Friday, November 19, 2010

A Little Something on the Side


I don't know about you, but whether the main dish at the holiday is ham or roast beef, turkey, chicken or even fish, what I really care about is the sides. This week Jim Dixon of Real Good Food shares his most-requested holiday side dish and reminds you that you can get great winter squash, brussels sprouts (whole stalks for as little as $3), fresh cranberries, mushrooms, hearty greens, cheeses, eggs and almost everything else you need for your own holiday meal at your local farmers' market. Find Jim at PSU starting at 9 am on Sat., 11/20, or check here for listings.

I’ll be moving the content from my original website to the new one for the next several months, but I did get my version of Thanksgiving online. While it includes the instructions (I can’t really call it a recipe) for the industrial version of green bean casserole, do your guests a favor and make these brussels sprouts instead.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Mustard

Once I started cooking brussels sprouts like this, nobody ever wanted them any other way. It seems like everybody is using bacon with brussels sprouts this year, and while bacon is never a bad idea, it makes whatever it’s in more about the bacon. Brussels sprouts are delicious on their own, and this dish has converted more than a few haters. The key, as with many in the cruciferous family, is to cook uncovered.

I learned this from Jason French and David Padberg when they cooked at the late, great, clarklewis here in Portland (and by “late” I mean the long gone days of Michael Hebb and Morgan Brownlow; the place is still open, but with chef Dolan Lane cooking). Jason’s now chef-owner at Ned Ludd; David’s the chef at Park Kitchen. They used butter, “more than you might think,” as David said, but I use extra virgin olive oil, natch, and the results are delicious.

Trim a pound of sprouts, then halve or quarter lengthwise (the flat cut surfaces brown better). Dice a medium onion. Cook the onion in about a generous pour of extra virgin olive oil and a good pinch of sea salt for a few minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the sprouts. Cook uncovered, turning occasionally, for about 45 minutes, until the sprouts have browned nicely. Add about a quarter cup of whole grain mustard, stir, and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

6 comments:

pdxknitterati/MicheleLB said...

Sounds wonderful. I love brussels sprouts, and I think I will love this version, too. Thanks for sharing.

Kathleen Bauer said...

Indeed…let me know how it turns out!

Throwback at Trapper Creek said...

I think this will be on my Thanksgiving menu - thanks!

Kathleen Bauer said...

I'm thinking it might appear on our menu as well!

Anonymous said...

Chef Kathryn Yeomans prepared these at the final regular season market here in Montavilla last weekend...oh, divine!

We'll be serving these this afternoon. Thanks!

-Gretchan J.

Kathleen Bauer said...

Enjoy, and let us know how they turned out!