They Speak-a Our Language
The Sprouts from Brussels
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DISH: It’s Called Gem(mifera) for a Reason
If you look up quotes about Brussels sprouts, not a lot of them are complimentary. Sylvester Stallone recalls that his mother fed him Brussels sprout sandwiches and, as a result, his “brain cells were starving from lack of food.” Bob Hoskins says that he’s as sexy as a bag of them. Dave Barry writes that “We kids feared many things in those days – werewolves, dentists, North Koreans, Sunday School – but they all paled in comparison with Brussels sprouts.”
We must have been some seriously weird children. We liked Brussels sprouts, which come from the Gemmifera group of cabbages (it sounds delightful, like they’re jewels, but the name really only means “bud-producing”). We especially enjoyed them the way most people hated them: boiled.
But seriously, don’t knock them till you’ve tried them. Boiled Brussels sprouts bring us right back to childhood. Not like oatmeal raisin cookies, which our mom made with chocolate chips, but in that comforting, if malodorous, way that meant you were in the right home with its unique dinnertime smells. Growing up, in our house and probably every one of our friends’ and neighbors’, veggies were often over- or undercooked, the timing often interrupted by kids, pets, and a million multi-tasking thoughts. You know this to be the case even now, in the worst of times or the best, if you are solely or partly responsible for feeding your family. The fragrances of your successes and failures alike – oof, how they linger, in the curtains, in the rugs, in the sealed-in winter air.
No one suggests deliberately overcooking grocery stalwarts like broccoli and Brussels – in fact, they go so far as to admonish not to – but there is something loveable about tender, boiled, buttered brassica. The freezer aisle is packed with ready-to-microwave packages that produce a balanced combination of vegetables with various fats. Jen is actually fond of Green Giant baby Brussels sprouts with butter sauce, which she eats once in a while as a snack (an activity that her kids never accepted with particularly good grace).
But this is easy enough to replicate with fresh Brussels sprouts by throwing them into a pot of boiling water. Halve them to make the cooking quicker. Timing will depend on size but likely more than five and up to 10 minutes. They’re simple enough to test, like pasta. Then the smallest amount of butter, salt, and pepper make them side-dish ready.
Of course, we realize that some people think of Brussels sprouts like fish – great to eat in restaurants, but not to be cooked at home under any circumstances. (If you’re in that camp but longing to switch sides, see Jen’s Allrecipes.com article below about how to make stink-free fish during the winter.) You might change your mind with either of the two recipes below, one from Betsy and one from Uchi, the non-traditional Japanese restaurant run by Hai Hospitality that started in Austin under the auspices of owner and executive chef Tyson Cole, recipient of the 2011 James Beard Foundation Award Best Chef: Southwest. Hai Hospitality recently opened an Uchi Miami, where Chef Edward Sura is running the show, and where Jen fell in love with the Brussels sprouts. You’ll thank yourself for making them one night and Betsy’s rich gratin the next – even if it means you have to go to the market before, during, or after yet another snowfall. Because you know what they say about Brussels sprouts: They’re always sweetest after a frost.
BK / JK
DISH: Recipes
Uchi’s Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:
Neutral oil for frying
1 quart Brussels sprouts, quartered
2 ounces Fish Caramel (recipe below)
2 ounces Sweet Chili Sauce (recipe below)
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt to taste
Directions:
Heat oil to 350 degrees and fry Brussels sprouts until caramelized and crispy. Combine Fish Caramel and Sweet Chili Sauce. Dress sprouts with the mixture. Finish with lemon juice, adjusting the sweetness of the mixture and acidity of lemon juice until you achieve the desired balance. Season with salt to taste.
Fish Caramel
Ingredients:
1 stalk lemongrass
1 bulb garlic
1 large shallot
1 large piece ginger
1 Thai chili
1 cup Squid brand fish sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Directions:
Combine lemongrass, garlic, shallot, ginger, and Thai chili in a pot and cook to caramelize. Deglaze the pan with fish sauce. Add the water and sugar, and cook until reduced by half. Allow to cool and reserve for use.
Sweet Chili Sauce
Ingredients:
Salt to taste
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon Korean chili flake
¼ cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon water
¼ cup white vinegar
3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons thinly sliced rounds of sliced green onion whites
Directions:
Combine the salt, sugar, and Korean chili flakes and mix well. Combine fish sauce, water, and vinegar. Pour the vinegar mixture into the sugar mixture, and mix well. Add the garlic and onion, then refrigerate and reserve until use.
Gluten-free Brussels Sprouts Gratin
How about this for a veggie moniker? “One of the most hated in the country.” That’s what Brussels sprouts face every time a shopper pushes a cart down the produce aisle. For decades. This is not news to me. Three out of four members of this pandemic homebound household would never pick these cute brassicas for checkout. To be fair, three out of four have definitely eaten them. And one (me) loves them. But in the effort to turn public opinion, one trend has emerged. The more fat in the recipe and the smaller the pieces, the fewer the leftovers.
There are differing opinions about how Brussels sprouts came to the table. One suggestion has ancient roots in China. Another points to Rome. The name itself springs from becoming a crop in Brussels in the 16th, or 13th, century. Regardless, they remain much more popular in Europe than on the American plate since their 20th-century introduction.
Brussels sprouts knock it out of the park when it comes to health with bonus Vitamin K – good for blood clotting and your bones – and Vitamin C. They also offer a natural source of folate and are antioxidant blockbusters. Like all of those other cruciferous veg, they have plenty of fiber. Perhaps the reason behind our reluctance? All these digestive aids sometimes cause discomfort on their journey... But that’s an easy excuse. Brussels sprouts suffer the fate of almost all vegetables. Most Americans don’t eat the recommended allowance of vegetables even though they say they would (or should) like to do just that. Some have never eaten a vegetable at all!
Sometimes cooking vegetables can bring out more health benefits. Sometimes they’re best raw. For Brussels sprouts I say, both ways are best, at least for fun and flavor. Chef Jonathan Waxman introduced me to the joy of his addictive salad at New York’s original Barbuto.
In an effort to entice reluctant palates ‘round here, I’ve roasted them with pancetta and balsamic, shredded them into pasta, and recently made an incredibly easy GLUTEN-FREE, VEGETARIAN Brussels sprouts gratin. #SorryNotSorry for lacing the whole thing with artery-clogging fats. Shoulder season is not my fave time at the grocery when even the produce seems a little gray around the edges and I’m striving for a crowd-pleaser. At least you now know you can simply eat them in a salad or roast them with a bit of olive oil.
1 pound Brussels Sprouts, tough ends removed, halved and sliced (or quartered if small and tender)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large smashed garlic cloves
½ cup cream
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon Gruyère (about 3 ounces), divided
1 tablespoon Parmesan
Preheat the broiler.
In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium to medium-low heat with the smashed garlic for several minutes, turning the garlic to avoid burning while it seasons the oil. Remove the garlic.
Add the Brussels sprouts and season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Cook for 2-4 minutes to caramelize some of the sprouts. Add 1 tablespoon of water and cover form at least 2-3 minutes until tender.
Add the cream and reduce the liquid by about half. Toss with ½ cup Gruyère until it starts to melt. Top with 1 tablespoon Gruyère and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Broil until crispy brown spots appear.
Eat with a spoon from the pan.
Note for meat lovers: To add pancetta, render 2 ounces chopped pancetta over low heat in the oil and remove. Then add the garlic and proceed with the recipe. Add the pancetta back in right before broiling.
Note for gluten lovers: Panko or crisped bread crumbs can be mixed with the cheese before broiling. About ¾ pound of cooked pasta can be tossed with sprouts before topping and broiling. Increase the cream by up to ¼ cup. Use a small shape.
BK
DISH: Recap and Coming Soon
A milestone! This past month, we had our first joint byline in Fifth Season. The article (with recipes) talks about our mother Naomi’s signature vinaigrettes, plus our inexplicable love for Good Seasons salad dressing. Check out the great food styling with vintage cruets!
Solo, Betsy launched her new website at theportablegarden.com. She has again been in the digital world teaching food, drink, and flower skills on her own and with @Alicestable, which collaborates with Harry & David. You can hire her for classes by contacting her through Dishtillery or by email at betsy@theportablegarden.com.
Jen’s article about serving and eating caviar at home appeared in Indulge Magazine. Her piece about how to cook and eat more fish in the winter – without the stink! – went out in Allrecipes.com. Her poems appeared in Autumn Sky Poetry Daily and Mezzo Cammin. You can hire her for writing by contacting her through Dishtillery or by email at kavetchnik@gmail.com. Visit her website at jkaretnick.com.
Coming Soon:
Jen’s articles about the trouble with quinoa; how to have an allergen-free Passover; the misleading health halos around vegetable chips and crackers; and those mysterious black bugs in your pantry are forthcoming in Allrecipes.com. Her poems will appear in Cider Press Review, Sheila-Na-Gig, Twyckenham Notes, and Under a Warm Green Linden.
On 3/5/21 (7 PM CST/ 8 PM EST), Jen will read poetry from the anthology Grabbed: Poets & Writers on Sexual Assault, Empowerment & Healing with Elisa Albo, Richard Blanco, Silvia Curbelo, Denise Duhamel, Beth Ann Fennelly, Mia Leonin, Jenny Molberg, Caridad Moro-Gronlier, Catherine Esposito Prescott, Maureen Seaton, and Virgil Suarez. Hosted by WiseBlood Booksellers. Attend at www.facebook.com/wisebloodkc or www.wisebloodbooksellers.com/live-streams.
On 3/8/21 (7 PM EST), Jen will read poetry and discuss perseverance in She Persists: Rebounding from Rejection with Celia Lisset Alvarez and Lesley Wheeler. Hosted by Prospectus: A Literary Offering. Attend at https://fb.me/e/26IyFy3yF or https://www.facebook.com/events/250444106595326.
On 3/24/21 (7 PM CST/ 8 PM EST), Jen will be a featured poet with Maria Nazos, Aldo Amaparan, and Saddiq Dukozi at Wednesday Night Poetry. Attend at https://www.facebook.com/WednesdayNightPoetry.
March 8 is International Women’s Day, and all of March is Women’s History Month. We’ll be celebrating groundbreaking women in the wine and spirits space in our weekly paid subscribers issues of Dishtillery that go out every Friday. You can get it free at the end of the month, but every week for $5 per month/$50 per year.
DISH: Poetry
If you do like to make Brussels sprouts, and fish, and other “smelly” food items at home, there’s a natural way you can help with odors: Set out coffee beans.
Housekeeping
Every evening I leave out fresh coffee,
not to grind but to hijack the air,
spread its essence of mountain, shale
and shadow. Each one a polished toenail,
the beans in their potpourri dish
project the optimism of early-morning
risers, but fail as the days wear on
to completely embrace the ammonia
of cats, the dank feet of the tropics, mold
feathering the insides of walls like nests—
feral, furtive, as persistent as itself.
You can find this and other food poems in Brie Season (Kelsay Books, 2014).
JK
