Brussles Sprouts Technique - Pluck the Leaves

Here's another example of how you can introduce Brussles sprouts to people who may have been turned off by the little green globes in the past.

Here we sprinkled in some pine-nuts and dried currants and drizzled with olive oil.

Same technique as before:

• Pull the first four or five leaves off each sprout, then cut the base off what's left of your sprout-nub.
• Cut the remaining nub in half and pull it apart with your fingers. Discard any chunky bit.

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Weekday Dinner: Savoy Cabbage, Sausage & Whole Wheat Penne

Here's a recipe we've been fixing for a long time after spotting it in an edition of Cooking Light. I usually halve the amount of pasta they call for..it always seems like carbo overload.

This easy for a weeknight because you can make the leek, cabbage & sausage mixture all in one skillet and boil your pasta at the same time. It all comes together in the same pan.


This is Cooking Light's version...I think our cabbage was a bit greener and cut in larger pieces, which gave it more chew.


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Fast Apps: Seared Diver Scallops on Pancetta & Brussels Sprouts Leaves

After a spectacular couple of weeks cooking with autumn greens, we were left with three lonely Brussels sprouts. Strolling through Whole Foods, we spied some U-10 Scallops that would make a perfect appetizer.

Elizabeth manned the scallop station here, creating a perfect sear on the humongous U-10s. Cook them on medium-high heat, keeping a close eye on the scallop.

Don't bother with cooking according to minutes...sear your tops & bottoms, then watch the side of the scallop...when the watery, translucence goes away and you get an elastic touch, wait a moment or two more then it's time to pull them off the heat.

The sprout leaves to me are the coolest thing about this recipe. I always hated Brussels sprouts (whole, halved or quartered) because they were green chunks of semi-sulfurous bitterness. But if you peel the sprout, leaf by leaf, the eggy sulfurous character goes away and you're left with a mellow leafy-green.

Pull the first four or five leaves off each sprout, then cut the base off what's left of your sprout-nub.

Cut the remaining nub in half and pull it apart with your fingers. Discard any chunky bit.


We rendered some chopped pancetta in a hot pan (you could use thick-cut or slab bacon), then added the Brussels sprouts leaves.

Once the leaves wilted and took on a slight char, turn off the heat and splash it with a scant tablespoon or so of an acid...we used sherry vinegar, but red-wine vinegar or apple cider would work.

The final result...sweet seared scallop, salty crispy pork bits and slightly sour & bitter bite from the leaves.




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Recipie Research: Hillbilly Eggrolls

One of the things I miss most about the Norfolk restaurant scene is The Taphouse...a great mix of good food, beer and outdoor patio kickback dining. The greatest thing they ever served on their menu were Hillbilly Eggrolls.

Hillbilly Eggrolls disappeared for a short while from the menu and although we wanted to try and decipher the mystery without using chunky eggroll skins, we didn't have access to good spring roll wrappers...until we moved to Philly.

Hillbilly Eggrolls are your standard eggroll/springroll made with:

1 lb. Cooked Ham
1 can Black-eyed Peas
4oz. Gruyere Cheese
10oz. Cabbage
1pkg. Spring Roll Wrappers

Serve with Texas Pete or Tabasco dipping sauce

(Beware! This yields about 1 1/2 to 2 dozen rolls)


A quick Google search revealed that nobody has a good recipe even more reason to try and figure this one out.


Attempt #1

-Ham & Cheese were sliced into large matchsticks
-Cabbage was wrapped uncooked

You can see roughly the amounts added to a single roll.

Deep-fried in 375-400 degree peanut oil (canola is fine, but peanut gives more flavor) here's the results.

Attempt #1 was decent, but when the cabbage cooked down in the wrap, it left alot of vacant space in the roll...not very satisfying. Plus the cheese didn't' really blend in well.


Attempt #2

Elizabeth had a better idea...cook the cabbage beforehand so that it wouldn't wilt in the wrapper.

Next, we diced some of the ham a little smaller to match the size of the black-eyed peas. Also, we shredded the cheese so that it would fold into the cabbage and flavor it without running out.

The end result was perfect. The rolls came out of the hot oil bath plump withHillbilly goodness...chunks of ham, strong cheese flavor and little punches of beany texture, all dripping with hot sauce.

Now that we've got the third and final member of the Decadent Springroll Trio...Duck Confit & Dried Cherry, Philly Cheesesteak, & Hillbilly....although the Duck confit is a little too upscale...maybe we'll try the Redneck Eggroll...pork BBQ, cabbage and pickles.



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Road Trip: Sly Fox Brewery

We'd planned on going to Winterthur Gardens but the grounds were absolutely drenched from a week of rain, so instead we stuck to the byways. After having some great craftbrew from Sly Fox, I wanted to check out one of their two breweries, so we cruised out to Phoenixville in the Mustang.

After cruising up the Main Line, then doing some 'car-commercial' quality driving through a few hollows, we landed in the parking lot of the Sly Fox brewery.
It wasn't that interesting on the outside. Located in a shopping mall, it had a small patio ourside...but it's what's inside that I was after.

Here's Mini-Guinni...the O'Reilly Stout served in a small sampler glass...look at the perfect pour on the glass. The nice thing here is that you can get a sampler of 5 beers for $6.


Here we have, from left to right:

• Aurora IPA - A very hoppy ale, with a lot of body...try it once just to say you had it
  
• Berliner Weisse - A summer sipper...thin, smooth, slightly sour/citiric
  
• O'Reilly Stout - A dry stout for Guinness-drinkers
  
• Black Raspberry Reserve - Not terrbily sweet at all...which is a good thing
  
• Saison Brune - Had that good 'barnyard' character that comes from saison...malty goodness

You can tell from the uneven pours in the picture the first two we went for...Elizabeth took a sip on the Raspberry and I went straight for the Saison Brune. I have to admit, my favorite beers lately have been those you'd find in N. France/S.Belgium...saisons and biere de garde...welcome diversions from German wheats.


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Celeriac & Brussels Sprout Risotto w/ Proscutti Leaves & Lamb

Here's the inspiration Elizabeth ran across.



...and here's the result of some farmer's market finds...celeriac & brussels sprouts. Elizabeth whipped up her signature risotto recipe and we then added the ingredients to the finished risotto. Here's the components:

Risotto
1 cup arborrio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1 leek, sliced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 tbsp unsalted butter
3 cups chicken stock & 2 cups water, boiling
salt & parmesan sprinkles to taste

and here's what you do with that...but if you now how to 'risotto' then go to it! To give it a theme, just throw in any ingredient when the risotto is 5 minutes from being done.



This is the FIRST time we actually used ALL FOUR eyes of the gas stove here. On the main eye, (lower left) we've got your standard risotto recipe going....and the accompanying pot of broth that you use to ladle your stock into the rice one cup at a time.

Top right is a pot of celeriac root, cubed and boiled. Bottom right is a pan of brussels sprouts with 1 tbs of olive oil sauteed, then a 1/3 cup of water to steam it.

The main trick to the sprouts is to pluck each leaf off the sprout individually; I cut the base off of the sprout and peel off the layers like an artichoke. I chop the remaining nubs up or discard the knobby part. Now you've got a nice pile of leafy sprout goodness instead of quartered hunks of green gobs.



To give a meaty foil to the leaves of brussels sprouts, we pan-crisped some proscutti and then served it with the risotto. Finally, we seared up a slice of lamb leg ($1.69 @ Super Fresh...yum!) cooked rare and sliced on the bias.


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Dmitri's - Good Cheap Eats

They pack 'em in here at Dmitri's but it's worth the tight quarters and the wait; grab a drink at the bar across the street (New Wave Cafe) and the waitress will come and get you when a table opens up. Elizabeth and I arrived just after 9 on a Friday and ended up spending a half-hour waiting across the street. It's worth it though.



We ordered the grilled octopus, which seemed to be a must based on the reviews here. It was so-so..good grill flavor and swimming in olive oil & vinegar. It seemed a bit too tough and hard to cut with the dull knives...maybe it was tougher & dried out because this order was later in the night? I'll have to go back and try it again to see if it was a fluke.


The smelts were delicious...lightly dusted and fried crisp, it was like seafood french fries. Just as good as fried anchovies at Amada. The portions here are on the gargantuan size. Elizabeth witnessed the table behind us receive a pile of feta cheese blocks the size of a small brick.


We split the lamb entree. Roasted, sliced and grilled, the lamb was full of char-flavor...only regret was the lack of decent knife to slice it with. Notice in the photo above Elizabeth furiously sawing away with a butter knife.

The lamb rested on a bed of roasted peppers and was served with a cucumber-yogurt sauce that smoothed out the intense smoky flavor of the grill. The warm olive oil drizzle greens and rice was a decent & simple side.

Service was friendly and fast. Great night out for under $45...this is a BYOB that's cash only...and if you're ordering the lamb, make sure you BYOK...Knife!


C & E

Thanksgiving Tryouts! Turkey & Sage Sauce w/ Brussels Sprouts

We just received the Thanksgiving edition of Cooking Light and decided to try out a few recipes. Here's Turkey Cutlets with Pancetta Sage Sauce with a side of Brussels Sprouts with Currants & Pine Nuts.

These recipes were fast and easy. We had them done in under 40 minutes for under $15 bucks

Recipe for Turkey Cutlets with Pancetta Sage Sauce

The turkey cutlets came in under $5.00 at Whole Foods (no hormones).....................$5
We substituted pancetta with thick-cut bacon...you'll need only one piece...................$1
Also, we used salted water instead of chicken broth
You could substitute the 3/4 white wine with 1/2 cup apple or white grape juice.......$3
Sage came from the garden, but you could substitue with Thyme.

Recipe for Brussels Sprouts with Currants & Pine Nuts.

The sprouts were less than $3.00 at the farmer's market..........................................$3
The currants & pine nuts were from Trader Joe's ...the best place to get good nuts & dried fruits for cheap...$8 for both bags with PLENTY left over...................................................$2
You could substitute with raisins (golden or not) & slivered almonds.


C & E

Butternut Squash Risotto

Here's the recipe we used for the farmer's market squash...Butternut Squash Risotto. Elizabeth adapted a version of the risotto from the Barefoot Contessa. She left out the saffron and added in toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitos), sprinkled over the final dish.




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Making Pesto

The nights are getting cold in Philly, which means not much more time before the basil goes...time to make pesto!



Elizabeth's trimmed the basil way down, then rinses and plucks the leaves. We blend the basil leaves in a food processor with enough olive oil to give them a luster.



The final paste goes into an ice-cube tray that we've sprayed with non-stick oil. Freeze the pesto-starter cubes, then store in the freezer. Whenever you need a shot of pesto or basil, you can just reach into the fridge for a chunk of green summer goodness.


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Farmer's Market Haul

Fall is here...which means apples, leeks, butternut squash and pumpkins at the market.

One the left is everything Elizabeth carried in her market bag. On the right, my haul...I actually stole the cucumber from Elizabeth's pile too...notice my three little pumpkins? I jokingly said our place is so small that those were the only kind of pumpkins we had room for.


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Weekend Road Trip - General Lafayette Inn

A perfect fall weekend ...we took the Mustang for a run out of the city. We dropped in on the General Lafayette Inn, a tavern up in Lafayette Hill that brews it's own beer.

This place is OLD! It dates back from the 1700's. The Inn above the bar is haunted (read the stories at thier website). With the low ceilings, small rooms divided by heavy-timber posted doorways it drips with charm. I imagine snow covered hills outside, roaring fire inside and enjoying a warm bowl of soup tucked into one of the corner booths. This weekend however, it was sunny and 75...no soup for us!

Of course, the best part about the General Lafayette is the bar. There were a few locals enjoying pints when we seated ourselves at the long , low bar. A few other day-trippers and locals dropped in while we were there...the place had good traffic flow for the middle of the day.

Here's a listing of thier brews


The General brews its own beers, true...but this isn't your average brewpub. Here's a brew that caught Elizabeth's eye...Lafayette’s Bière de Framboises. This beer is made with pounds and pounds of raspberries, which give a great aroma and tang. Mercifully, this is not a sweet frambozen lambic...just crisp clean raspberry goodness with a little effervescence.


I opted for Chocolate Thunder...a thick porter with an inky coffee & dark chocolate character.


We were already doing pretty good, both of us enjoying the unique character of the brews. This was a real find though...Cheesesteak Springrolls! The Taphouse in Norfolk served up Hillbilly Eggrolls, ham, black-eyed peas, cabbage and Gruyere cheese. These were thier Philly counterparts. Small slivers of steak, a little bit of cheese (Provolone maybe?) fried in a crispy pastry roll and served with Cheez Whiz dipping sauce.


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Yo! Crostini-ize My App! Flammenkuche

Here's a photo of a delicious appetizer I had at a new French-style restaurant that opened on 6th st., La Minette. Here's our review.

This is Flammenkuche...an Alsatian 'pizza' consisting of heavy cream, caramelized onions, cheese and lardons (bacon croutons YUM!).



Not having time the other night to make a real crust and not wanting to eat alot of calories, we decided to do a crostini that mimiced the flavor profile...but was alot faster and cheaper.

Components
Baguette; sliced along the bias into crostini and toasted lightly

Thick-cut or Slab bacon

1 Medium Onion
2 teaspoons Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Butter
1-2 tablespoons Cream Sherry

Neufchatel Cheese or light cream cheese



I cooked off the bacon in the pan, drained the grease, reserving about a tabelspoon.

Slice your onion into long slivers, from pole-to-pole, dust with a pinch of brown sugar and a tablespoon of butter then allow them to caramelize in a pan over medium. When the onions are starting to get brown and gooey, splash in about a table spoon or two of cream sherry to punch up the gooey caramelized sweetness

Spread the Neufchatel over your toasted crostini, top with onion mixture and sprinkle with bacon.


C & E

Tool Time - Crispy Chicken Thighs

Whole Foods has been doing some good specials on skinless thighs, so we've been trying to get them extra crispy without using a lot of oil.

Here's an example of a chicken thigh cooked WITH the skin on...cripsy, golden brown and delicious! We seared it off in the pan, topped it with thinly sliced lemons and then baked it off on a 375 oven for 30 minutes.



We sliced the thigh pieces in half, soaked them in buttermilk and then dredged them in rice flour.

Next I heated up two pans...one had some peanut oil in it, the other dry.

We seared off the thigh pieces, getting them slightly browned on each side; the rice flour, while crispier, will char faster then regular breadings.




Once each side of the chicken pieces was browned, we lowered the heat to med-low and placed the other pan on top, now super hot.

We found this brick laying on the sidewalk...I washed it up and double-wrapped it in foil...the Society Hill Chicken Press.

We added the foil wrapped brick to the top to weigh the pan down and press the chicken flat; this slowly squeezed out the chicken's grease & moisture to continue the browning while avoiding the charring.



Here's the end result...a good crispy coating on tender boneless chicken thighs. The heat and weight of the second pan helped to cook the chicken off faster while keeping it from becoming dry or charred.

Although this technique didn't use skin-on chicken, I think it's similar to the Italian Brick Chicken, Pollo al Mattone, which uses the weight of a brick to keep a splayed whole chicken flat on a hot plate.


C & E

Vegetables Without Borders

Some of our good friends from Virginia visited last weekend bringing a shipment of veggies straight from Elizabeth's parent's garden...a late summer aid-package from our friends and families.



We all went down to the Italian market for some foodie foraging; we cam back with some fresh ricotta. Elizabeth made her signature eggplant parmesan...discs of eggplant, breaded lightly and sauteed, layered with ricotta and smothered in tomato sauce using fresh Romas (again from Norman & Judy!) and basil grown on the patio...and also a gift from Norman & Judy. You can pretty much say that 3/4 of this dish was homegrown start to finish!


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