Cooking Lesson!

 This year's Piccina cooking lesson bid went to Megan Richer! Megan, like Greg before her, chose risotto (this time, with parmesan and arugula), with a side of Brussels sprouts (which Jason prepared expertly), also with parmesan. Joef taught hot fudge, one with naga jolokia, and one without. There's nothing better than cooking (and even more so, eating) with friends, and we had a fantastic time with everyone!

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan

(inspired by Eataly)

Joef and I finally made it to Eataly last weekend. We've been wanting to go since it opened, and we finally got the chance on a weekend trip to NYC.

It was pretty impressive - just huge. The selection was staggering (and you pay for that selection). At the same time, while I really enjoyed myself there and am glad I went, I think ultimately I'm more impressed by the small, family-owned Italian groceries that we used to go to in Chicago and that exist all over New York. I feel like you can get just about whatever authentic ingredient you want there, too. That being said, it was definitely worth the visit.

We ate at the pasta restaurant (La Pasta, appropriately), and for the antipasto misto, one of the three items was a delicious shredded brussels sprouts dish with pecorino and olive oil. I decided it wouldn't be too difficult to recreate, and since I'm on a brussels sprouts kick, hey, why not?

I think I almost got it. Next time, I'd cut off more off of the ends of the sprouts, because I think they get a little more bitter. Also, I'm trying to figure out if they blanched the sprouts beforehand or not - mine were a little crunchier, more like a slaw. Still, they were really good - a nice side dish with steaks with herbed butter and some orzo.

1 package fresh brussels sprouts, sliced thin
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Lemon juice, fresh-squeezed, optional

When you prep the sprouts, make sure to peel off the outer leaves that may be browned or yellowed. Once you've sliced them, put them in a bowl, and add olive oil, parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. I'm not sure about proportions (wow, what a great recipe!), but enough olive oil to coat, and parmesan to taste. Add a squeeze of two of lemon juice, stir, and serve!

Oven-Roasted Brussells Sprouts

Many years ago, when I was very young, I kept a diary. This was not a "so-and-so boy is SO cute!!!" type of diary. It was a "I am SO lucky that I love brussels sprouts!" type of diary. You see, I was extremely easy to influence at this age. My parents had made brussels sprouts for dinner, gotten me all whipped up into a frenzy by saying, "WOW, Julia, these are SO good!!! Don't you love them?! Gosh, you're lucky!!". Apparently, that's all it took to get me to accept my love of brussels sprouts as fact and espouse that love on paper for posterity.

As the years went on, brussels sprouts and I had sort of a falling out. It had really been years since I'd had them. That is, until Joef and I went to out to eat at Zinc for Valentine's Day, and ordered the grilled natural hangar steak in cabernet-bordelaise sauce with roasted baby brussels sprouts. Oh my Lord. The steak was fantastic. The sauce was fantastic. The brussels sprouts were out of this world. They absolutely stole the show.

So I had to give them a go at home. I browsed a few online recipes for oven-roasting brussels sprouts, and then just went for it. Now, I didn't have baby brussels sprouts, and I didn't have a cabernet-bordelaise sauce, but wow. These were still absolutely awesome. You can practically eat them like candy. Savory, slightly bitter, delicious candy. Combine that with the fact that they're insanely quick and easy, and you've got a new menu regular.

I think it's best not to be too exact with this recipe, so:

1 package brussels sprouts

Olive oil

Salt

Ground pepper

Balsamic vinegar or lemon juice, optional

Parmesan cheese, optional

Preheat the oven to 400. Prep the brussels sprouts by trimming the stem ends and then peeling off any yellow outer leaves. Next, cut them in half lengthwise and throw them in a bowl. Drizzle on some olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste, and if you want, add a splash or two of balsamic or a squeeze or so of lemon juice. Toss.

Pop the sprouts in the oven on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, or until they're crispy on the outsides (see photo). Stir them around once or twice while they're in the oven. When you take them out, you can sprinkle them with a little parmesan cheese before serving. So surprisingly good!