Recipes: December 2006 Archives

The wild baby cabbage that we call the brussel sprout is one of the most hated vegetables in the Western world--and that's hard fact not speculation. They can turn nasty off-green colors, their texture is more than a little rubbery, and yes, they cause gas. But this winter we've grown attached to the little bugger and offer up a couple recipes to the Tribunal.

For this easier than easy holiday side dish, we complimented them with two of our other fave ingreedies right now: Oyster mushrooms and shaved fennel. The end product is a steamy, and stinky but hearty as hell, bounty of winter vitamins.

Meaty Brussel Sprouts
1 lbs. brussel sprouts (or one whole, intact stem)
3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bulb fennel
1 cup oyster mushrooms
1 cup chardonnay
3 1/2 Tbs. whole grain mustard
1 cup mushroom stock
salt and pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bring a large pot to boil with salt water. Once rolling, add brussel sprouts and boil for 3-4 minutes, until just tender but only half-cooked and bright green. Remove, drain and run under water to cool.

3. In a saucepan, add oil and bring to medium heat. Toss in shallots and garlic and stir for 5 minutes or until nutty. Shave your fennel bulb by cutting in thin strips on a diagonal and add. Wash your oyster mushrooms and add them stem and all. Cook for another 5 minutes. They shouldn't be fully cooked.

4. Then add your wine and let cook off, reduce by half before adding stock and mustard. Season.

5. Spread the brussel sprouts out in a large casserole dish. Pour the sauce over top. (It should halfway cover the sprouts.) And toss the dish in the oven to finish off with a 10-minute braise. Remove before they lose their bright green tint.

Beverage: Paraduxx Cab/Zin table wine.
Soundtrack: Bob Dylan's Modern Times

This dish is light and fluffy like a pile of food snow. The object is to bleed red and green sauce all over it. Because it's a stack with essentially 3 levels (all white) we're calling it a napoleon, which more or less means a cute little stack of nutrition you're about to eat.

Below are the instructions for whipping up the red and green oils (do them first) and then the white bean hummus and finally how to construct your tower. If you can think of a way to pin an angel or a star on top, go for it.

Bright Basil Vinaigrette
2 cups basil leaves
1/2 extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Dunk your basil leaves in the boiling water for less than 10 seconds. Immediately cool in ice bath. And set aside.

2. Add all other ingredients and pulse in a food processor until consistent.

Roasted Red Bell Oil
3 large red bell peppers
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tsp. smoked paprika
salt and pepper to taste

1. Roast your bell peppers by placing directly on the stove top under high heat. Char each side and flip. Prepare a bowl of ice water. When peppers are scorched lightly on all sides (black burns covering half the pepper at least) toss them in the ice bath and cool. Gently remove charred skin. Remove pepper tops and seeds.

2. Add all other ingredients and pulse in a food processor until consistent.

White Hummus
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 can cannelloni or white kidney beans, drained
2 Tbs. water
2 Tbs. tahini paste
2 Tbs. smoked paprika

1. Heat a large saucepan on high heat. Add half the oil, garlic and beans. Sauté for 3 or 4 minutes and toss the mixture in your food processor. Pulse thoroughly while adding the other half of the oil., then the water, tahini and spices.

White X-mas Napoleon
2 pieces of bread
1 ball buffalo mozzarella
1 can hearts of palm
Cannellini Hummus
Red and green sauces

1. Cut off the crusts of the bread. Slice two pieces of mozzarella and top. Stick toasts in the oven for 3-5 minutes on broil. Remove once melty.

2. Drain and wash hearts of palm. Slice in half lengthwise.

3. Build a napoleon stack, starting with cheese toast. Lay 3 or 4 hearts of palm on top in parallel rows. Then a large dollop of cannelloni hummus. Finally squirt both sauces around the plate evenly.

Beverage: Caparone Sangiovese
Soundtrack: Merry Christmas Charlie Brown Soundtrack

Agent Cooper from Twin Peaks was all about the cherry pie and coffee. But we happen to think nothing goes better with a meal between hundred foot tall redwood trees than a salad that tastes like nature itself. This easy camping salad does the trick, just make sure you open the tent flap as shit can get a little, well, gaseous with all this healthy fiber.

Fiber Camping Salad
1 bunch radishes, sliced
2 whole carrots, sliced,
1 lbs. mixed bean sprouts, fresh
1 Tbs. nutritional yeast
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. vinegar of choice
Sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and eat.

Beverage: Anderson Valley's Boont Amber Ale
Soundtrack: Type O Negative's October Rust