Brussels Sprout: A Grand Finale Of Prosciutto Proportions

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Amy

If the Brussels sprout could choose its pièce de résistance, it would 110% be this recipe. And frankly, since said recipe contains copious amounts of cheese and pork products, it was pretty much a shoe in for wrapping up our month-long adoration of that aforementioned delectable cabbage.

I was raised—like just about every other American kid—on the blue box. Since 1937, that weirdly-orange macaroni and cheese mix has been a staple to kids from sea to shining sea … and beyond. Our neighbors to the north call it “Kraft Dinner.” Across the pond in the United Kingdom, it’s “Cheesey Dinner.” There’s something magical about the stuff. And convenient. It isn’t often you can get dinner on the table in less than 10 minutes after a long day, and if you’re a mom, with a symphony of screaming kids in the background.

Even now, I still crave the stuff on occasion. But here’s the thing: Regardless of the somewhat recent removal of food dye, this still isn’t real food. ‘Cause in case you hadn’t noticed, real food doesn’t come in a box.

And that’s one of the things I love about La Quercia—what they produce is real food! This Iowa-based company makes artisinal cured meats and salumi. I happened upon their product while shopping for a private dinner event for a cleint. The menu included a traditional Italian braciole, which called for high quality prosciutto. I bought two packages of La Quercia. I had a small issue with one of them that most folks wouldn’t have even noticed, as it had nothing to do with quality. It was a packaging problem, and I thought it best to let them know about it.

The person who answered my email (lightening fast, by the way) was the company’s founding foodie, Kathy Eckhouse. She and husband, Herb Eckhouse, were inspired to try their hand at creating this kind of quality product after living in Italy. Imagine indulging in all those wonderful delicacies in the land of yummy, only to return stateside to ho-hum.

According to their website, both Herb and Kathy “work in all aspects of the business: selecting and buying pork, salting, trimming, and handling hams and leading the small group of dedicated staff who participate in our production. [They] work the full shift for first and second salting; [and have] developed [their] own spice blends for [their] pancetta, lonza, bacon, guanciale, coppa, lardo, and prosciutto piccante” products.

You know me: I love a good DIY, and these folks are the real deal.

Again … real food.

And really, really good customer service. Kathy cared about my issue and spent time trying to make sure she understood it fully. What I appreciated most was her time. How often do you call a company with a concern and get the owner listening to your gripe? Not often.

And how often do we hear about good customer service? Typically, it’s the bad stuff. It’s stories of salmonella from some tainted product … or worse. So when we come across a great product backed by an even greater company, we think you should hear about it, too. That’s why we’ve decided to give La Quercia free advertising space on our blog for the next month. They deserve something special. And maybe you’ll see a little something special from them for a lucky Eater in our next newsletter!

Anyway … I digress. I decided to try out one of their products this month where all good porky products belong—right up nice and tight alongside its main squeeze: the Brussels sprout.

I bid you ado, tiny green friend, with this amazing dish (that my husband just had a big second helping of).

Brussels Sprouts & Butternut Squash Mac N’ Cheese (With Proscuitto)

The recipe below is a modified version of this one from Half Baked Harvest.

Ingredients:

4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3 cups Brussels sprouts, shredded or sliced thin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons brown sugar
pinch of salt and pepper
1 pound of cavatappi or tortiglioni pasta (spiral, tubular pasta—try whole wheat if your clan will eat it!)
1 3-ounce package La Quercia prosciutto (I used Speck, which was divine, but you can also sub 6 slices of chopped, thick-cut bacon.)
1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz crackers (I used their new bacon flavor. Don’t judge.)
2-4 tablespoons bacon fat (Yes, I do happen to just have this lying around my house. Again, don’t judge. If you don’t, use an equal amount of butter.)
1/4 cup flour
4 tablespoons butter
3 cups full fat milk, separated (Okay, fine—use skim. But what’s the point?)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese, shredded (add an extra 1/4 cup…if you want!)
4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese (or add another cup of fontina)
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the butternut squash cubes with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper in a large bowl and transfer to a baking sheet. Place in oven for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once or twice during cooking.

Add Brussels sprouts, brown sugar and another pinch of salt and pepper to the bowl and toss to coat. Place on another baking sheet and add to the oven about 10 to 15 minutes in. They’ll roast much quicker than the squash, and though you want them well browned (if not slightly charred on the edges), you don’t want them burnt.

Reduce the oven temp to 350 degrees.

Set the Brussels sprout aside. Once cooled, place the roasted squash in a blender or food processor with a cup of the milk and blend until smooth. Like really smooth and creamy. I mean creamy.

Coat a large baking dish with butter and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt. Add pasta and cook at least a minute shy of your pasta’s cooking instructions. You want it aaaaallllddeeeennnntteeeee. (Sorry. You gotta say it like that.) The point is: It will finish cooking in the oven. Remove from heat, drain well—but do not rinse it! You’ll just remove the layer of starch that makes the sauce stick. Toss with pureed butternut to prevent sticking and set aside.

Let’s back it up a moment. While the pasta is boiling, you should be chopping your prosciutto … or speck … or bacon. If you chose the latter, add the bacon to a medium to large size pot. Fry until crisp, then remove and drain on paper towels.

Add crushed Ritz crackers to the hot bacon grease and toss to coat. Decided for option one or two? Use that bacon grease you’ve been saving in the fridge. Not a crazy person like me? Butter will work. Throw a few tablespoons into a pot and toast for 3-5 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Once toasted, transfer to bowl and set aside.

Warm the remaining two cups of milk in a small saucepan. Add four tablespoons of butter to the same pot and melt over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and let cook for one minute. It will get bubbly and thick. Add the milk and heavy cream and raise the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently until the sauce thickens (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in all cheese and stir. Let sit for a few minutes, then add mustard powder, cayenne, salt and white pepper and stir until smooth.

Add cheese mix to butternut squash and pasta mixture. Mix in speck/prosciutto/bacon and Brussels sprouts. Transfer to prepared baking dish and sprinkle evenly with cracker crumbs.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.

Tagged with: Bacon, blue box, brussels sprout, butternut squash, dinner, hide the veggie, la quercia, mac 'n cheese, macaroni and cheese, proscuitto, speck, Vegetables, vegetarian option
Posted in Dear Diary

Meatless Taco Mondays For The Win

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Sarah

I live with a true carnivore who lives and breathes meat. What do I expect? My husband’s from Texas, y’all.

Recently, he’s taken over week night dinner duties almost exclusively. Which means, well, that everything seems to revolve around the meat on our plate. Don’t get me wrong. I love meat, too, but I really love veggies.

One night after he served me the tiniest serving of roasted Brussels sprouts I’d ever seen next to this Hulk of a chicken breast, we had words. OK, that sounds like I threatened my husband. It was more like me saying, “Please, pretty please with a cherry on top, would you maybe consider making more sprouts for your sweet wife?”

In my head I was Cookie from Empire, but it was more like Ernie from Sesame Street. (Side note, if you haven’t seen the SNL sketch where Cookie comes to Sesame Street, please pretty please with a cherry on top watch this sketch right now.) Anyway … he and I now have an understanding.

Thankfully, the hubs loves sprouts as much as I do, which is good given that We The Eaters is celebrating our love of the tiny cabbages this month! So far, we’ve featured two salads (one served cold and one warm) and an ingenious scone — all of which include bacon and would likely be considered sides. Whether or not they’re served along side a Hulk-like piece of meat is up to you. But if that’s your modu operandi, what I’m about to tell you may blow your mind.

What if Brussels sprouts were the main item on the plate? And (this may be committing We The Eaters sacrilege) what if there was no bacon? No bacon fat, no bacon bits: Just the humble sprout sans it’s bacon crutch.

I present to you the Brussels sprout … taco!

I wish I could take complete credit for this invention. While digging up ideas for this month’s topic, my founding foodie partner in crime, Amy, pointed me to the blog See You in the Morning. Just the thought of crispy sprouts paired with black beans, avocado, lime and cilantro in a little hand-held package I can stuff into my face? It made me a bit giddy. Maybe I need to get out more.

This basically flips the script on my husband’s meat-packed meals, but he still loved it. Which isn’t a huge surprise: we love tacos. They’ve been a staple on my dinner plate since I was a child. They’ve taken on every manner of incarnation, from the store-bought kits to D-I-Y spice mixes, and from topping with mild basics to tossing on the Cholula hot sauce. My taco love is ever-evolving, though one of my must-have toppings is pickled red onions.

It’s an obsession Amy and I share. She introduced me to them years ago at my first Taco Toss at The Lighthouse in Dewey Beach, DE. (No tacos were harmed … just given warm homes in our bellies, where they co-mingled with an Orange Crush or two.)

You know I love pickles! And these pickled red onions are surprisingly easy and quick. Make them at least an hour or two ahead, although I prefer to make them a day in advance and let the flavors come together in my fridge. They’re great on more than just tacos: Try them on sandwiches, hot dogs or salads.

I usually don’t fry my tortillas, favoring warming them in the oven (or we just buy hard tacos), but they added something special here. The black beans are also something we don’t normally do, though they stepped up our taco game. These tacos were hearty, filling and intensely satisfying … trust me — you need to try them!

And don’t worry about your audience. If they won over a Texan carnivore, they can win over anyone.

Brussels Sprout Tacos with Pickled Red Onions

For pickled red onions
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

For main Brussels sprouts
1 lb Brussels sprouts
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

For black beans
1 8-ounce can black beans
1 tsp cumin (try roasted cumin for a deeper flavor)
salt and pepper, to taste

For avocado crema
1 1/2 large ripe avocado
1/4 cup sour cream
1 lime juiced

For taco assembly
6-10 tortillas, corn or flour, depending on preference
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped

An hour or so ahead, pickle the red onions. Whisk together the apple cider vinegar, agave and salt into a cup of water till dissolved. Place the onions into a jar and pour the liquid over, covering all of the onions. Let sit at room temperature for an hour, then move to the refrigerator. Note, they can be made up to two weeks in advance!

For the roasted Brussels sprouts, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean the sprouts then trim and remove any bad outer leaves. Quarter the sprouts and place into a bowl. Toss with enough olive oil to coat, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil or parchment paper – the cheese will make them stick! Roast for 20 minutes, or until charred and crispy.

Rinse and drain the black beans. In a bowl, mix the beans with cumin, salt and pepper. Mush or mash them a little bit to get them a bit stickier.

For the crema, add one ripe avocado to a bowl with sour cream and lime juice. Mix all together, mashing the avocado. For me, this is a mix, taste and adjust process. If the avocado is a bit under ripe or the mixture is too limey, you may need to add more avocado or use a different mixing method. To get the texture I wanted – a smooth creaminess – I used my immersion blender and added an additional 1/2 avocado.

To make the tacos, heat a large pan on medium-high heat. Add 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, enough to coat the pan and fry the tortillas. When the oil is heated through, add two tortillas to the pan. Add a spoonful or two of black beans and let fry for a few seconds. Using tongs, fold the tortillas in half and let fry another few seconds. Flip them over to fry the other side. The outer side of the tortillas should get crispy and brown. After another few seconds, remove the tacos and let dry on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat for remaining tortillas or till the black beans are gone.

Fill the tacos with a spoonful or more of the roasted Brussels sprouts. Finish with the crema, a sprinkle of cilantro and pickled red onions to taste. Enjoy!

Tagged with: avocado, black beans, brussels sprouts, cilantro, lime, mains, meatless monday, parmesan, tacos, tortillas, vegetarian
Posted in Dear Diary

I Heart Sprouts … and Scones

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Adam

If you told third grade Adam that he’d one day love brussel sprouts, he would have thought you were crazy. (Maybe even gagged a little.) Vegetables were not a part of his meal plan.

I’ll be honest: I’ve been a pretty finicky eater most of my life. My palate craved simple fare, like meat, potatoes and pasta. I thought Taco Bell was exotic.

That said, there’s another food from my childhood that evokes the same kind of terror — and maybe more — than vegetables. But this one doesn’t make a lot of sense, because most kids love baked goods.

Just not my grandmother’s scones.

Now, I don’t want to say Nana was a bad cook. That would be rude. But you truly ate from here stove at the peril of your palate. She was known for creating many a culinary catastrophe and ultimately, food that was entirely inedible. The folly ranged from all manner of burnt cuisine to fare that had been boiled to death … and then ten minutes more.

To her credit, the exception on most occasions was baked goods. She normally produced some exceptional cookies and cakes. But, one of my more lasting and traumatic memories are of her dense, dry and completely inedible scones. Scones that were completely devoid of all flavor save flour. That was, of course, if you could bite into it without your teeth shattering.

So for years, I played it safe on both fronts, avoiding both vegetable and scone alike. It wasn’t until I met my favorite food blogger that I started throwing caution to the wind in trying all sorts of different foods. Including brussel sprouts … the star of this month’s posts.

But veggies are easy to make interesting. It wasn’t until my wife brought me to Petworth’s Domku in Washington, D.C., that I discovered what a scone was supposed to taste like. She was a fanatic for the scones there, stalking them like an addict. You see Domku only makes so many, and only on Sundays. If you don’t arrive at 10:30 (which is just about exactly when they come out of the oven), you can pretty much just kiss your chances goodbye. They were delicious, with imaginative flavors like cardamom and cranberry or cinnamon, chili and chocolate. My wife would sheepishly ignore the looks of other irritated diners when she ordered six — two for now, more for later.

But with this month’s Brussels sprout theme in mind, was there some way I could wonder-twin power these two traumatic childhood culinary terrors into one super powered scone of awesomeness? But of course! And what better way to pump up the flavor than sprout’s ever faithful companion, bacon.

Now, the journey to redeem those wretched scones of my youth (Sorry, Nana. They were awful.) was not an easy one. It included a batch of bacon so burned they were scorched black (perhaps taking one from Nana’s playbook), uncooperative dough and a premature removal from the oven that required them going in for a second five minute lap. But once all the wrinkles were ironed out, they were a scone to challenge Domku and leave those tasteless hockey pucks in the past.

Wonder Sprout, Bacon & Cheddar Scones
Adapted from the recipe at The Gouda Life makes about 20 scones

2 1/2 cups shredded Brussels sprouts
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch of sea salt
4 pieces of cooked, applewood smoked bacon
2 1/2 cups All Purpose (unbleached) flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
5 tbsp butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, stems removed
3/4 cup of coarsely-grated shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Shred Brussels sprouts. Toss them with olive oil pinch of sea salt. Spread on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 8 minutes, stir, then roast another 6 to 8 minutes. Remove when golden brown and let cool completely. You might place in the fridge while you keep working to speed up the process.

Next, in a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Mix in pepper. Cut in the cold butter until the pieces are pea-sized. Place the bowl in the freezer for about ten minutes to re-chill butter.

Remove the bowl and add cream, sprouts, thyme and bacon. Combine the ingredients with a fork and then your hands until it just comes together into a ball of dough. Add cheese and work together gently. You may need to add in more cream if the mix doesn’t hold together. Do so sparingly, about a tablespoon at a time.

Dust your work surface with and begin to work out your dough into a rectangle shape by patting the dough. Fold it over on to itself, repeating six times. (The dough is pretty dense, so hang in there!) Finally, pat the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. Use a small, circular cutter and cut out as many scones as possible. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and load up your scones. Repeat the process until there’s no dough left.

Bake the scones at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are light golden brown.

Tagged with: Bacon, baked goods, breakfast, brunch, brussel sprouts, savory, scone, sides, thyme, Vegetables
Posted in Dear Diary