Eat your vegetables...

Hi all!  Happy snowy/rainy/miscellaneous precipitation day!  It has looked like the inside of a snow globe here all morning, with lots of big flakes flying around in the sky but not too much on the ground.

I've been wanting to share two little recipes, both for vegetables that I never really loved until I ate them like this. 

Brussel sprouts first!  I think Justin and I both remember with horror the peculiarly hardy brussel sprout plants in Mom and Dad's garden that kept producing sprouts well into the winter one year... : )  NOW, though, they're my favorite vegetable, thanks to the following recipe; I don't remember where it came from originally, so here's my version.

SHREDDED BRUSSEL SPROUTS

Brussel sprouts, base and outer leaves removed
A little olive oil or butter....mmm, butter...or both
A very little sugar (you can leave this out if you'd rather)
A little salt

Using a food processor with a shredding disc, shred the brussel sprouts.  Heat the oil/butter in a pan, stir in the sprouts, sprinkle with sugar and salt, and fry for about 3-5 minutes.  You can also fry for a minute or two, add a splash of water, cover the pan, and cook for another few minutes; I find this helps the sprouts cook with a little less oil while keeping them from sticking to the pan. 

That's all!  Yummy!

Next, cauliflower, which I like in lots of dishes but which tastes just lovely on it's own in the following recipe.  This is a real recipe from an actual cookbook, so it has lots of helpful detail, unlike mine above...

CAULIFLOWER ALLA PARMIGIANA

Unsalted butter for the baking dish, plus 2 1/2 tablespoons
1 cauliflower, about 1 1/2 pounds, separated into large florets
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oven to 425° F. Butter an 8-by-10-inch oval baking dish, or a baking dish of equivalent size.  Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the florets and boil until they are slightly softened but still retain some crispness, about 4 minutes. Drain well, then slice them lengthwise so the stems are about 1/4 inch thick.  Arrange the slices, overlapping them tightly, in the prepared baking dish. Season with salt and black pepper, then dot with thin slices of butter, using the 2 1/2 tablespoons. Sprinkle with the Parmesan.
Bake uncovered until lightly browned on top, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves 4.
From Casual Cooking by Michael Chiarello

love, Jess