’d recommend.

In addition to finding yourself a nice, air-conditioned location, another thing that I would heartily recommend for a day like today is a nice tomato salad. It makes the most of August bounty, it's GORGEOUS, and it won't require you to heat up the kitchen.

If you can find a few nice heirloom tomatoes, they do the job nicely. For this salad, we used a couple of peach tomatoes, red zebras, a purple Cherokee, and some Mexican midget cherry tomatoes.

We sliced them, spread them out on a platter, drizzled them with a nice garlic olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, and a bit of basil.
And enjoyed the scenery.
Add a side of crusty bread, some nice aged cheese, and you have yourself a perfect summer lunch that really beats the heat.


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A New Way with Corn on the Cob

Ah, corn on the cob... and all the mixed feelings it stirs within my loins by the end of August!

Don't get me wrong. I think sweet summer corn is one of the best things around. And I'm a firm believer in getting as much of something as I possibly can while it's in season. But, I have to admit that I grow tired of eating corn the same old way, week after week, in the heat of summer.
So, we try to find ways to change it up a bit.
When the first corn on the cob is available, we grab three or four ears at a time and make it into a meal. We grill it. And when we tire of grilling it, we steam it. When steaming it grows old, we cut it off the cob and throw it into our pasta. And our rice. And our eggs. And when we tire of doing that... we bake it.

Yup. Baked corn.
Can't beat it.

First, you need some primo corn on the cob. Shuck it and make it all pretty.
Then, you need some nice fresh bread crumbs.
And a bit of mayonnaise spiked with some lime juice, a bit of salt, a couple of cloves of garlic, and a few finely chopped jalapenos (the only requisite here is the mayo... so experiment away!).
You want to slather some of that mayonnaise right on each of the cobs. Get it all over -- into the grooves and right up to the edges of the cob.
Then, roll the mayo-covered cobs into the breadcrumbs.
Bake these lovely specimens at 375º for about 35-40 minutes, and you have yourself a tasty treat that will take the doldrums right out of corn season.

Trust me.


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Zucchini Fries!

I'm not obsessed with making things healthier, especially if I have to sacrifice flavor in order to do it. But, when I find a way to create something that is both healthy and tasty, I'm a HUGE fan.

These veggie fries are an exceedingly good example of healthy cooking gone absolutely right. The relative ease of the recipe makes it even better. Just a bit of flour, some cornmeal, a few seasonings (this is a great place to get creative), and a couple of eggs... and you have yourself the makings for a snack that rivals french fries.

And what could be bad about that?
You'll catch us making these babies every chance we get. Especially right now when zucchini has gone wild at the farmer's market.

Don't make us be the only ones! Try them yourself.
Zucchini Oven Fries


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Blasted Broccoli

Paul travels to Seattle fairly regularly on business. And, once in a blue moon, I tag along for the ride. On one of our last trips, I made a list of restaurants that I wanted to try. It was a mile long. But, somehow, we managed to visit 18 of my 21 picks... in less than a week's time. It was quite a trick, but we visited some great spots.

One of the highlights of our trip was very unexpected. One of the restaurants on my list was a newer little "small plates" gastrotavern called Black Bottle. The menu was simple, the atmosphere casual, and the prices exceedingly affordable. Turns out it became one of our favorites. We were blown away by all of the great food that we ordered, including an absolutely luscious grilled portabella and butterbean salad and Marseille style mussels. But, the thing that really took our meal over the edge was something they called "broccoli blasted."

Broccoli, seasoned with salt and garlic, and roasted crisp-tender in a wood burning oven. It seemed too simple to be so extraordinary.Inspired by the dish, we decided to try it for ourselves. Lacking a wood-fired oven, we had to rely on high heat, with a bit of convection thrown in for good measure. After a few tries, we got it down.

And wouldn't you know it? It's become one of our absolute favorite side dishes, and for good reason. It comes together with ease and has infinite possibilities. Can't beat it.

Blasted Broccoli



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Farmer's Market Bounty Has Sweet Rewards

Our trip to the farmer's market this past weekend yielded us a great deal of bounty. Among our great finds were succulent local strawberries... And the most amazingly sweet fresh shelling peas.We used some of the leftover biscuits from our Sunday brunch to make shortcakes with the strawberries. And we took the shelling peas, along with some hauntingly fresh asparagus from our CSA share, some mint from the garden, and a great local parmesan cheese, and concocted a really lovely risotto.We garnished it with pea shoots from Growing Power, a local urban garden that does some really amazing work in promoting sustainability and social justice. We support their efforts whenever we can.

Fresh Pea and Asparagus Risotto with Mint

Other risotto recipes you might enjoy:
Asparagus & Shiitake Mushroom Risotto
Brilliant Beet Risotto


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Caribbean Style Beans & Rice

As the weather gets warmer outside, so does our cooking. This week, we treated ourselves to Jerk Chicken AND this fabulous beans and rice dish.

This recipe was new to us when we found it in the June issue of Food & Wine magazine. They pose it as a side dish, but we found that it makes a very nice vegetarian main dish with the addition of some additional beans. I pumped up the nutritional value by making it with brown/red rice. I gave the flavor a boost with a teaspoon of five-spice powder. We also stirred in a pound of sauteed chopped kale -- which added some lovely color and even more nutritional power to the dish.

Leftovers are excellent on their own. But, they also make a fantastic addition to a vegetarian burrito with avocado, pineapple salsa, and a bit of sour cream.

Caribbean Style Beans & Rice
(adapted from Jamaican Rice & Peas, Food & Wine June 2008)


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