Grow Your Own #45 - Brussels Sprout Hash

I was very excited to participate in the Grow Your Own roundup hosted this month by Girlichef, especially since I’ve had such wild success with my garden this year. Every year I plant something I’ve never grown before, and this year my choice was Brussels sprouts. I had never been a fan of Brussels sprouts until earlier this year when Ginny and I made a Brussels Sprout Hash with pancetta. So when I was wandering through the local greenhouse one day this spring, and spotted the adorable little sprout seedlings, I just couldn’t resist. I later discovered that they are not meant for spring planting and are intended to be a more “late summer” fruit, if you will. Well, by then it was too late, as they were already in the ground, so I decided to just let nature take its course and see what happened.

Well....THIS is what happened:

Aren’t they pretty? Yes, I thought so, too. I drafted the hubs to hack the plants off at the base just before I left for my most recent trip to see Ginny, and proceeded to separate the buds from the stems. I ended up with about a gallon of sprouts. When I arrived in Iowa, we re-enacted the previous scene from my kitchen by cleaning and chopping the sprouts, then sautéing them up in bacon grease and a little cider vinegar.

The first time we made these, we pulled the leaves apart and chopped the tougher cores, but we went the easy route this time and just chopped them up. We also managed to restrain ourselves this time and served them with a little fresh grated parmesan on top alongside some beautiful little grilled baby eggplants we picked up at the farmers market and some lovely sirloin steaks, you know, instead of hovering over the stove, forks in hand, and gorging ourselves on the lovely green bounty as we did last time.

This is my submission to this month’s Grow Your Own roundup.

Fall is Here! And a New Take on Zucchini

By the time Fall rolls around, most everyone I know is so tired of zucchini that they are almost a little green around the gills, so to speak. The glut of produce that these plants propagate is astonishing, and although it is truly one of my favorite vegetables, especially in the summer, I find it a little tiresome by September as well.

We recently had one of my favorite summertime go-to grill meals of mixed sausages and a couple of sides, which finally gave me the opportunity to try a recipe I had come across in a recent issue of La Cucina Italiana.

It really couldn't be simpler, and the flavor was fantastic. I am always looking for new ways to serve some of the more common summer veggies and this one really fit the bill.

Roasted Zucchini
2 medium zucchinis, quartered lengthwise
2 onions, roughly chopped
6 (or more) slices bacon, chopped and cooked
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
olive oil

Saute the onions in a little olive oil and spread in a layer in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
Top with the cooked bacon, and lay the zucchini slices on top of the onion/bacon mixture, cut side up.

Mix together the cheese, breadcrumbs, and rosemary, then sprinkle over the zucchini and drizzle with olive oil.

 Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until tender.

***NOTES: the original recipe said to lay a slice of pancetta across each piece of zucchini, but I was worried about how well the pancetta would cook that way. Hence the idea for the bacon. Also, the breadcrumb topping was almost a little too thick. Next time I will use less. I was concerned that the zucchini would be mushy when it came out, so I was hovering over it the whole time. I prefer my zucchini tender-crisp. In the end, the zucchini was VERY well done, almost on the mushy side, but it was actually good that way. the crunch of the breadcrumbs offset it and the onions and bacon managed to soak up into the zucchini beautifully. I will definitely make this one again.

Moby Dick

Something has been haunting me. Taunting me. It is my very own Great White Whale.

It is ..... Moby Dick.

Also known as....Kale Chips. I have been watching this little beast making its way around the internet for months.

I’ll try it...I won’t try it.

This blogger loves them..... the next one hates them.

Back and forth with this struggle I go. Riding the waves of this culinary ocean....well, its been making me a bit seasick.

And so, one fateful day in eastern Iowa, I found a beautiful bunch of flat leaf kale (although some recipes call for curly) and I made a decision. No more Moby Dick. The time is now.

We reeled in the lovely kale and drove it to its doom.... Ginny’s kitchen.

I cut the thick stems out of the leaves.

I brushed them on both sides with olive oil.

I seasoned them with salt and pepper, and a little chipotle powder.

I laid them on sheet pans in a single layer.

And we baked them until crisp.

Don’t be fooled by the dark spots on the leaves, they aren’t burnt. We watched the leaves dutifully to make sure they cooked to a crisp without burning or leaving chewy spots.

And then... the moment of truth. I had no expectations at all. I had heard so many conflicting reports. I’d been chasing the myth....the beast.... Moby Dick himself..... for so long that I didn’t know how to feel when I finally caught up with him.

And so.... I bit him.

And you know.... he was kind of tasty. I’m not going to lie to you and say this is a taste treat I’ll crave. But they were interesting. A salty, crispy flake that almost disappears in your mouth. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. But, I would eat it again. I think they’d be fun to put out for a party. Just a little bit of flavor to warm your tsste buds up. And they’d probably be healthy, if it wasn’t for all the oil I brushed on them. All of us that tried them were in agreement. They were interesting, but nothing to really write a book about.

And so, in the end, the Great While Whale is no more. I am free of its lure, once and for all.

Homemade Hot Pepper Sauce

I am a fool for hot sauce. When I get in the mood for hot food, I like for it to take the eyebrows clear off my face. I want my upper lip to sweat. I want my sinuses to clear. If I’m not moderately dizzy when I’ done eating, it wasn’t hot enough. Feel the burn....

Also, I’m a total slacker. My tomato and pepper plants have been producing like happy little rabbits all season, and yet, there are piles of ripe fruit sitting on my kitchen counter, going uneaten. This bothers my husband. So much so, that he asked me last night, “Why do you even plant these if you’re not going to eat them?”

Well, he does have a point. It happens every year. I plant, I water, they bloom and bear fruit....and then they sit. In my defense, I do eat some of them, but I’m not as diligent as I should be about it.

What is it about planting a garden? I think it comforts me, just knowing its out there...that I’m growing something. And its not that I don’t like what I am growing. I only plant things that I know I like. I don’t know what it is....

In any case, last night the hubs made a very valid point. And, I’m going on a trip, so I need to do something with the little jewels or they’ll go bad while I’m gone.

So what did I do? Something I’ve been waiting all season for. Something I almost didn’t do because my habañeros never produced. But, with a pile of jalapeños and super chilis on my counter, something had to be done.

I made Hot Sauce.

I’ve done this before and absolutely loved it. If you have a garden and have chiles coming out your ears, this is the way to use them up, especially if you’re a chile-head like I am. The best part of this is that you can make it as hot (or, as mild....wussy) as you want.

Garden Hot Pepper Sauce
1. Gather up as many chiles as you want to use. The sauce has a better flavor if you use a variety.
2. Roughly chop them and remove the stems. No need to seed or devein.
3. Toss them all in a sauce pan.4. Cover the chiles with white vinegar (keep the vinegar handy, you might need more later).5. Simmer the contents until the chiles are very soft, about an hour (don’t inhale anywhere near your stove or you’ll lose nose hairs).6. If the vinegar level falls below the chiles, add more.
7. Remove from the heat, and pass the contents through a food mill, pressing to get as much of the flesh and juice as possible.Voila! You’re done. You can keep this in the fridge indefinitely or you can process it and have jars for later. My batch last night started with a couple of cups of chiles and a couple of cups of vinegar and yielded about a cup and a half of finished product. Check it out! Mine’s going to be HOT. Yours can be any way you want.

Parmesan Fillo Asparagus

When I first saw this recipe, I knew it was something I had to try immediately. We are not in the height of asparagus season any more, but it is still readily available and I have not yet had my fill! I am including my version of the recipe below with the changes I made to the original. The measurements are approximate, depending on the number of spears you have, etc.

Although I intended to post this earlier in the season, it isn't easy to come by a package of fillo in my neck of the woods, so it took awhile for me to gather my ingredients! Let me tell you though, this one was worth the wait! And, its definitely a keeper. These would be perfect to have prepped and ready to bake, then pop them in the oven right before your guests arrive for a terrific appetizer. The hubs also pointed out that they would probably be good with a little Frank's Red Hot on them. I would agree, but this batch was actually plenty spicy with the amount of red pepper flake that I used. Since the measurements are all "to taste" you can make them as mild or as spicy as you want.

Parmesan Fillo Asparagus
20 asparagus spears
1 packet fillo

4 TB unsalted butter, melted

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
red chile flakes
salt and pepper

Peel the stalks if the asparagus is tough skinned.
Open the fillo sheets and remove one at a time from the packet.
Cut in half and brush lightly with butter.
Sprinkle on the Parmesan and a few chile flakes, then season with salt and pepper.
Lay a raw spear of asparagus along the edge of the pastry and roll it as tightly as possible. The original recipe said to blanch the asparagus first, but unless your spears are particularly thick, I wouldn't. Mine were pretty thin, so I put them in raw and it worked perfectly. I think if I had boiled them at all first, they would have come out mushy.Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining asparagus and place the tray in the fridge until you are ready to put them in the oven. (These can be done in advance, just cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge until you need them.)

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the trays into the hot oven and bake for about 7-8 minutes until golden brown. Pile the spears on a plate and top with freshly grated Parmesan. Serve immediately - these are best while hot. These were really fantastic and I'll definitely be adding them to my party recipe box!

The Asparagus Shelf

It must have been a real challenge to have been my grandmother. My father's mother, Mary Ruth, was an incredible woman. I mean, you'd have to be, if you had fourteen children and raised them all to be outstanding individuals, like she did. Yes, you heard me right, I said FOURTEEN. And no, they were not at all like the Duggar family. My grandparents were good, catholic people who happened to have a lot of children. And I am really glad they did, or I wouldn't be here today.

So, as you can imagine in a house of fourteen children, there are a lot of stories to tell. I've heard about all kinds of sibling issues and every day drama that occurred regularly in my father's home. One of the stories that will always stick out in my mind is the story of the Asparagus Shelf. One thing (as my father tells me) that you learn in a family that size is to take what you want from the serving plate on the first time around the table, or you may not get it. Likewise, you have to figure out what to do about food you would rather NOT have on your plate.

The family dinner table had a secret hiding place. I imagine it as some kind of support for the table legs. My dad calls it the "asparagus shelf", because that is where all those nasty kinds of things ended up when Grandma and Grandpa weren't looking.

I, personally, adore asparagus, but I imagine that possibly they didn't practice the "steaming" method back then, so I suppose I can understand my dad's dismay when the wilted greens made an appearance at the dinner table. However, I can understand the sentiment. See, I have always felt that way about brussels sprouts. I have tried and tried, but I have never once been able to convince my taste buds that they are a special culinary treat.

Apparently, I have just never had them prepared the right way. Ginny came out this past weekend while she was at a conference in St Louis, and brought with her a baggie of pretty little brussels sprouts she brought from her parents' house. She assures me that size does matter when it comes to brussels sprouts; and smaller is better.

We made this recipe that we found over at Evil Chef Mom, and to say the least, it was a revelation. Really, people, I would not lie about something so serious. Working diligently, Ginny trimmed and cored the little gems and then passed them to me to tease the little leaves apart. (The recipe says to slice them, but we went in a different direction.) After finishing the dish, and taking lovely pictures of it for all of you to see, we both grabbed a fork, and with a prayer of "I really hope this is good", we dug in. Standing right there, over the stove. We stood. And devoured. If I could have fit one more shovel full down my gullet, I would have licked the bowl. This is all that was left after what shall henceforth be known as "The Brussels Sprout Massacre".

(you should know that this is NOT a small bowl. This is a 12" platter. And it is EMPTY.)

I have been converted. As evidence to that point, we went to the greenhouse the next day and there are now four brussels sprouts plants residing in my garden. For once I can say that its alright that my husband would never eat this, because the next time I make it, I won't have to share it with anyone. And, oh yes, I will be making it again.

Brussels Sprout Hash With Caramelized Shallots and Bacon

(Adapted from Bon Appetit November 2007)

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, divided

1/2 pound shallots, thinly sliced (I only had 2 shallots, so we used those and a few pieces of green garlic)

1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces (we used pancetta)

Coarse kosher salt

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

4 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup water

In a frying pan, cook bacon until crispy. Lay bacon on paper towels to drain fat.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; sprinkle with coarse kosher salt and pepper. Saute until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar. Stir until brown and glazed, about 3 minutes.

Halve brussels sprouts lengthwise. Cut lengthwise into thin (1/8-inch) slices.Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sprouts; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until brown at edges, 6 minutes. Add 1 cup water and 3 tablespoons butter. Saute until most of water evaporates and sprouts are tender but still bright green, 3 minutes. Add shallots and bacon, season with salt and pepper.

Make it. Love it. Devour it. Then make it again. You know you want to....