Dijon-braised Brussels Sprouts by Smitten Kitchen

I don't know why everyone hates on brussel sprouts. They are delicious.

I can't say I never liked them as a kid, because my mom never made them for us growing up. But when I hear how much people dislike them usually they are referring to boiled brussel sprouts which, I'll admit, ARE pretty nasty. They get all pale and devoid of flavor.

My favorite way so far that I have enjoyed brussel sprouts has been by roasting them. The recipe couldn't be any simpler. Toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast them at 350°/400°, and presto! They are flaky, crispy and especially delicious doused in butter.

Its about time that I venture into other ways of cooking these little green bundles. And so I found myself digging around on Deb's food blog called Smitten Kitchen. Her photos are fabulous, and I couldn't resist this recipe after seeing them.

The Recipe

The Good

• Pleasing texture (al dente)
• Subtle mustard flavor
• No burnt flavor
• Novelty

The Bad

• Needs more flavor

Overall - 4/5

My dad and brother really dug this recipe (perhaps because all they had to do was set the table), and I enjoyed the recipe as well. If for nothing else, it's novelty was appealing. I liked simmering the sprouts which allowed them to soak up the chicken stock and white wine. Once they were done they were very tender, but unlike when they are boiled they still retained their flavor and structure. They were al dente, and I liked that.

But the flavor left me wanting a bit more. More mustard, more butter, maybe both? I'm not sure. I'll definitely use this process of "browning" the sprouts then simmering in chicken stock, because I liked the texture. But I would probably try to tweak this recipe if I made it again.

If Willy Wonka Could Make Vegetables

Umpa, Lumpa, Dippity-dee

When I saw this striking vegetable in the supermarket, I wondered how it managed to hide from me all these years. Maybe it was more me hiding from them. But now that I am exploring vegetables these leafs screamed "Look at me!" I'm a sucker for color; I had to grab a bunch. But how should I prepare them?

I found a delicious and easy recipe for swiss chard from a YouTube channel called Hungry in Brooklyn. The video itself was nicely edited, and I would have believed it if she said this was a new web series for the cooking or travel channel.

In her video, Shea Hess talks to a Chef and a famer to find out some tips on this psychedelic vegetable. Here are a few things to know about swiss chard:

- It is pronounced CHard like Chocolate
- Leafy vegetable similar to spinach
- Member of the beet family
- Spring/fall are the best times to buy

Here is the recipe she used:

Sautéed Swiss Chard with Shallots and Garlic

Strip leaves from the rib (stem)

Cut off ends of rib

Cut the ribs into small 1/4in pieces

Chop 2 shallots

Chop 2 cloves of garlic

2 tbs of olive oil

1/4 cup of white wine

1 tbs of butter

Directions:

Toss olive oil, Chard ribs, shallots, and garlic into pan

Add a little salt

Add the leafs of chard (blanch two minutes before hand)

Add white wine

Cook it down, so the alcohol evaporates

Add butter

The recipe was a little time consuming, only because she says you should blanch the vegetables to reduce bitterness and to prevent burning. Total time to cook was about 25 minutes, but the results were fantastic. Not only were the colors bright and vibrant, but it tasted phenomenal. The center rib from the chard gave the dish a crunchy dimension, and the leaves tasted like a wonderful shade of spinach.  

It was an excellent side dish to steak. The crispy outside of the steak and the crunchy ribs were a good pairing. Also, if you’re looking for a dish to give your dinner a little liveliness, then chard is the way to go. It looks like something out of the Willy Wonka factory, but it tastes so much better.

One thing to note if you are having company or want left overs: the leaves cook down a lot, and I was left wanting more. A whole bunch of chard easily boiled down to about two cups. This was fine for me, but if you’re having guests, or you want to have left overs I would recommend cooking two bunches. 

Check out more of Hungry in Brooklyn’s videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/hungryinbrooklyn