brussels sprouts

Entries Tagged as 'brussels sprouts'

Belly Shack

March 2nd, 2010 · No Comments

Belly Shack, Bucktown, Chicago

Brussels Sprouts & Chorizo (Seasonal Kimchi in the background) :: Belly Shack, Bucktown, Chicago

Tostones with Chimichurri Sauce :: Belly Shack, Bucktown, Chicago

Lemongrass Chicken with Peanut and Toasted Coconut :: Belly Shack, Bucktown, Chicago

Jess and I first went to Bill Kim‘s restaurant Urban Belly back in 2008. I really liked it so I was excited when I heard he was opening a new place withing walking distance of our condo, Belly Shack. But then I heard that Belly Shack would be Asian-Latino cuisine, combining his Korean culture with his wife, Yvonne’s, Puerto Rican culture (Read more about this creative combination in an interview with Bill Kim & Yvonne Cadiz-Kim). I must admit, the combination of Asian food and Latino food kind of put me off a bit. I love each separately, but how would you combine them?

A few weeks ago Dallas, Jess and I went to check out Belly Shack and you know what? I shouldn’t have been afraid. We all liked everything we tried. I still mourn for Vella a little bit, since Belly Shack took over its space, but I am happy to have this new addition.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

February 17th, 2010 · 2 Comments

In December I bought a bunch of brussels sprouts at the supermarket. Once home, I looked up this recipe for roasted brussels sprouts on Simply Recipes, one of my favorite cooking sites online. Here’s how you make them:

Rinse the brussels sprouts and trim the ends.

Put the brussels sprouts in a cast iron frying pan.

Mince some garlic cloves.

Add the garlic to the pan and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Squeeze some olive oil in the pan.

Stir it up to coat the brussels sprouts.

Sprinkle generously with salt. Add a bit of pepper as well.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Take the brussels sprouts out and stir them up.

Cook for another 10 minutes. Take the brussels sprouts out and stir them up.

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for another 5 minutes.

The sprouts will be nicely browned, some of the outside leaves will be crunchy, the insides cooked through and soft, but not mushy. The cheese will be nice and browned and baked, with a nutty flavor. Add more salt, if needed.

ENJOY!

Dallas hates brussels sprouts, so more for me. YUMYUMYUM. I have to stop myself from eating the whole batch. I’ve made this recipe twice so far. The second time I tossed in some pine nuts before roasting and that was really good too.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe
From: Simply Recipes

Variations include adding pine nuts, cider vinegar, roasted chestnuts, or thyme. Also great with bacon or pancetta. If adding pine nuts, add them during the last 5 minutes of cooking, or brown them separately and add to the finished dish.

1 pound Brussels sprouts, rinsed, ends trimmed
1 Tbsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place Brussels sprouts in a cast iron frying pan (or a roasting pan, but a cast iron frying pan will work great for this recipe). Toss in the garlic. Sprinkle Brussels sprouts with lemon juice. Toss with oil so that the sprouts are well coated. Sprinkle generously with salt (at least a half teaspoon) and a few turns of black pepper.

Put Brussels sprouts in oven on top rack, cook for 20 minutes, then stir so that the sprouts get coated with the oil in the pan. Cook for another 10 minutes. Then sprinkle with Parmesan (if using) and cook for another 5 minutes.

The sprouts should be nicely browned, some of the outside leaves crunchy, the interior should be cooked through.

Add more salt to taste. (Salting sufficiently is the key to success with this recipe.)

Serves 4.