Roasted Brussel Sprouts a la David Chang

I remember hearing about David Chang's Brussel Sprouts on an episode of No Reservations...
The heralded chef of Momofuku fame took the sprouts of the menu because....they became too popular. I'll try not to butcher this, but it was something along the lines of not wanting his creativity to be driven by what the masses wanted, but rather his passion to cook, create and be creative. Which is kind of awesome...and probably only something you can do if you're David Chang.

Well if you're like me and didn't get to try them before they were pulled from the menu, the chef was kind and generous to share the recipe with the world.

I merged two recipes that I found (here and here), and the results were pure 'delciousness' as D. Chang would say. The key is to get a good char on the outside leaves, leaving them crispy and a dark brown or black color. I prefer to cook them on the stove top, but they can also be done in the oven. (Both methods are below). And if you've never cooked with fish sauce, take heed: keep your nose out of the fish sauce bottle.

 

 

 
Ingredients:
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

To make the dressing, combine the ingredients below till sugar is dissolved:
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce (preferably Tiparos brand)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped mint
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro stems
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (1 1/2-inch) fresh red or green Thai chile, thinly sliced crosswise, including seeds
Juice of 1 lime

To make the puffed rice topping:
1/2 cup crisp rice cereal (e.g.: Rice Krispies)
1/4 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 teaspoon shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice blend, available at Asian markets)

Garnish: cilantro sprigs; torn mint leaves; chopped scallions

1) Heat 5-6 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Get the pan to be super crazy hot and almost smoking, then cook the brussel sprouts, cut side down (careful for splatter!). Turn the heat to medium and sear till browned, about 2-3 minutes. Turn the brussel sprouts over and cook for another 3-5 minutes, till the outsides are nice and crisp. 

For oven cooking, preheat to 450°F with rack in upper third.
Toss Brussels sprouts with oil, then arrange, cut sides down, in a 17- by 12-inch shallow baking pan. Roast, without turning, until outer leaves are tender and very dark brown, about 40 to 45 minutes. (Check midway that the bottoms are not burning). Add butter and toss to coat.

2) Make the topping by cooking the cereal, oil and shichimi togarashi in a small skillet over medium heat, until rice is coated and begins to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent cereal from burning. Transfer topping to a bowl and let cool. 

3) To plate, place sprouts in a serving bowl, then toss with just enough dressing to coat. Sprinkle with puffed rice. Garnish and serve the remaining dressing on the side.

ensalada azteca

There’s a vegan restaurant in my neighborhood that, along with this recipe, makes me believe I could live off vegan food, climb trees, climb mountains, etc. all the live long day. (I say this with the caveat that they have these awesome nachos, corn bread, a decent cheesecake as well).

This salad was the first thing I had there…and tried to recreate a few months later for one of my first dates with Abe many a years ago. My memory failed me as I ended up with a bowl of romaine, quinoa and honey mustard dressing. Fail.

Anyways, redemption came when I found this recipe on the Native Foods Blog here. It’s all kinds of crisp veggies, and the raisins and sunflowers add an unexpected flavor and texture to it; not to mention the subtle kick from the cayenne. Pow.

Altogether, I’m a fan. The ingredient list seems long, but you’ll have leftover dressing and a big, heaping, delicious, beautiful salad at the end of it.

 

For the Mango Lime Dressing:

Combine the following ingredients in a mixer and blend till smooth. Allow the dressing to sit before serving so the flavors can come together. *Note that the dressing comes out pretty thick, so you might have to use a spoon to drizzle it over your salad (vs. pouring it out of the blender or bottle).

1 cup of fresh (or frozen) mango

½ cup sunflower oil (I used canola; any neutral flavored oil will work)

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup fresh lime juice

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger

Tomato Mixture:

Combine the following ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to combine.

1 cup tomato, chopped

1 cup cucumber, peeled + chopped

1 cup jicama, chopped

1 cup avocado, chopped

½ cup red onion, minced

2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

Additional ingredients:

2 cups of mixed greens

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to instructions and cooled

Topping:

4 Tablespoons sunflower seeds

4 Tablespoons raisins or chopped dates

Slices of fresh mango

Cayenne pepper (optional)
 

To assemble Salad:

Divvy up the mix greens onto 4 plates. Top with equal amounts of quinoa, then drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of dressing.
Top with Tomato Mixture and drizzle with more dressing. Garnish with sunflower seeds, raisins, and fresh mango. Sprinkle with a dash of cayenne pepper if you don’t mind a kick. Serve and enjoy.

roasted vegetables with a lemon-tahini dressing

Another David Lebovitz (<3) recipe. The dish he created in an effort to clear out his refrigerator, is now one of my favorite, staple recipes. I'm trying to eat less meat/chicken these days, so this has been in frequent rotation when I'm looking for something flavorful, filling, and vegetarian . You can use any combination of vegetables and add more herbs, like dill as David suggests for a more Mediterranean feel. I'm back on my kabocha pumpkin kick so added that to the mix, but besides a few minor adjustments, I stuck pretty closely to the original. I think I'll add some Garbanzo beans next time. 


Ingredients:
3/4 cup wild or mixed brown rice
6 cups peeled and cubed root vegetables (I used carrots, kabocha pumpkin, beets. Broccoli also tastes great)
Olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
2 spring onions or green onions, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley and chives (or other favorite herbs)
Toasted almonds or sunflower seeds (optional)

To make Lemon-Tahini Dressing, combine:
1/4 cup Tahini (essentially a sesame paste; also used to make hummus)
1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons water
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
*Add more lemon juice or salt if needed. 

Cook rice according to instructions. After cooking, move rice into a bowl and let cool.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper.

Spread the vegetables in an even layer on a baking sheet, and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through. Stir once or twice while baking to keep vegetables from burning. Remove from heat and let cool.


This dish is best served at room temperature. When you're ready to serve, arrange rice in a bowl, top with plenty of vegetables, drizzle with a generous amount of dressing on top, and add a few spoons of the green onion/herb mixture. Finally sprinkle with almonds! Stir and feast. :)

Make ahead: If you plan on making enough for leftovers or for the lunch the next day (which I always do), just keep all the elements separate (rice, vegetables, and dressing). Otherwise, the tahini dries out the dish.

Serves 4-6. 

cowboy caviar dip

When it calls for it, my favorite go to potluck dish is my boss' Cowboy Caviar recipe. (I believe this one came from a firehouse cookbook).

3 reasons I like this dip:
1) It's light and flavorful, with no mayo and no cheese.
2) It's quick to make. Minimal chopping and stirring involved.
3) Tastes good.

I think the first time I had it, I nearly ate the whole bowl as my dinner. Winner, winner.

Ingredients:
15.5 oz can of Black Eye Peas
15.5 oz can Mexicorn (mix of corn and peppers)
4 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
2 avocados, cubed

To make dressing, combine:
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tspn oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp hot sauce (I use Tobasco)
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp sugar

Drain and rinse peas and corn. In a large bowl, place peas, corn, tomatoes, onion. Pour dressing into bowl and gently mix to combine ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add avocado before serving and give it another toss.

Serve with chips and enjoy.  

 

Ddukbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)

To be able to cook like my mother one day would be a dream. I'll be starting a series here of her recipes; hope you enjoy them as much as I do!



Ingredients:
1 package of cooked dduk aka 'rice cakes' - not the Quaker dietary rice snack. The ones you want for this dish can be found in the refrigerator or freezer section of a Korean market. (Or you can buy them fresh at some markets). They have different variations, but the ones traditionally used for this dish basically look like white Nerf Gun darts (why this is the only thing I can think to compare it to right now...I do not know). 

Any combination of veggies. We used: 
1/2 onion 
1/4 red pepper
1/4 green pepper
2 green onions
2 handfuls of mushrooms
*all cut in uniform size-about the same size as the rice cakes. Carrots are are good in here as well.

Fish Cakes, sliced. 

For the sauce, combine: 
1 T cooking wine
4 T Oligodang (which is a natural sweetener/syrup of sorts available at the Korean market--you can also substitute with corn syrup)
1 T soy sauce
4 T Red Pepper Paste
1 1/2 t of garlic
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

("T" here equals one heaping spoonful)

And not shown, but an excellent addition, 1-2 hard boiled eggs.

If you're using refrigerated or frozen dduk, soak in water for a few minutes till they break apart. Bring water to a boil and cook dduk just until they start floating to the top (a few minutes). Strain and set aside.

The rest of this cooking process will take just a few minutes. So beautiful.


Heat pan with oil and quickly saute the vegetables and fish cakes, just about 2-3 minutes. The dduk is already soft in texture, so I prefer the veggies to maintain its texture/crunch, but feel free to cook the veggies longer.

Add dduk and give it just a quick stir to mix in with the veggies. (My mom was very emphatic about doing this quickly; otherwise your you get really mushy dduk). Then immediately add the sauce.

 Mix just long enough to get sauce incorporated. Turn off heat. 

Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and add sliced hard boiled eggs. Enjoy. :)